Maroon 5’s Three Day Tokyo Dome Takeover: A Review of Opening Night

In the evening of February 6th, Adam Levine sported a Shohei Otani Dodgers jersey as he took the stage – a fitting outfit for Maroon 5’s first night back performing in Japan’s biggest indoor baseball stadium turned occasional concert arena: the Tokyo Dome. 

As the fourth stop of their 2025 Asia tour, Japan welcomed the band with three sold out shows at a venue that holds more than fifty thousand people. Held on a Thursday, the crowd was a mix of suited up office workers who had just clocked off, teenagers that paraded in merchandise bought at the stall seconds before, and university students that were celebrating the first week of their spring break– myself included. The day had come to finally punch in the tickets I had acquired through the obligatory lottery system for getting concert tickets in Japan. Aside from the ticket tier (VIP, standing or seated), each concertgoers’ seat placement lies in the hands of the machine, only to be found out a couple of weeks before the concert. 

Another particularity about concerts in Japan is the absence of opening acts. So, as the clock struck seven, the lights dimmed and the opening of “Animals” set the scene for the next hour and a half. Hues of purples, reds, oranges and yellows infused the room and the ending notes swiftly transitioned into another one of the band’s most well known titles, “One More Night”. 

The tour wasn’t intended to promote a new album; rather, it was a trip down memory lane– they performed 2010s hit after hit, including songs that Levine had been featured on such as “Stereo Hearts”. They also performed songs that feature other notable artists like “What Lovers Do (feat. SZA),” “Don’t Wanna Know (feat. Kendrick Lamar” and “Girls Like You (feat. Cardi B).” Unfortunately, the group decided to cut most of their features’ verses out except for Cardi B’s. Her rap, placed at the start of the song instead of its usual spot at the end, broke up the melodic and acoustic performance of “She Will Be Loved” that came just before. The switch up successfully stirred the crowd, and even prompted the girls to my left to ask each other whether the New York born rapper had graced us with a surprise appearance.

Songs that were revealed as Japanese fan favorites that night were “Sunday Morning” and “Memories”, the former prompting a swaying sea of flashlights whilst the latter brought upon the loudest karaoke session of the night. 

Though previous Tokyo Dome residents such as Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars set precedence for complex visuals and grand productions, Maroon 5’s set reminded me of the beauty in the simplicity of live music. Was the musical group levitating with the help of wires attached to the roof? No, although Levine prancing from one end of the stage to the other came close to this. Were there any crazy filters or imagery on the screens? Not necessarily, though they did showcase the “Girls Like You” music video. Despite the simplicity, it was the nostalgia attached to so many of their songs that enhanced the experience for me, as well as my ability to purely concentrate on the art being made before my eyes.

It's safe to say that the band has yet to live up to the fame they once had in the early 2000s and 2010s. Their most ‘recent’ releases from 2021 to 2023 haven’t quite garnered the same popularity as their earlier works, which is probably why none of them featured on the setlist. After more than two decades as a group, this concert didn’t shock me the way attending the opening night of another tour might, and instead it felt like a nostalgia-filled tribute to Maroon 5’s glory days.

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