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Fun All In A Day's Work For Polished Maroon 5

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By SARAH HOYE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2007

TAMPA - Concertgoers made the trek to the St. Pete Times Forum to see Maroon 5 do work Sunday night.

But before the Los Angeles quintet clocked in, opening act The Hives whipped the crowd into a frenzy. The crew of raucous rockers from Sweden came out wearing matching black suits with white accents that coordinated with their instruments and amps. Playfully animated and hyper, they got the night started with catchy ditties 'Walk Idiot Walk' and 'Tick Tick Boom.'

Lead singer Pelle Almqvist worked the crowd, shimmying his way along the aisles and getting cozy with the ladies.

When it was time for the multiplatinum, Grammy-winning quintet Maroon 5 to take the stage, the audience erupted into cheers and immediately came to their feet. The guys looked too-cool-for-school dressed in skinny jeans, fitted tees and jackets.

The stage was decorated with a giant 'M' and had two runways, giving lead singer Adam Levine plenty of room to strut his slight frame.

The crowd swayed to the soul-infused pop rock. They also eagerly screamed along, reciting such favorites as 'If I Never See Your Face Again,' a blunt song about a fling, and 'Wake Up Call' a hip-hop tribute to betrayal. They roared each time Levine called out 'Tampa.'

Maroon 5 kept things moving, rolling seamlessly through their song catalog and taking it back to the beginning with 'This Love.' They had a polished sound, took time to jam and appeared to enjoy themselves.

They've enjoyed success as well. Their sophomore album, 'It Won't Be Soon Before Long,' debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart after its release in May. Their 2002 debut album, 'Songs About Jane,' went quadruple platinum, catapulting the quintet to stardom.

Regardless of the accolades, at the end of the day the guys had fun, the music was good and the audience couldn't get enough. And in true rocker style, they had an encore. That's what you call a job well done.

Reporter Sarah Hoye can be reached at (813) 259-7832 or shoye@tampatrib.com.

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