One of the hottest and most anticipated tours of the summer rolled into Charlotte this past Wednesday night as Thirty Seconds To Mars made a stop in the Queen City on their “Monolith Tour.” The band is out in support of their fifth studio album “America” and has been making a huge splash at venues across the country selling out dates in matters of minutes. The band has been through some lineup changes over the years and with the recent departure of lead guitarist Tomo Millicevic. The core of the band however has always been the Leto brothers with Jared on lead vocals and Shannon on drums.
As the venue lights dimmed, the intro track “Monolith” began to play as the stage was concealed by giant LED screens that formed a box around the band. As the screens began to lift and move into position Shannon and his drum kit were revealed in the corner of the stage. The audience erupted as the silhouetted figure of Jared Leto began to be seen. He stood in darkness with his arms up in a God like pose. When the lights came on, his multi-colored robe was visible and straight out of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” It was a spectacle to gaze upon as he spun and swirled all over the stage to “Up In The Air.” Shannon provided a solid backbone to the music as touring musicians were hidden in the dark recesses of the stage. Jared’s vocals were spot on as he led the fans through hits “Kings and Queens” and “This Is War.” During the latter, a local fan and contest winner got to come out and play guitar with Thirty Seconds To Mars as a bevy of giant balloons ascended onto the crowd. Mars is a band that always involves the crowd in the show and tonight was no exception. It was hard not to get emotional as Leto asked for the venue lights to be turned off asking if anyone has suffered through anxiety and depression. A sea of hands went up in the dark and the next song was dedicated to them. A group of fans were led on stage to dance along “Rescue Me” joining Mandy Lee of Mister Wives and Sir Sly. After a taped intro of “Pyres of Varanasi” Jared appeared on the top of the LED screen high above the stage to sing “Great Wide Open” clad in a white tee shirt emblazoned with the word “America.” There was a catwalk situated center stage which allowed the singer to walk out into the audience and further interact with his fans. A highlight of the night was a fan sing along to the band’s biggest hit “The Kill (Bury Me)” and “Walk On Water” which had Jared running up and down the aisles of the venue. For the final song of the night fans were invited on stage as the band closed their set with “Closer To The Edge.” There must have been at least 200 people on stage as the confetti cannons kicked off ending the evening in spectacular fashion.
It was not only an amazing night of music but an amazing show of love and appreciation by both the audience and the band filled with both poignant and uplifting moments. The Monolith Tour is a must see this summer when it makes a stop in a city near you.
Set List:
Monolith
Up In The Air
Kings and Queens
This Is War
Dangerous Night
Do or Die
Hail To The Victor
Rescue Me
Great Wide Open
Remedy
The Kill (Bury Me)
Walk On Water
Closer To The Edge
We would like to thank Kim Shiver from Live Nation for the credentials to review the show.
