When an artist performs in Dubai for the first time, it can result in one of two things: either you can tell they are as happy to be here as you are to see them; or they look like they can't even be bothered to perform properly (Amy Winehouse?).
Thankfully, Maroon 5 land into the first category.
Following the American band's first successful appearance in the emirate in December 2008 at Dubai Festival City, the guys are to return this year to perform at the Dubai World Trade Centre on April 21. And no one is more excited than frontman Adam Levine.
"Dubai's a wild place; we had a lot of fun the last time round," he tells tabloid! exclusively. "It's this multicultural melting pot — there's no other place like it. It's great to be back and we're very excited about the gig."
tabloid! was also the first to report on the band's return to the UAE.
Singer-songwriter Levine, 31, also admits that the band — which also comprise guitarist-keyboardist Jesse Carmichael; bassist Mickey Madden; lead guitarist James Valentine; and drummer Matt Flynn — are more confident of what to expect in the region this time around.
"We received a great response from the audience the last time we were in Dubai — when you play somewhere new, you don't really know what to expect. But the audience was really receptive. So we're very excited."
Difficult time
A lot has happened since Maroon 5's last visit though, with 2011 being dubbed the year of change for the Middle East. Tunisia and Egypt have already changed their political systems. But ask Levine whether those sort of issues would scare the band away from the region, and he'll tell you they'd rather help through their music than bail.
"That kind of thing is always in the back of your mind, but we're not neurotic about it. It is a difficult time for the region, but if anything, we're just going to offer a bit of an escape at the show. Bring some positivity to people for a few hours."
2010 marked the return of Levine and co when they released their third studio album, Hands All Over, last September — their first in three years — to a plethora of positive reviews from critics.
At the time of release, the band revealed that they recorded the album with producer Robert John ‘Mutt' Lange in his studio in Lake Geneva, Switzerland, with Levine admitting: "He [Lange] worked me harder than anyone ever has. I would come in with a finished song, and he'd say, ‘That's a good start. Now strip it down to the drums and start over.'
"The coolest thing about him is that not only has he been a huge, legendary producer, but he also is a legit, serious writer."
An interesting video for the album's first single, Misery, certainly helped attract attention to the release. Featuring Levine's real-life girlfriend, Anne Vyalitsyna, it showed the singer subjected to some serious forms of torture from the Russian Victoria's Secret model — from slaps and head-butts to knife-throwing and hit-and-runs. Thankfully, there were stunt coaches on set to prevent the shoot getting out of hand.
"That video was a lot of fun," he laughs. "But fortunately the bruising wasn't real. We had these stunt coaches that helped us out during the shoot, so everything was fine!"
A second single from the album, Give A Little More, followed shortly, and this month sees the release of the band's third, Never Gonna Leave This Bed. Levine's girlfriend returns, but she's pulling no punches this time around. Instead, Vyalitsyna lives up to the name of the song by cosying up to her man in a number of beds encased in mobile clear boxes.
During the shoot, which took place in Los Angeles, the band enlisted the help of fans, asking them to come out to the Santa Monica Pier, Grauman's Chinese Theatre and Roosevelt Hotel to be part of the video.
Chaotic feeling
At the time of the video's premiere, director Tim Nackashi told MTV: "Maroon 5 wanted to explore the chaotic feeling of having private lives in public.
"So we came up with the idea of putting Maroon 5 in a plexi-glass truck, which we would take around to heavily trafficked areas of Los Angeles and basically have them ‘pop-up' unexpectedly in the middle of a pedestrian scene — like objects on display behind glass.
"We wanted to see how people would react and what they might do unprompted, so we hired no extras or actors, and we didn't announce anything about this until the band started tweeting about their experiences on the day of the shoot."
Speaking of the experience, Levine says: "Well, Never Gonna Leave This Bed is my favourite song off this record, and Tim is this amazing director. I am really excited about this video."
Perhaps what's notable about some of Maroon 5's videos is that Levine tends to feature ladies he is associated with in real life. For instance, the video for the band's breakthrough hit, This Love, featured his then-girlfriend, model Kelly McKee. And now, Vyalitsyna has already made two appearances.
The reason for this, Levine explains, is down to one very simple thing.
"That way the chemistry is real," he points out. "I don't like to act. This way, you can capture the perfect moment."
But his gorgeous girlfriend doesn't just pop up in his band's videos. Levine also drafted in her modelling services — her hands to be precise — for a recent campaign to raise awareness for prostate cancer. And the singer certainly attracted worldwide attention thanks to the unprintable picture leaving little to the imagination.
Asked if he would do a similar campaign again, Levine responds: "The great thing is now I have done it once, I can do it again. I can do it all the time!
"In all seriousness though, it was to highlight a serious issue, and it attracted a lot of attention, so the campaign was effective. And yes, those were my girlfriend's hands — there was no airbrushing involved."
Until the next time Levine decides to take up another spot of modelling, he is happy to focus on his music with the band.
At the time of going to print, Maroon 5 were up for the Best Pop Performance award for Misery at the 53rd Grammy Awards taking place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
No consistency
"Awards season is a blast; a lot of celebrating takes place throughout," Levine says. "I am really looking forward to the Grammys, and our performance."
So does Levine see himself going solo? After all, he has hinted in the past that Maroon 5 won't last forever, once telling the UK's Daily Mail: "I've spent my '20s on tour and there's no consistency in my life, which can take its toll. Eventually, I want to focus on being a completely different person because I don't know if I want to do this into my '40s and '50s and beyond, like the Rolling Stones."
But Levine insists that Maroon 5 are still not past their shelf life.
"I think as a band we're the tightest we've ever been, and we have been really fortunate with the way things are going," he explains. "It never stops though; I have been working my a** off!
"I think that [a band breaking up] is something that is impossible to predict. And as for other projects, I don't know. Those ambitions are bound to develop, but for now, I want to focus on music — I am a one-trick pony."
Make of that statement what you will, but curious as to whether this will be the last time the region catches Maroon 5 live in concert, we push for a clearer answer.
"No, it's not the last time," he insists.
We say better buy your tickets for this gig just in case though.
Getting down with Maroon 5
UAE-based rock band Juliana Down are set to open the show for Maroon 5 when they touch down in Dubai this April.
The quintet, which comprises frontman Dia H; lead guitarist Sari R; bassist Andrew Gibson; keyboard player Lionel Fernandes; and drummer James Sinclair, is arguably one of the most popular homegrown bands of our time, having opened for the likes of Muse, Velvet Revolver, and The Rasmus, as well as Guns N' Roses most recently.
Speaking of the experience, Dia tells tabloid! it was a great experience. "We met the whole band, and they actually watched us perform from the side of the stage,." he says. "What's really cool is that they're so down to earth, and had good things to say about us. And to be part of the last gig of what is apparently their last tour is amazing."
The band, whose single Empires is out now, are gearing up to release their second album of the same name.
"The single is doing well, and we can't wait for the release of the album," he says. "We're excited about the Maroon 5 gig as well, because I feel that those type of arenas really suit our sound.
"Our target for next year is that we would love to draw a crowd like that ourselves — 5,000 to 10,000 people. We'd love that."
In the meantime, with a host of international artists recording songs dedicated to the current movement in the Middle East — one of the most popular being Wyclef Jean's tune dedicated to Egypt — we ask Dia if Juliana Down ever thought about writing songs about the region.
"It's in Empires," he says. "Once you listen to the album, you'll find stories about people — from falling in love to causing a riot.
"Empires is a reflection of what has been happening around us for the last three years — socially and politically. Empires can be easily mistaken for describing skyscrapers or big cities, but honestly, it is more about creating an empire with someone that you love."
Don't miss it!
Maroon 5 will perform live on April 21 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Maroon Pit tickets are Dh350 and regular tickets are Dh275. Tickets are on sale from February 21. For more information on tickets, check out Live Nation Middle East's Facebook group or livenation.ae. Doors open at 7pm and show starts at 9pm. Juliana Down on stage at 8pm.
