Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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Midnight Moves maroon 5 leads the Pack of suPerstars ringing in the new year on the striP. by tess eyrich Every holiday is a cause for celebration in Vegas, but with its unadulterated glamour, cheeky optimism, and late-night decadence, New Year's Eve just might be the holiday best suited to this city that never sleeps. "I can't think of a more appropriate place to be on New Year's Eve than Vegas," says Maroon 5 guitarist James Valentine. "Every night is like New Year's Eve here." Hence, nearly six months ago he and his bandmates— lead singer Adam Levine, bassist Mickey Madden, keyboardists Jesse Carmichael and P.J. Morton, and drummer Matt Flynn— announced their plans to play two shows at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, December 30 and 31, making this the fourth consecutive year they've rung in the new year in Vegas. The shows will be a ftting fnale to a ban- ner year that opened with a live performance of their Oscar-nominated song "Lost Stars" at the Academy Awards and continued with a massive tour across Europe, Asia, and Australia in support of their record-breaking ffth album, V. "It's such a trip to be on the other side of the planet and have people sing- ing back to us," Valentine says. Still, come New Year's Eve, Vegas is their go-to destination, thanks in part to the city's proximity to their base of Los Angeles. "Celebrating in Vegas has become this awe- some tradition," Valentine says. "We're able to get all our friends from Los Angeles to join us, and at the afterparty for last year's show, David Copperfeld even came out with us. That was a very Vegas moment—I don't think we'll ever forget it." This year their entou- rage will include Valentine's close friends in the LA-based indie pop band Phases, who are set to open both shows, but he's quick to imply there'll be even more surprises onstage. "Every New Year's Eve, we've done something special," he says. "Who knows?" 877-632-7400; ticketmaster.com Maroon 5's Jesse Carmichael and Adam Levine. continuEd on pagE 60 PhotograPhy by ChristoPher Polk/getty images for PCa vegasmagazine.com 59 Culture Hottest ticket