Maroon 5 returned to the stage on Saturday (Oct. 1) for a seven-song set a former NBA great Shaquille O’Neal’s “The Event” charity fundraiser in the group’s first gig since the revelation of a texting scandal involving singer Adam Levine last month. The show at the MGM Grand Garden was hosted by O’Neal — whose foundation was the beneficiary of the night — and featured the 7’1″ O’Neal towering over Levine as the two collaborated on a run through M5’s “This Love.”
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal Levine and company worked through their biggest hits at the fundraiser, including “Moves Like Jagger,” “One More Night,” “Animals” and “Makes Me Wonder,” among others. There was reportedly no mention of the blow-up last month caused by allegations from Instagram model Summer Stroh that she carried on a one-year affair with the married father of two young girls; Levine and Victoria’s Secret model wife Behati Prinsloo are expecting a third child.
The night raised money for the Boys & Girls Clubs and Communities in School, with all proceeds going to the charities and the Review-Journal reporting that $3.15 million was raised through corporate support, a live auction and table sales. The show also featured sets and appearances by Pitbull, H.E.R., Maren Morris and comedian/actors Joel McHale and John Mulaney.
People reported that Prinsloo was seated on the left side of the stage during Levine’s set and that the singer walked toward her and “seemed to look in her direction when he belted out the words, ‘all I need.’” Levine issued a statement on Sept. 20 denying Stroh’s claims of an affair.
“A lot is being said about me right now and I want to clear the air,” the Maroon 5 singer wrote in a since-expired Instagram Story. “I used poor judgement in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner.” While Levine did not go into specifics, the 43-year-old singer added, “I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life. In certain instances it became inappropriate; I have addressed that and taken proactive steps to remedy this with my family.”
Days earlier, Stroh claimed that she became involved with a man “who is married to a Victoria’s Secret model” at an unspecified time when she was younger. She explicitly named Levine and posted a TikTok that featured what appeared to be flirtatious texts between them as a background. She claimed they saw each other for a year and that in June, Levine asked if it would be OK to name his baby “Sumner” if it’s a boy. (Prinsloo is pregnant with the couple’s third child.)
Saturday Night Live made light of the singer’s alleged indiscretion this weekend in its season 48 opener during a game show sketch called “Send Something Normal” that mocked Levine’s apparent inability to reply to a “woman’s DM on Instagram in a way that is normal.” To date neither Prinsloo nor Levine have discussed the allegations in public and representatives for the two have not responded to multiple requests for comment.
Last week Maroon 5 announced a 16-date Las Vegas residency at the Dolby Live at Park MGM slated to kick off in spring 2023.
Watch fan footage of the show below.
Dig it, and we called it (yes obvious): @SHAQ up w/ @adamlevine @maroon5 #shaqevent2022 #RJNow #Vegas @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/kVSeTnN8Fy
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) October 2, 2022
