Maroon 5 and Adam Levine rest on their laurels at Summerfest in Milwaukee

It’s been over five years since the worst Super Bowl halftime performance of all time, and Maroon 5 fans at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater Friday night had apparently forgiven and/or forgotten.

The lights went down and Harry Belafonte's "Jump in the Line" blasted over the sound system. Although the lawn was sparsely populated, there were very few actual seats vacant as the band took the stage, and the sea of people commenced to sway and head-bob the night away.

Levine emerged in ripped jeans and, naturally, layers up top — though it should be noted he kept a shirt on for the entire performance. It could have been Def Leppard onstage for opener "Animals"; the lighting was dark and menacing, the hair-metal (sans hair) intensity reached a fever pitch …

Then the band suddenly downshifted into the faux-reggae of "One More Night." Transitions weren't always smooth or logical, but the beat rarely stopped.

More: Bryson Tiller, Lil Tecca, and the best and worst of Summerfest 2024's Day 8 in Milwaukee

The ensuing segue into "This Love" was more natural, and the crowd relished the early opportunity to belt this one out. Then Levine strapped on an electric guitar and brought this tune to another quick climax. It wasn't until the song was over that he finally took his jacket off. (Admittedly, it was chilly for July.)

The band, regardless of how many guitars were being played, leaned into an extra meaty arena-rock sound for most of the set, eschewing its latest album, 2021's "Jordi," almost entirely; “Memories” was the only tune from the current decade that the group played. It was a feel-good nostalgia night from a band that has contentedly watched pop culture begin to move on from it.

Not unlike Bono before him, Levine may have overindulged in rock-star hubris in the past, and the current tour may be a return-to-basics effort akin to U2's Elevation Tour in 2001, only without the crucial component of acclaimed new material. At least there was no giant disco-ball lemon?

Meanwhile, there'll probably be a new U2 album any day now; kudos to Maroon 5 for knowing when to rest on their laurels.

Also, any chance to put keyboardist PJ Morton in the spotlight was a win for the audience. Following a band-intro interlude atop David Bowie's "Let's Dance," Morton treated us to his own "Heavy," and his versatile work hopping between electric piano and various other synths stood out in an otherwise painfully generic sound.

Morton, like most of the six-piece ensemble, was stationed on his own luminous riser behind Levine; only guitarist James Valentine got to roam stage level with Levine, heightening the starkest difference between U2 and Maroon 5: The former is a band, while the latter is just Levine and five guys. If any of those five have their own personalities, they must not be allowed to reveal them onstage.

The songs obviously still connect with people, though, and if REO Speedwagon can still play Summerfest, Milwaukee can probably look forward to decades yet of Maroon 5 shows here.

Dasha opened for Maroon 5 at Summerfest

Thirty years ago, fans at a rock concert might have pitched a fit if the opening act strolled out and started playing country songs. Nowadays, though, everybody’s pivoting to country; if Beyoncé can do it, so can Dasha.

The California pop singer-songwriter scored her biggest hit with this year’s “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’),” and, based on her set Friday night, country’s the direction she’s heading.

The song boasts so many country clichés it came off as tourism if not downright parody; tiny pockets of the crowd burst into hoedowns all the same.

In 20 years, parody will become canon in the blink of an eye, and although Dasha didn’t play anything else remotely as catchy, “Austin” is probably as fine a start as any.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Maroon 5 rests on its laurels at Summerfest in Milwaukee