A ‘30 Second’ spring break
By Luke Wright, Staff Writer
April 3, 2007 | 1:49 p.m.
The lights began to dim as the sound of a tolling bell filled the cavernous hollows of the Agora theatre. The swaying mass of nearly 2,500 people burst into blissful exuberance as the band 30 Seconds to Mars made its way on stage.
The quartet – consisting of Jared Leto on vocals and rhythm guitar, Tomo Milicevic on lead guitar, Shannon Leto on drums and Matt Wachter on bass – was in Cleveland, home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, for one night and one night only. According to their performance in the “city of rock” on March 19, they will be earning a place in the famed halls of that storied building sometime in the foreseeable future.
The stage lights streaked past the band members as they walked to their respective instruments: blue, red, green, white – and then black. The stage became shrouded in darkness, the band nowhere to be found. The bell still sounded its ominous tone, ushering forth an atmosphere of uncertainty throughout the audience.
Slowly, a dark red banner containing the band’s logo descended from the rafters. As the only distinguishable entity upon the stage, the audience focused on the flag as it shuffled down until it towered behind the drum set, dwarfing the band and audience alike. Then, suddenly, a menacing growl, one that only an overdriven guitar can muster, pumped through the amps. The screaming fans welcomed it with an equally thunderous roar.
Then the audience was finally allowed its first glimpse of the band. Sporting completely white attire, the musicians all exuded an otherworldly persona that is only enhanced by the eerie, ethereal music that was being emitted. Strangest of all, however, was that Leto’s face had, peculiarly enough, been transformed into a piece of artwork. His eyes were outlined with red and black paint and his face was ghostly white, most likely to go along with the band’s “White Night” theme.
Despite the band members’ bizarre appearance, the headlining act flawlessly performed many of its biggest hits, including “The Kill,” “Attack” and “Beautiful Lie,” before moving on to the acoustic section of the show.
With the audience in a mixed state of bliss and exhaustion, Leto decided to tone things down. While the rest of the band retired for a well-deserved break, the lead singer was discreetly led to an unoccupied balcony that oversaw the entire theater. There, he and his guitar belted out two more of the band’s tunes – “Modern Myth” and “Echelon” – as well as a currently unreleased track.
Countless hours and five pounds of water weight later, the show was complete. Drenched in sweat and without an ounce of energy to spare, each fan trudged his or her way home with a smile on his or her face, completely satisfied with the night’s outcome.