Going to gigs you wouldn’t ordinarily look twice at is one of the great joys of having this most enviable of side-hustles. Knowing that, it’s shameful to admit that we still occasionally find ourselves full of scepticism when nights like these come along.
Our expectation of an evening with the Leto brothers was that we’d probably get to hear “those few big hits they had in the noughties” and that there’d be a novelty in seeing an Oscar winner on stage rocking it up. Safe to say, expectations exceeded.
That’s not to say the evening was without oddity. Opening act Jagwar Twin for one thing was totally lost on us. Like the (somehow) more annoying older American cousin of Yungblud, a shirtless 36 year old man singing the Oompa Loompa jingle only increased our initial unenthusiasm surrounding the prosect of us enjoying our Friday night.
And so with a £2.60 bottle of water in hand and a middle distance stare that could give Walter Mitty a run for his money, the hour had cometh. Would the man?
Our mood lightened considerably at the introduction of 30 Seconds To Mars’ countdown which started cheekily at 100. 99. 98. 97. 96. A cheer at 69. Then 30 strikes and a buzz around the AO Arena builds. Like prime 2012 era WWE the Leto brothers were entering from the crowd, ala The Shield. Ironically one of the few areas of entertainment they’ve not yet tried their elbows at.
From the top of the seated tier stage left, down to the floor, across the floor’s middle barricade and eventually along stage right and up onto the extended walkway it was an entrance fitting of a superstar. People flocked towards the duo who fist bumped, high fived and hugged a lucky handful of attendees. It’s the first inclining we get of one of our big evening revelations. Jared Leto might, actually, be a man of the people.
Adorned in an oversized visor come sunglasses and a huge flowy parachute type robe… cape… thingy Jared is every inch the Hollywood frontman you imagine. Although we’re very much in Manchester, tonight is all Hollywood. Big budget Hollywood.
Keeping a close eye on crew and staging you appreciate how well produced and choreographed tonight’s show is. It’s a production and it’s full to the brim with special effects. Every gig-gimmick in the book is on hand tonight. Confetti – tick x3 (at least). Fire – ticked countless times. Sparkle Rain – tick. Flare – a new one for us – tick. Costume change – tick. Flame Thrower Gun – present but misfiring. Big Balloon Balls – tick. Crowd on stage – tick tick tick.
It was like being in a sensory therapy session. The impressive thing is that they get it all just right. There’s a lot of stuff going on but with impeccable timing, pacing and engagement that the duo coax from the crowd it all feels right and the fears we’d had for a Spinal Tap type time were alleviated.
Leto the younger commands the arena from start to finish. In constant flow across what is an impressively big stage for such few occupants. Jared is like a giant on it though. Larger than life. His theatrical attire swirls around him and every pause and pose creates a striking cinematic image.
Thankfully for those of us uninitiated into the echelon of TSTM fans most of tonight’s setlist comes from This Is War and A Beautiful Lie, with Kings and Queens being the evenings first big recognisable sign along. The “wooooaaaaah woaaah woaaah” hook of which enthusiastically reappears throughout the evening at the crowds own initiative as well as to Leto’s genuine thrill as it was bellowed out to beckon an encore resulting in Jared coming back on stage, phone in hand to capture the moment.
Genuine was a word we did not expect to use in the context of Jared Leto tonight. We’ve not see 30 Seconds To Mars before and so we had our assumptions as to what kind of experience we’d be taking part in. We were very wrong. From entering through the crowd, to inviting first a few, then a boat load of fans onto stage, whilst taking to and engaging with the crowd all night it became evidently clear that giving these fans a brilliant night was the only priority as well as the only motivation.
Lets face it. They really don’t have to do any of this. The pyro, confetti, fan interaction. With Jared’s status they can rock up on tour and rely on some pretty strong ticket sales regardless of how good a show they put on. We’ve seen countless celebrity-come-musicians do it. They sell on the strength of their name, fans are just happy to get a glimpse of them (from a safe distance) and little to no additional effort or cost goes into the appearance. It’s a hobby they are privileged enough to pull off. 30 Seconds To Mars is the opposite. Tonight we see Jared Leto as a musician and frontman, not a celebrity or actor. We see 30 Seconds To Mars as a band who’ve made their success legitimately and have a dedicated fan base to show for it.
The final run of From Yesterday, Attack, Stuck and The Kill (Bury Me) bubbles the evening to boiling point, a reminder that for a small period of time around 2007, 30 Seconds To Mars may well have been one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Tonight, they put on a show worthy of the worlds biggest rock bands. They’d even put some to shame. Why shouldn’t they?
Go Places Do Things 