‘Cold’ helps Levine, Maroon 5 sizzle

It took six years for Maroon 5 to return to Milwaukee Monday, but Adam Levine’s pop band more than made up for the absence at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, starting with the concert premiere of its latest single, “Cold.”

Combined with last fall’s “Don’t Wanna Know” (another crowd pleaser), “Cold” suggests a new direction for the band.

Following the rise of Lorde and the resurrection of Justin Bieber, less is more in pop these days.

Maroon 5 has cast aside its busy, glossy production, embracing sparse beats to accompany Levine’s latest heartbroken lyrics.

As Monday’s show proved, it’s a smart change-up. Levine’s smooth falsetto is the band’s signature instrument.

He sang without falter in Milwaukee, but only on “Cold” (and an acoustic rendition of “She Will Be Loved”) was Levine’s voice given ample room to breathe.

Maroon 5 wasn’t interested in a leisurely pace.

From the show’s start, it sprinted through nine hits spanning its catalog, from the 2011 smash “Moves Like Jagger” to its first top 10 single “This Love.”

Levine could stand to pick up a few moves from Jagger.

Despite the presence of a long runway, he held back with the band, pacing from stage left to stage right to serenade the crowd.

But there was never a dull moment with the relentless pace of the songs and the song switch-ups.

There wasn’t much opportunity for Levine’s personality to shine, though a mix of the playful arrogance and self-deprecation that made him a star on “The Voice” peeked through.

There was a steady stream of commentary during the show’s final hour, like some gentle ribbing of a fan who was born in 2002, which Levine said made him feel old.

Maroon 5 has been knocked for its light, synthetic style, intended for mass consumption. Live, the band welcomed a little more risk — like an a cappella, five-way harmony leading into “Payphone” — and rocked from time to time, thanks to lead guitarist James Valentine and Levine himself.

Reined in on the recordings, Valentine ripped into an ’80s rock outro from “Animals” to segue into the Policeindebted “Maps;” while Levine balanced the sweetness of the band’s smitten smash “Sugar” with some spicy shredding of his own.