Counting Crows and Maroon 5 are a pair of bands with soul
Just what do Maroon 5 and Counting Crows have in common? Not much, actually. Both use electric guitars. Both fuse R&B elements with rock. Both command a sizable following. That’s about it.
One of the more odd pairings of Buffalo’s summer concert season hit Darien Lake on Monday, and though the connection between the two headlining bands was tenuous at best, and a nonsequitur at worst, the program was satisfying.
Maroon 5 played first, though the faux-funk band could’ve been the headliner based on crowd response. Led by singer Adam Levine, the group marries blue-eyed soul to modern rock, and the results are sometimes stunning, sometimes tried and trite.
All of this pretty much depends on Levine, who seems paralyzed by his simultaneous desire to be Jeff Buckley (serious artist with a God-like singing ability) and Jon Bon Jovi (total poseur who wants all the girls in attendance to love him).
When Maroon 5 was good— the pure pop-funk of “Makes Me Wonder,” the Police-robbing charm of “Won’t Go Home Without You” — the Buckley character was in full evidence.
When the group stumbled — during “Tangled,” a confectionary throwaway, or an ill-advised solo turn on Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” courtesy of Levine — it was the ever-smiling pretty-boy image of Bon Jovi making Levine’s moves seem bogus, cliched and annoying.
No question, the guy can sing.
In fact, I can think of no one able to pull off a more convincing imitation of Terence Trent D’Arby (look it up) than Levine. But his falsetto-laden modern soul wore thin pretty quickly. The more muscular, guitar-based interplay was far more rewarding, and the rhythm section was outstanding throughout. But if the highest point of your show comes when your lead singer comes back for the encore on his own, to tackle a Guns N’ Roses tune— the folk-based “Patience,” in this case — then something might be wrong. If Levine loosened up, and the instrumentalists in Maroon 5 broke free from the mold to improvise once in a while, well, the elevated ether of Buckley’s work might be a feasible aim. Until then, it’s the Jonas Brothers with a lot more soul.
Counting Crows countered the slickness of Maroon 5’s set with a clearly folk-influenced blend of classic rock and white R&B. Van Morrison hung in the air over all of it, but singer Adam
Duritz made sure to mention several more of the band’s influences. They range from the Band to Dylan, Van the Man to Jackson Browne.
The Crows made it plain that they’d come to mess with expectations a bit when they opened with “When I Dream of Michelangelo,” a mellow, laid-back piece from the band’s new album, “Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings.” This was an unusual choice for an opener, considering the crowd was likely feeling titillated by Maroon 5’s show. But it worked, and when Duritz led the group through a torrid “Rain King” as song No. 2, the energy level kicked up a few notches.
Duritz and Co. seemed eager to share their understanding of music history with the crowd. This was clear when the group dimmed the lights and ran a video tribute to the recently departed soul music giant Isaac Hayes for a crowd that seemed to have no idea who the man was. Later, Duritz spoke of fallen heroes and broke into the rather explicit tribute to the late Band keyboardist Richard Manuel with “Richard Manuel Is Dead,” the most poignant tune of the evening.
The Crows went on to play the hits expected of them and a celebratory atmosphere prevailed. But it was that tribute to Manuel that left the most deeply burned afterimage.
Concert Review
Counting Crows and Maroon 5
With Sara Bareilles on Monday night at Darien Lake Performing Arts Center.
