No one is more surprised at Maroon 5's success than guitarist James Valentine.

"I remember being really excited when we sold 5,000 copies of our record," said Valentine in a phone interview from his home in Hollywood. "I remember when we'd play for 50 people in a town, then 200 people the next time.

"The first time we did 'Last Call With Carson Daly' was a big deal. Being asked to do 'Saturday Night Live' was a big deal. When we reached platinum, we thought that was as big as it could get.

"Now, we're at 3½ million (in the United States) and, worldwide, it's approaching 9 million. I mean, it's insane. Insane."

What's the appeal of Maroon 5, which stops by the Xcel on Saturday? Possibly, it's lead singer Adam Levine's photogenic good looks, used to maximum effect in the band's sometimes steamy videos. Or maybe their slinky and romantic songs have made them stars among teenage girls — and their moms.

Whatever the case, Maroon 5's current tour marks the band's first large-venue jaunt as headliners. It's also a chance for the guys to stretch beyond the material found on their debut, "Songs About Jane," which hit stores nearly three years ago.

"We're playing a lot of new material, testing it out and seeing how it works," Valentine said. "We really focused on the next record, and when we get back from this tour, that's what we're going to work on."

The pressure to deliver another hit album only intensified after Maroon 5 picked up a Grammy for best new artist in February. Not only was it slightly odd given that the nucleus of the group has been playing together since 1995 (originally under the name Kara's Flowers), but it was a potential harbinger of doom. Winners in the best-new-artist category tend to go one of two directions — into stardom (Mariah Carey, Norah Jones) or off the face of the earth (Arrested Development, Milli Vanilli).

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