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Paul Mann: 30 Seconds to Mars Soars at the Bowl
Actor and musician Jared Leto brought his polished prog rock extravaganza, 30 Seconds to Mars, to a fog-shrouded Santa Barbara Bowl on May 12. The shivering crowd at the half-filled venue made up for their small numbers with overwhelming enthusiasm for the Los Angeles-based band and their two opening acts.
The Steel Drum Corps had fans screaming and dancing early on in their opening set. Initially, the band appeared on stage with a pile of percussion instruments and proceeded to bang their way through a few loud numbers, resembling the Broadway show Stomp.
After a few more backing musicians appeared onstage and took up traditional rock band instruments, the music took a decided turn into retro rock. The band, dressed in glam-punk garb popular in recent years with bands such as Good Charlotte, actually produced a surprising veteran rock sound, richly layered beyond their youthful demeanor. With shades of sound reminiscent of the New York Dolls and The Ramons, the young rockers created a tight driving sound, punctuated by an occasional foray back into their tribal stomp beat. The short set was well received by the spunky crowd.
Mutemath, a Grammy-nominated band from New Orleans, followed with an innovative and compelling set of music that may have been the highlight of the show for some fans smitten by superior musicianship. The group, led by lead singer and keyboard player Paul Meany, sometimes sounds a bit like a Cajun Incubus, but their sound and its influences are so varied it is hard to easily categorize this group of astounding musicians.
Greg Hill plays guitar in an ever-evolving style. Bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas looks and sounds like the great Indy bass player Jack Lawrence. Darren King, an exquisite drummer who performed most of the set with headphones duct-taped to his head, played percussion in the tradition of other genius madmen drummers such as Keith Moon.
The band’s live performance is an electrifying mix of jam band sounds — from jazz, electronic, rock and Cajun roots, melded into a rich, new futuristic beat. In keeping with the day’s tribal theme, the band ended their set with all of the members banging on some sort of percussionist device. If you had to be stuck on a ship at sea for six months with one band to entertain you each night, Mutemath might be a wise choice.
As night fell on the Bowl and the house lights went out, the crowd erupted with excitement. A large, white sheet hung across the stage and 30 Seconds to Mars appeared as silhouettes as they began to play. Then, with a thunderous background beat, the sheet dropped, revealing a wall of strobes and white bank lights that lit the crowd like a movie set.
The group plays competent music with catchy lyrics that endear themselves to chart-topping radio hits. Fans of bands such as The Killers would probably enjoy this band’s accessible and nonthreatening, easy-to-follow sound. In fact, the group has amassed an impressive following since their 1998 inception. With more than 100 million views on YouTube and a multiplatinum record (A Beautiful Lie) under their wing, they have already achieved great commercial success.
Leto darted about the stage like a madman, occasionally freezing in place and barking orders at the crowd to sing, jump up and down, or clap. For the most part, the adulating crowd followed his commands. It was hard to catch a glimpse of the wiry singer for a good portion of the show, however, as only an occasional spotlight fell on the performer. For most of the evening, it seemed as if the venue was lit for the benefit of the movie star to view the crowd, while they were doused with the blinding lights and strobes. In fact, the band, led by Jared’s brother, Shannon Leto on drums, became largely irrelevant and indistinguishable in the blinding lights. Only a very occasional spotlight fell on them, and they were left to fade in the background, unacknowledged and unrecognizable.
Jared, appearing as yet another glam punk rocker (aka Good Charlotte), was dressed in garb complete with Michael Jackson-like gloves, and sported a giant pink mohawk sprouting from short, dyed blond hair.
After a relatively short set that apparently featured appearances by no less than the Steel Drums Corps and the Santa Barbara High School Choir and Drum Line (unannounced and drown out by the strobes and bank lights), Jared appeared in the middle of the Bowl for an encore. Armed with only an acoustic guitar, he did a short medley of songs and bantered with the audience. He reminisced about the shows he had seen at the Bowl over the years. Then he ordered his fans to make a path to the stage, and he began to sing an acoustic version of his biggest hit song, “The Kill.” When he reached the stage, the rest of 30 Seconds to Mars joined him, launching into the chorus of the song with the crowd screaming the lyrics in adoring fashion.
Mr. Leto, you’re no Tool or Radiohead. But your fans sure seem to love your music.
— L. Paul Mann is a Noozhawk contributor.
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