Maroon 5 review: Effortless Adam Levine hits high gear without breaking sweat at Abu Dhabi F1

Polished, sleek and professional, the supreme vocalist led the band's triumphant set of greatest hits

Maroon 5's frontman Adam Levine. They played some of their best-known hits including Sunday Morning and Animals. Victor Besa / The National

From a makeshift stage at Dubai Festival City to the Egyptian pyramids and now the home of the Abu Dhabi Formula One, Maroon 5's growing fortunes over almost three decades mirror the rising spectacle of their regional concerts.

Friday night's gig, as part of the F1 after-race concerts series, was one of their biggest yet, with around 30,000 people at Etihad Park witnessing the greatest hit set with all the sleekness and professionalism of a Las Vegas show. This is literally the case for the five-piece, considering their setlist is a virtual replica of their sporadic residency at the Park MGM Las Vegas.

This was good news for fans and ideal for a setting like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where the entire audience had access to the gig as part of their overall race ticket. For 90 minutes, the 20-song hit fest – indeed, nearly every track was recognised by the crowd – offered an ideal representation of the band’s commercial prowess and undeniably tight musicianship.

Beginning with one of their darker offerings, Animals, frontman Adam Levine’s resonant voice showed no signs of wear and tear after a year spent mostly on the road, including shows at the Qatar Grand Prix and Mumbai earlier this month. His pristine voice swelled through the ascending notes before switching to the guitar and leading the band into a riotous rock hoedown.

One More Night, with its faux reggae groove and assertive basslines, was also a treat, with fans straining to match some of Levine's seamless falsetto notes. The group explored these Caribbean influences further in Stereo Hearts, another reggae-inspired pop track buoyed by the bobbing keyboard notes from PJ Morton.

By the time their breakout 2002 single Harder to Breathe arrived, one couldn’t deny the music’s unerring ability to please. Levine remarked while introducing the band to the crowd: “Now this is more a guideline than a rule – we just need you to dance and sing along with us.”

Maroon 5 played the Friday slot as part of the Abu Dhabi F1 concert series. All photos: Victor Besa / The National

Thousands of fans turned out for the show

Abu Dhabi hosts several concerts as part of the Formula One season-closing races

Lead singer Adam Levine on stage

Levine worked the crowd during the set

The band performed their well-known Harder to Breathe single

The band formed in 2002

Fans rocked out to the American band

The bad showcased their range of influences, from funk to rock

Levine led by example, moving like Mick Jagger and shimmying like David Bowie along the T-shaped stage while leading the crowd in one of many call-and-response routines. And the hits kept coming: Payphone, with its loping falsetto vocal melody recalling the best of Phil Collins, was delivered with suitable precision, while the soulful Sunday Morning remains glorious 22 years later.

I Wanna Be Your Lover by Prince, released four months before Levine's birth in 1979, offered an insight into his early influences, as he delivered the strident disco-funk tune more as a loving tribute than high-powered karaoke. Morton then took to the floor for his solo gospel-soul track, Please Be Good to Me, showcasing the kind of dynamic songwriting that earned him and the track this year's Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.

Following the barrelling version of Moves Like Jagger, Maroon 5 ended the show with an encore of She Will Be Loved, Girls Like You and, perhaps their greatest hit, the undeniably brilliant Sugar. Fine-tuned and barely breaking a sweat, the band left the stage, making this whole pop stardom thing look quite effortless.

The concert series continues with hip-hop star Eminem performing on Saturday and concludes on Sunday with British rockers Muse.

Other F1 weekend gigs happening on Yas Island

On the club front, Turkish DJ and deep house producer Mahmut Orhan will perform today at Garden on Yas at W Abu Dhabi, located within the Yas Marina Circuit. Meanwhile, on Sunday, Australian spinner Fisher will take the stage at the F1 pop-up of Dubai venue Bagatelle, also situated within the hotel.

Access to concerts as part of the after-race series is exclusive to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ticket holders