Artists: Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson (Honda Civic Tour)
Venue: Nikon at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, N.Y.
Date: Aug. 11
Adam Levine has cemented his status as the new People’s Rock Star, leveraging his presence on “The Voice” to the biggest success in Maroon 5’s decade-plus career. So when his band played its only New York-area date at Long Island’s Jones Beach Theater rather than Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden, with Levine dressed in a nondescript gray polo and jeans, it only added to his accessible appeal. Turning overly programmed “Overexposed” tracks like “One More Night,” “Lucky Strike” and particularly “Love Somebody” into more lively, band-driven anthems helped, too. But that wasn’t the real highlight of this year’s Honda Civic Tour. Special guest Kelly Clarkson tore through nearly all 17 tracks on her “Greatest Hits: Chapter One” collection, complete with four costume changes and a ferocious cover of Aretha Franklin’s “I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You.”