30 Seconds to Mars plays sold-out Pearl

April 16, 2010 by Jordan Healy 

After a three-year wait, 30 Seconds To Mars returned to Vegas last Friday night to perform for a sold-out house at The Pearl.

The anticipation ran high throughout the crowd, as the opening bands finished their sets and the sound of the group’s soundcheck begun.

A little after 11 p.m., the lights began to dim and the audience went absolutely nuts. From behind a massive white curtain blocking the stage from view, the group eased into the intro from their most recent record and the sing-along that ensued was incomparable.

As the music reached its crescendo, the curtain was dropped and shortly accompanied by a deafening roar from the audience. Frontman Jared Leto, who looked akin to an ’80s popstar in his studded jacket and pink Mohawk, raised his hands to the crowd as though he had some sort of supreme command over the audience.

In a sense, he did. As he lowered his hands the group launched into “Night of the Hunter,” and with that signal, the already rowdy crowd began jumping and pushing as though they were at a Slayer concert.

It was extremely strange to see how violent people could be during the group’s relatively light brand of rock. During numbers like “From Yesterday,” “Vox Populi” and “Closer to the Edge,” there were several drunken brawls where security guards had to either step in and break it up or escort the offenders out of the venue.

In the middle of the group’s set, there was an interesting moment where a microphone and an acoustic guitar was set up in the mezzanine setting for Leto to perform a brief acoustic set for the fans in the back. Upon noticing a little girl standing within arms reach, Leto called her up to the mic and played the first verse of “Kings and Queens” at her request. Moments later, he had the same girl cover her ears as he performed an impromptu cover of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.”

To top off this in-crowd performance, he began to play “The Kill” on acoustic guitar, only to be joined by the rest of the band halfway through the song. At this point, he handed his guitar off and began trekking his way through the venue, even making his way through the mess that was the general admission section.

When the show came to a close after midnight with “Kings and Queens,” Leto not only invited members of the crowd onstage with the band, but also encouraged audience members in the higher sections to safely come down to the floor.

While hardly anyone from the higher sections came down to the floor, 100 or so people climbed up onstage with the group and sang along to every single world. It was a fitting end for a concert by a group that obviously has so much love for its fans.

The only complaint one could even possibly put forth about this concert was the complete lack of material played from the group’s 2002 self-titled debut. Even when the group was supporting their last record, 2005′s “A Beautiful Lie,” they would bust out at least a track or two for the hardcore fans, but not this time. Though a little disappointing, it’s not entirely surprising they ignored this release considering it is the poorest-selling of the group’s three releases.

Unfortunately, the opening bands didn’t hold up to Mars’ solid performance. Street Drum Corps and Neon Trees both bore some solid musical chops, but when it came to their vocalists, it was an utter nightmare. While both frontmen were enthusiastic in their approach, and extremely animated, it simply didn’t make up for the atrocious noise emitting from their vocal cords.

Overall, the concert was phenomenal. The group have taken care to make sure the fans that so dutifully buy their albums and come to their concerts are rewarded with an experience that not only stands up to their albums, but also involves the fans themselves.

Long live Mars.