Oregon Music News

Photos and story by Jessica Black

Deafening shrieks filled the Roseland Tuesday as the lights dimmed, signaling that the moment fans had been anxiously awaiting had finally arrived. Remaining hidden in the pitch black of the unlit stage, only the rumbling sound of massive, tribal-like drums could be heard, steadily increasing in both volume and speed.

The strobing lights provided the only evidence that 30 Seconds to Mars had arrived on stage until the flickering lights and hammering sound stopped abruptly, replaced by a tunnel of white light flooding in from behind. A single silhouette appeared, still in the silence before “Night of the Hunter” resumed full-force–a perfect opening song, powerful and energetic, to set the tone for the evening.

Just several minutes before the band made their appearance on stage, a representative from KUFO, the show’s sponsor, announced that 40 tickets remained unsold the day of the show. Groans of disbelief echoed around the room as the announcer added that the band purchased the remaining tickets themselves to be held at will call for the fastest, closest, first 40 people to arrive, inviting fans to get on their cell phones and text their friends.

The 1,400 diehard fans wearing 30 Seconds to Mars t-shirts, some even with 30STM tattoos, sang along to the songs so enthusiastically without missing a word that when lead singer Jared Leto stopped singing, the din from the crowd carried the songs, the lyrics still perfectly audible.

“It sounds like you are 10,000,” Leto exclaimed, obviously referring to the band’s Faces of Mars project in which they solicited fans from all over the world to lend their voices and faces for the album.

Although the fans’ energy never waned, Leto never stopped reminding the room to get up, jump, and to just “get crazy.” Noticing there was a “mini mosh-pit” forming in the sea of people directly in front of the stage, he stopped to instruct those surrounding it to make it bigger, then turned his attention to the balcony, which was full, not only because of the direct view it offered but also for the seats and drinks to be had up there. “You, up in the balcony. Stand up,” he ordered. “This isn’t a fucking Celine Dion concert!”

Playing chiefly songs from their most recent album, This is War, the band also incorporated old fan favorites from previous albums including “From Yesterday.” Proclaiming his infatuation with the crowd’s intensity and liveliness several times, he even played on the “rivalry” between Portland and Seattle, stating he thought the Roseland crowd “might even be better” than the fans from the previous night’s show.

Photo by David Warrington, The Photo Eye

At once, the lights dimmed again and the band disappeared without warning or explanation. Still dark on stage, the heavy sound of the drums started up again, reminiscent of the beginning of the show, but this time Leto was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, screams in the balcony revealed his whereabouts. On the stairs in between the rows of seats, he proceeded to sing acoustically in a deliberate and soulful crooning, mostly snippets of classic songs like Sting’s “SOS,” stopping when he admitted he was just making up words. When he asked if there were any requests, a girl in the balcony several rows away yelled out, “Take off your shirt!” several times to no avail.

Finally, he sang an acoustic version of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance,” which they have featured on their YouTube channel, and which he has also admitted to changing the words a little claiming that it is possibly even filthier than Gaga’s, as if that could have been imagined. Relaying the fact that all 40 tickets they had purchased had been picked up “in about 10 seconds,” he professed his love for the audience by saying, “You’re beautiful and crazy, just the way I like it.”  After thanking the fans profusely, it felt like the end, and several people left to get a head start before the swarms exited all at once.

But Leto returned to the stage and informed the crowd that now they were going to dance. He joked that everyone in the audience must be confused, saying, “What, dance? But we’re at a 30 Seconds to Mars concert…” But he assured everyone that there were other options than what immediately comes to mind when the word dance is mentioned. You can, “Put your hand up in the air, like Lil’ Wayne… or maybe it’s more like Dr. Dre” or jump. Or, he said, “You can just spazz out like me.”

Not only was this request for unrestrained, let-the-music-move-you-dancing because of Leto’s need for the crowd to have as incredible a time as himself, but also because of Leto’s plan to continue their Faces of Mars project. Filming the crowd for clips to put on YouTube, getting close-ups of fans getting particularly wild, he stated that if anyone doesn’t want to be filmed, “Just put your head down and up your ass.”

As the photographer scanned the crowd, Leto transformed his voice into shrill Metallica-esque yell, pointing out the notable dancers before deciding to take the camera into his own hands. Unable to screech and shoot at the same time, he passed the mic to a “hometown hero” in the crowd that mimicked his sound exactly. The undivided attention on the crowd surely made it easier to pick out several fans to join him on stage to perform “Kings and Queens” during the encore, including Mr. Hometown Hero and many other full-of-life characters.

With an amazing lights show, almost rivaling that of a U2 concert on a smaller scale, and Leto’s non-stop movement led to an unforgettable, electrifying performance. Spinning and swirling his body and arms, reminiscent of a modern dance routine, his excitement and passion were transparent and completely contagious for the entire night.