From Lincoln to the world stage; James Valentine making his mark with Maroon 5

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Lincoln native and Maroon 5’s lead guitarist, James Valentine, is living out his dreams on the world stage.

Valentine returns to Lincoln, along with his bandmates, to perform on Tuesday night at Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Joining the band in 2001, he helped them achieve three Grammys and over 27 billion streams of their ultra-popular pop music.

Amidst the mountain of accolades he has achieved, he remains connected to his roots here in Lincoln and can even be seen walking around the historic Haymarket when he’s in town.

Many of his fans span ages and state lines alike.

Jackie Wilde and Ella Johnson came from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to attend the Maroon 5 concert and say there’s just something special about seeing Valentine play in his hometown.

“Very, very talented,” said Wilde, who describes the familiar feeling she gets from watching him.

“He’s a quiet guy from what I’ve seen of him. He’s wholesome, very much the Midwest,” she said.

James Valentine’s success can be traced back to his time as a student at Lincoln Southeast High School, where many of today’s students feel a connection to him that goes beyond geography.

Ed Chrastil is a current student, and his dad, Ty, also attended years ago and graduated a few years before Valentine.

They both play the guitar, and Ty still plays at venues around Lincoln. Ed describes what it means to both of them to see Valentine make it.

“Even coming from somewhere that’s not well known, you can be a well-known person,” said Chrastil. “It gives me hope that you could do anything you want to do.”

As the Pinnacle Bank Arena prepared for the many fans to arrive, one fan said she wouldn’t be going to the concert if it weren’t for Valentine.

Lori Neukirch was taking an afternoon break in the Haymarket when she bumped into him.

She says she approached him for a picture, but what happened next came as a pleasant surprise.

Valentine asked her if she was planning to go to his concert, and when she said no, he gave her two free tickets.

“I gave him a hug and he was so adorable,” she said about her gratitude.

Neukirch says she knew he was a Lincoln native and had no hesitation approaching him because she just knew he would be “Nebraska nice!”