By Kyle Sacchi
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

RUTHERFORD – The last concert played at the IZOD center went off with a bang.

Maroon 5 gave the Izod Center’s final performance last Sunday night. Photo Credit: Maroon5.com

The IZOD Center hosted its final concert Sunday night with chart toppers, Maroon 5. Frontman Adam Levine and his band

charged through their Meadowlands set with a familiar playlist, having most of the songs being in the Top 40 hits. Within the singles was a few of the band’s more rock and roll- type breakthroughs coming from 2002’s “Songs About Jane.”

The Maroon 5 “V” Tour kicked off last month in Dallas, playing sold out shows in nearly all arenas (inducing NYC’s Madison Square Garden). The East Rutherford stop was the 12th show of 48 dates that will go through September.

Maroon 5 played all of their top hits at the concert last Sunday. Photo Credit: maroon5.com

In the middle of one of the performances, Levine  brought up that the IZOD Center is closing soon, and that his show “might be” the last concert the venue ever sees. He urged everyone to put down their phones for the acoustic version of “She Will Be Loved,” and when some onlookers wouldn’t agree to his demands, he called them “Slaves to technology!” which drew a big laugh. He also mentioned another Jersey reference, saying, “We used to play Maxwell’s!” a local Hoboken club.

Although the show received an abundance of praised reviews, the unique issue Maroon 5 has is that it may have just made too many hits to play in a short timespan. This may have caused the show to be slightly less intimate and compelling. 15 of the 17 songs in their set have at some point in the last decade received radio play, and of course, Maroon 5 had to play them live. The group only has so much time out there, and it understands that fans are paying primarily to hear the songs they know best.

While in concert, Adam Levine asks the audience members to put their cellphones down to enjoy the Izod’s last performance.
Photo Credit: Maroon5.com

But for the diehard fans who actually buy the albums may get a little cheated in the process. There is no reward for their loyalty in a “greatest hits” set.

Overall, as the last show the IZOD will see for a while, things went very well, not only for the arena, but for the 3-time Grammy winning band as well.