Starting off with licks of its first single, “Harder to Breathe,” Maroon 5 gave Cornell University’s Barton Hall a sexually-charged, high-octane show.

Maroon 5 rocked the audience for an hour and a half with some of its classic hits and even surprised members with retro cover tunes. But before the group took the stage, a last-minute act prepped the already excited crowd.

Opening act Fitz and the Tantrums kicked the show off at 7 p.m. with their debut single, “Breakin’ the Chains of Love.” The soul-funk band is fronted by the one-named charisma machine Fitz, backed by Noelle Scaggs on vocals, John Wicks on drums, James King on saxophone, Ethan Phillips on bass and Jeremy Ruzumna on the keyboard.

The band, which has been compared to Hall & Oates, had a laid-back vibe and Ithaca-friendly funk sound. Its final song, “Don’t Gotta Work It Out,” was the highlight of the set, with the crowd joining in on the second, third and fourth choruses as the saxophone howled and Fitz and Scaggs boogied down.

At first, the band seemed like an odd choice to pair with Maroon 5. Fitz and the Tantrums have an old-school party vibe, while Maroon 5 has an energetic stage presence. The band is also relatively unknown compared to the main act, making it that much harder to win over a crowd. But they were successful. By the end of its set, the Tantrums had the sardine-packed crowd jumping along to its music and singing at the tops of their lungs.

The adrenaline from the opening act continued pumping through Maroon 5’s set, which featured Adam Levine jumping around the stage with his guitar and belting out his songs with gusto in his signature tenor. He managed to stay connected with the audience while maintaining a strong relationship with the rest of the band. Some front men can be self-absorbed when performing, but Levine and guitarist James Valentine, in particular, had a brotherly bond, walking up to each other to jam on guitar like Joe Perry and Steven Tyler of Aerosmith commonly do. Levine and the boys were also very interactive with the audience. At one point, they brought up a lucky girl to the stage and sang to her, giving her the stool Levine sat on during the acoustic set like her neon poster board sign had requested.

Surprisingly, the majority of Maroon 5’s set was off of its first album, “Songs About Jane,” with only a few tracks from its sophomore album “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long.” The crowd roared for pop staples like “This Love” and “If I Never See Your Face Again.” The band gave an interesting country-tinged take on the  revenge-anthem “Wake Up Call.” The song featured a new twang akin to The Eagles’ new release, rather than the synthesized album version that fans are used to. An even bigger surprise was the band’s take on Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You,” with soul to match, featuring keyboardist Jesse Carmichael mimicking Keys’ piano talents.

The most interesting song of the night was the filler track “Secret.” The bare-bones make-out song was part of the band’s new acoustic set, with intimate lighting and lyrics to fit the mood. The song drove the audience wild and got even more seductive when it transitioned seamlessly into a cover of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” ending with The Police’s “Roxanne.” Even though the band’s on-stage decision to perform covers seemed improvised, it sounded as if the band had performed them many times before — even more impressive considering that the normal drummer was absent. His replacement was No Doubt drummer Adrian Young, a talented fill-in for regular drummer Matt Flynn.

The concert was surprisingly rock-friendly. Maroon 5 is usually classified as a pop band, but guitarist Valentine picked out riffs that brought a little Jimi Hendrix to the stage and drummer Young added rock sensibility to the rhythm section. Overall, the band sounded just as good, if not better, live as it does on its studio albums. The band’s performance left audience members seeing stars — keeping lyrics buzzing in their heads even after the night was done.