A noticeably relaxed Adam Levine took the stage with Maroon 5 for a pre-Super Bowl event in Miami on Saturday, telling the crowd he was relieved the pressures of the half-time show were behind the band.
“I’m just happy we can kind of kick back and hang out down the street and have fun, but still be somewhat away from the madness,” said Levine, whose band headlined last year’s Super Bowl half-time show in Atlanta.
The frontman asked the crowd which team they thought would win on Sunday but shrugged off answering his own question, saying he did not have a preference between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
Drummer Matt Flynn, however, wore the jersey of San Francisco’s George Kittle.
“Now that is over. Now we’re loose and we can have a good time,” Levine said.
Tonight’s headliners! @AdamLevine and @JamesBValentine of @Maroon5 making a quick appearance on the blue carpet before heading backstage💙 #BudLight #SuperBowlMusicFest pic.twitter.com/gzAjmvlfKm
— Super Bowl Music Fest (@SBMusicFest) February 2, 2020
He clearly relished the no-pressure vibe, saying, “It’s chill,” when he forgot a cue to grab his guitar during Sugar, even after admitting his mistake.
Dan + Shay, fresh off a Grammy win for Speechless, opened the show.
Demi Lovato surprised the crowd, joining the country duo on the ballad.
Maroon 5 rocked through a series of hits during a high-energy, 90-minute set, including Payphone, This Love, Moves Like Jagger and Animal, which he played with a pink Hello Kitty guitar.
keep an eye out for us in the front row during your set completely fanboying and singing every word 🤪
— Dan + Shay (@DanAndShay) February 1, 2020
Speechless over this performance with @ddlovato & @danandshay 😍 pic.twitter.com/UWXuOfWmvM
— AA Arena (@AAarena) February 2, 2020
At the start of the show at the Miami Heat’s home arena, Levine carried out Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers jersey.
He later opened the encore set with an emotional rendition of Memories, which he dedicated to Bryant, who was among nine people killed in a helicopter crash January 26.
This year’s pre-Super Bowl events have been suffused with grief and tributes to the basketball great in the aftermath of the crash, including during the Super Bowl media night on January 27 and former team-mate Shaquille O’Neal’s carnival-themed event on Friday.
“I don’t know if I’ll make it through this one with my emotions intact. If you could sing with us it would make a huge,” Levine said, before stopping as the crowd erupted into chants of “Kobe”.
— AA Arena (@AAarena) February 2, 2020
Levine clutched his microphone and hung his head low, saying one of his goals this year was to “love more and live more” and encouraging the audience to do the same.
The rocker wore a Guns N’ Roses muscle tank for most of the show, which was part of the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest.
Gun N’ Roses headlined a performance also at the American Airlines Arena the night before.
The series opened on Thursday, during which Miami’s own DJ Khaled brought out several surprise guests including Rick Ross, 2 Chain and Migos. Meek Mill and DaBaby opened that show.