Maroon 5 Wakes Up the West As 16,000 Pack Pendleton Concert

When I think of Pendleton, Ore., I think of a sleepy little town where whiskey is made, those colorful blankets are woven and the West still lives with the Pendleton Round-Up.

The West really came to life over the weekend -- the little town doubled its population in one day with the arrival of 16,000 Maroon 5 concert-goers on Saturday.

This was my first time experiencing at a show at the Pendleton Rodeo grounds, and it did not disappoint. Walking up and being greeted by huge iron gates and the statue of a cowboy on a bucking bronc let me know this was not any ordinary rodeo grounds.

Inside, food vendors lined up in a row. An air-conditioned bar under the grandstands served (what else?) Pendleton Whisky.

I was in the party pit, which meant standing, but to be close to Maroon 5 was sooooo worth it! You know that once you're in the pit you can't leave and more than likely you're gonna get beer spilled on you. It's a bunch of sweaty people crammed together singing and dancing. If you don't like people

being in your personal bubble, the pit is not for you.

Maroon 5 hit the stage, but after the second song no music. The sound was dead. Thankfully, it only took maybe five minutes or so to fix. And the show went on without skipping a beat.

Maroon 5 sang stuff from their first album from 2002 -- Sunday Morning and She Will Be Loved mixed in with Never Gonna Leave This Bed, an a capella version of Payphone, Moves Like Jagger and my favorite, Sugar.

Between the energy from the audience and Adam Levine hitting every high note, the night couldn't have been more perfect.