I had previously met the band the day before, which had guaranteed me guest list tickets for the show tonight, which gave me a massive relief that I didn't have to wait around for ages to queue up or even worry about getting in thanks to the band and Jared personally.
A lot of their dedicated and die hard fans who didn't get a ticket had been queuing up since 6am that day, people form all over the place flying in just to see them, some people from Birmingham, Manchester, Spain, anywhere all travelled this massive distance just to go and see 30STM at iTunes festival. But let me tell you that it was all worth it in the end, as most of them got in, even in the standby as the venue began to pack up until it was actually full to the brim. I noticed that a lot of people who were there were actually really big 30STM fans, and all had the warrior paint on their faces, wearing merch, necklaces in support which almost made it seem like their own headline tour rather than playing for an iTunes date.
The first support band were called "The Family Rain", previously never hearing of this band, but heard good gossip about them they did meet my expectations as to their live performance was great. Most support bands seem to be boring at iTunes and don't really move around much or play any energetic music, however this night was totally different, as they went straight into it like they were headlining. There was even a whole group of Spanish girls next to us going in with a full frontal mosh towards the band as they seemed to be really enjoying it.
A perfect support to get the crowd really going before the spectacular band of, 30 SECONDS TO MARS took to the stage with their astonishing performance. This also being the first time I would have seen them live, I was told by many fans that their shows were always different and memorising, in which they don't just play a normal gig but also involve the crowd heavily and focus on them having a good time, which is what I like to see from bands, because it shows they actually consider their fans highly.
The tension was building up as the countdown began and it got closer and closer for the band to arrive on stage, the screams from many fans filled the roundhouse with excitement and anticipation whilst the faint found of "Birth" came into play. The stage was marked with two men in gas marks and large flash lights shining it at the crowd, creating a mysterious, suspense for us and each time they did, the part of the audience screamed and cheered with eagerness for the three main band members to appear.
Firstly to hit the stage was Shannon, as the song stopped and the stage blacked out into darkness before returning with the sinister music, flashing lights and echelon symbols appearing all around the back drop. The next was Tomo who hit up his guitar before the lead vocalist Jared took to the stage in his gigantic, black, raven coat, welcoming us all into the gig, which made every single person in that venue jump right up to him with their voices reaching his face and bouncing back, echoing the room with Mars fans.
Right after that the music submerged into the first proper song which was "The night of the hunter".Still filled with screams which now changed to beautiful voices and music that rebounded Jared's husky voice, the venue was now ready for a bit of 30STM and what they had to bring to tonight's show of the iTunes festival. The way in which everyone knew every single lyric to the song, already previewed that the rest of the gig would follow through and be even more spectacular than it started off as.
The opening song was a pretty old one, which was a perfect choice to start with as I hadn't been a big fan on their new album but absolutely adored their old music which made me feel eve more comfortable that they had chosen to play it. The lights, drums and techno beat of the keyboard were in perfect sync, alongside the echoed "whoas" from the crowd just hyped up the whole atmosphere making the tension at its highest before drawing a close with the claps of ear-piercing fans.
Ensuing a similar style of the techno keyboards bouncing back and forth from the drums, they changed from "The night of the hunter" to "Search and destroy" which was another upbeat, vigorous song, getting the crowd bopping along with the bass drum as Jared circled the stage, pushing forth the mic out so the crowd to could be heard and not just him. As he sang the main chorus, we sang the backing vocals, booming the whole venue with thousands of voices which matched tire sum faces all glued to one area of the stage.The music then began to fade, closing the empty space with quiet which was soon filled by the cheering and clapping of fans before they started up their next mammoth song.
THIS IS WAR.
Now this song has to be one of my all time favourites, purely on the message and underlining meaning, but as well because of its high tempo and accelerating vocals which are sung with such passion and change of pitch which makes the whole song truly remarkable. So when I heard they were playing it at iTunes, I couldn't' have jumped more with excitement that I was going to be hearing it for the first time live right in front of me. From the moment the littler verse came in, everyone just began repeating the lyrics back as so did I, the tension was building up right from the pre-chorus to the chorus, as Jared came over to our side and reached forward so we could repeat the words into it before running back to the other side of the stage where he did the same, involving the crowd completely. Jumping up and down with the flashing and changing of the lights, the room now went from a cold blue to a much passionate, thirsty red colour where giant balloons of all colours exploded from the ceiling, filling the room with even more colour and composure, creating the atmosphere at an all time high, it was rightfully perfect.
Just before Jared started the next song, he stooped to catch his breath before returning his lips to speak to the crowd once again, but this time he reached out to us or should I say one person in particular to come forth and join him on stage. This is something which is definitely commonly found at gigs, and that one lucky person's dreams will come true. Today it was a tall young teenager who had travelled from Manchester just to be at the show tonight, so it was well deserved. As he hurried to the stage, filled with excitment the crowd cheered him on as Jared swang his hand round the guys neck, treating him as a long lost friend, before reaching to the crowd and pulling a few jokes. The main reason in which he called him up was to help us learn a new song, which was the next one, and what better way to do it than get a fan on stage to help out.Now this song was from their newest album which had just been released, but that didn't
stop the whole crowd from already knowing each lyric of by heart, singing in perfect sync with Jared. "AND THE STORY GOES ON AND ON AND ON AND ON, THAT'S HOW THE STORY GOES" was fully on repeat as well all boomed and cheered in with the singing alongside the band. At this point the atmosphere was totally vibrant and full of screamed expressions as Jared ran around the stage holding the united kingdom flag waving it in a theatricality performance before drawing it to a close with the sound of thousands of hands clapping in appreciation ended the song perfectly before the stage turned black and silence fell. Confused by what just happened the stage lights soon then returned with a the crew moving bits out of the way and clearing the space for an amazing acrobat act to perform as a short intiveal took place. As seen in the Up In The Air music video, the same guy who has spun around and around in a single, what looked like a giant hula hoop got on stage and started to do his thing, firstly startung out slow but beginning to gradually get faster and faster before he went upside down, did a few flips and all sorts of things in this single circular wheel.
I had honestly never seen anything like that before, right in front of me but also at a gig, it was so unique, powerful and unexpected which made it all the more immense to see. As you can say that 30STM know how to put on a show, tonight wasn't just about the music, it was more about the crowd and entertaining us along with the band and generally having a good time which is exactly what happened in the end.
Drawing the act to a close with another blackout before the rest of the band returning back on stage for another oldie. Straight away Tomo got into the song with his heavy guitar riffs playing a mixture of a soft melody combined with a fast paste rushed theme as extra stringed instruments added to this intensity before returning to its cold sad structure of the piano, being played as the keys hit the crowd cheered, knowing it was one of their new songs.The lighting had now become dim and low key with the smoke beginning to fog up the stage, just as its main focus was on Jared pouring his heart out right at the tip of the stage. Because of such a build up the crowd was dead silent, just standing in anticipation, admiring the stunning echoes of his voices as well felt the passion occurring through his voice.
Just about half wya through the gig, the mood drops to focus on a serious tone, to let us catch our breath and truly engage with the music on its own, before it can then be risen up again but only very slowly at a gradual pace with the right follow up song, and this was "City of angles" which started off with a heavy drum beat, mixed up with the techno sound of the DJ set, until it was matched with Jared harsh, husky voice, using a gradual tempo before the chorus burst out and the music took a total uplift. This allowed the crowd to swag from side to side as the song was not as jumpy and bouncy enough to be moshing, but just the right change from the mood before to get us back into the upbeat mood in which the band has continuously been playing at.
And if that wasn't enough, the night still wasn't over yet, as the band had more planned, another acrobatic act was due to perform with the quick change of scenery and a new song added to play in the background to create further tension and build up of to what will happen next, two men joined the stage onto what looked like a see-saw in the middle, each took it in turn to jump at one end whilst the other flew into the air, they did this continuously before they got higher and higher and then began to do all kind of flips before returning right back to the same spot they started in. It was actually shocking to watch as we as an audience were dying, hoping they wouldn't fall but land back, and they did. Being proper pro's at it they did this a number of times each time going higher, faster into the air before returning in each others arms from what was a remarkable conformance, yet again.The people at home watching this from the live stream really must be jealous in what they were missing out because I know I certainly would be, because it was more than just watching a band play on stage, 30STM made it very special and unique leaving their trademark at the iTunes festival in which will probably be one of the best shows held at the roundhouse, because so far it certainty was the best I've ever been to.
Right after this refreshing thunder, Jared then again got us lifted back as he asked " WHO WANT'S TO COME TO OUR SHOW IN NOVEMBER" Which sent the crowd flooding with roars with excitement, as he ran across the stage looking out for people to pick to get up and win tickets to their headling tour, luckily enough my friend who was standing next to me was a massive fan of the band and jumped so high he nearly reached the roof, this was when Jared caught his eye and pulled him right up to be the first person on stage. I was so happy for him and so relived that he deserved to win, as he had been in the queue today since 6am. It was a truly nice thing for Jared to do, as it shows even more how much he cares for his fans and a little thing like that can make them so happy and grateful, as he got on stage, they again cracked a few more jokes and the look in his eye told me that he was the happiest guy alive, to be right there on stage with one of your idols talking to you. A few moments later he was joined by three other men all filled with the same excitement as my friend, DuShaun on stage with Jared.
Leto really did like to do this thing where he would get out blood pumping before returning it back down again then again rising it, which I thought was just perfect and something we all needed to really wake us up without being too over heated, so another acoustic was in play but this time it was "THE KILL (BURY ME) one of their most famous songs released. As soon as the guitar rift came into play, we were all just swaying singing along every single word until our lungs gave up. The whole crowd was in perfect union with Jared, feeling the harmonises in sync, pelting every last bit of energy we had left. (Live footage)Even though we weren't all singers, it didn't matter because we all were just having a good time no one seemed to care. As it came to the final verse, we all fell together with cheers and I could also see people actually touched so much by the song that they began to shed a tear running down their check.
It was drawing to a final close now, as the set was nearly over and 30STM only had a few more songs left to play, and what better than a new, live, upbeat song to get them in the mood. as the rest of the band now came back and took to the stage for the final song of "Closer To The Edge" the whole crowd drooped the silence with screams and bounced excitements. At this point everyone just went mad, as the balloons began to fill the venues air, and people moshing having fun, with smiles all over their faces as they screamed their lungs out to the final song. It was so magical that even Jared came right to the barrier and into the crowd as a sea of hands almost had him demolished. It was truly brilliant to have, the lead vocalist so close up to the point where you could actually touch him, it tied in with the whole overwhelming atmosphere and ended the night perfectly before he had to return back to the stage before it went into a black out.
But the crowd wanted more, as always there was an expectancy for an encore song which actually did happen, as the whole band arrive back on stage, like they did the first time to actually play their last song, "Up In The Air" as this was just released from their latest album, it was a perfect choice to end with. But Jared wanted it to be even more special, not only did he want to play the song on stage, but he wanted many of his fans to join him, so shortly before the song kicked into play he grabbed the attention of many fans in the crowd, pulling them all onstage to join him with this final celebration, at this point everyone wanted to get up, and crowds of people rushed forward over the barriers, around the barriers, all trying to reach the stage and join Jared. It got to the point where the stage was more full than the crowd, and thousands of mars fans were screaming that they were so close to their idols. Once everyone was settled in, Jared began singing the intro to the song as everyone's lips in the room mimicked also. The tranquil and vibrant atmosphere was hen erupted by the shooting of the confetti cannon as it covered us all with the magical celebration that 30STM had presented. As now it actually was the last song, it created a few crowd surfers and people harder moshing, all just screaming their heart out having fun, which is exactly what they had provided for us for the WHOLE night. The showers of confetti didn't stop until the last word was spoken and it was then all officially over. But no one wanted it to be.
As the stage was cleared and the band started packing up, fans still waited on the floor, dancing along with memories they have just had, not willing to leave as yet. I however felt that despite it being an iTunes gig, it was one of the best I had ever been to. They whole atmosphere was right on and perfect, as not only did they provide us the music but also a mind blowing performance which I would not expect. 30STM are just full of surprises and they never fail, as talking to a few fans who had seen hem before made me realise that this is a typical gig for them and their headline show in November would resemble a similarity. This new pieces of information had actually made me want to go and get a ticket, as I am not a huge fan, but I do enjoy the band previous and know now for sure that they are worth seeing, wherever, because they make you feel so welcomed and connected, always making the audience feel involved and never forgetting they're there, rather than just playing their songs, the band interacts more, getting us involved which is what is lacking in the majority of gigs I have been to. For that reason I would rate this gig a strong 10/10 as everything i had expected and more had been provided for me and I had enjoyed it much more than I thought.
