If music was a drink and your favorite was a tall frosty glass of rock stirred with a funk spoon and a wedge of awesome, then I hope you were at Northern Lights last Sunday night, drinking down the musical showcase which included Michael Tolcher, Gavin Degraw, and of course, the headliners, Maroon 5. It was their second time at Northern Lights, and just coming off of their opening spot on the Matchbox 20 Sugar Ray tour, the Maroon 5 boys were hotter than ever, playing a great show for the sold out Clifton Park crowd.
The night began casually late with the music of Michael Tolcher and his Atlanta native band. Starting off as your typical decent progressive rock band, Tolcher and the boys started showing their stuff as they got deeper into their set. Front man Tolcher had cheesy, yet still funny and very entertaining, theatrical moments to go along with his catchy, fun, and positive lyrics.
In addition, he shot off advice to the crowd quickly in-between split-second silences in his songs, like, “Here’s a beauty tip, smile!” and “Make sure you make it back to the table, buy a CD, and I’ll sign it for you!” His antics were so entertaining that I was constantly paying attention just to catch the little quirks Tolcher kept throwing in.
The second opener was well known singer and front man, Gavin Degraw. Although I’ve never heard of him there were plenty of screaming girls in the crowd who knew the all the words to his bluesy, rock blended songs and were constantly on the verge of throwing their unmentionables right in his direction. But I can’t blame them, as DeGraw was good, with his booming and extremely impressive singing voice, as well as his guitar and keyboard playing skills. He wasn’t as energetic as the first band, but he was definitely a great performer.
The band, on the other hand, never seemed to be quite happy with their onstage monitors, taking a decent amount of time to “get more bass” or “get more keyboard on stage.” This confused some audience members, including my friend Kelly, who said, “Isn’t the whole keyboard already on stage?” Needless to say, it quickly became the quote of the night.
And then it was time for the big boys, the reason we were there; it was Maroon 5 time. Well, almost Maroon 5 time. It first took the roadies in excess of 30 minutes to set-up the stage for the band and to make sure all of the instruments were “working.” But when Maroon 5 took the stage, the cranky crowd immediately turned around and one of the best concerts I’ve seen in a while was underway.
Front man Adam Levine immediately jumped into a track off of the band’s hit 2002 release Songs about Jane with a vocal range and talent that Celine could barely wave a stick at.
Guitarist James Valentine was great at holding the rhythms together, and the other three members, Jesse Carmichael on keyboard, Mickey Madden on bass and Ryan Dusick on drums, did a great job of reproducing the CD’s catchy songs.
Even better than hearing well known songs was listening to the band jam out a little during the show, when Levine’s and Valentine’s musical talent showed through on some very impressive guitar solos. They even played some catchy new material, and perhaps a preview of their already highly anticipated next CD. Levine was personable as well, talking with the audience and admitting that he was a little under the weather, but still having great time. The crowd was right behind him, truly enjoying the show.
Overall, for $12, this show was definitely worth it, with three great bands in a great, intimate venue. So watch out for either of these three artists, and catch them when they come by again, as their shows are not to be missed.
In the end, I left with a demo CD from Michael Tolcher, some decent pictures, a smile on my face, and a rock for thirst sufficiently quenched.
