Thirty Seconds To Mars played for a small group of ticket winners at the legendary KROQ radio‘s private RedBull Soundspace this Monday in Los Angeles. Hollywood celebrity Jared Leto entered the room to a barrage of screaming women, many of whom it would be safe to call fanatics with their 30 Sec inspired painted faces and tightly clutched memorabilia they desperately hoped would be signed by shows end. When burgeoning actor Leto debuted his band in the early aughts they were dismissed as a possible vanity project similar to Keanu Reeves’ Dogstar and Jada Pinkett’s Wicked Wisdom. In the face of radio repudiation, Leto, his brother Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic pounded the pavement developing one of the most dedicated fan bases in modern music turning their second album, 2005’s A Beautiful Lie, into a commercial success. A day after playing the Hollywood Bowl the band brought this intimate group a 30 minute set kicked off by their own rendition of Rihanna’s “Stay”. Suffering from a cold, Leto stated he wouldn’t perform the vocally demanding “City Of Angels” from the latest album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams but lost out when a 5 year old fan made the request. The crowd followed suit with a wall of screams demanding the same thing and, despite a few cracks in the deliver, it was hands down the fan favorite of the set. Charismatic to say the least, it’s no wonder Leto has led the band to a level of success that has forced a hiatus from acting. You can catch Thirty Seconds To Mars on tour through Spring 2015.
– Dominic Painter aka DJ d.painter