BY MOLLY WILSON (‘20)

Maroon 5 and Adam Levine have received mixed reviews on their performance at the Super Bowl LIII Halftime show. The front man gave a lackluster performance accompanied by his longtime band mates and musical guests that included rapper Travis Scott.

Super Bowl Halftime shows often receive criticism from viewers. However, this year talk about alleged racist comments made by the NFL towards Colin Kaepernick has lead to backlash towards the NFL and the halftime performers. Many people wanted Maroon 5 to back out of the performance.

Adam Levine stands by his decision to perform. “I spoke to many people, most importantly though, I silenced all the noise and listened to myself, and made my decision about how I felt,” Levine said in an interview with ET’s Kevin Frazier.

Setting aside the outstanding circumstances of this year’s Super Bowl and as a fan of Maroon 5, I was let down by the quality of their performance. This past September I saw them live at Nationwide Arena and the concert was much more energetic and lively then the halftime show they gave. 

There is no denying that Maroon 5 has many hit songs that adults, teens, and kids can all enjoy, however this same vibe was not transcribed into their show. They performed majority their greatest and most popular hits, but they did not resonate the same with me compared to their live show this fall.  

Obviously any show see live has a bigger impact on the audience. They are in the stands and can feel the music, dance, and connect with the performer. However, the purpose of the halftime show is to entertain the audience, not just those who are there live, but also who are watching at home. This is where Maroon 5’s performance disappointed me. Their television presence and charisma was lacking. Leaving me let down by my own expectations of what the show was going to be because of the show I saw just a few months ago.