As I walked through the parking lot of Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre amidst the smell of hotdogs roasting and the faint chants of “Weenie! Weenie!” I knew it was going to be a great day. The annual end of summer concert is put on by the local radio station 106.5 The End and features a host of alternative rock bands. New to the festival this year was a free hookah tent sponsored by the folks at Infinity’s End smokeshop and a massage tent for those weary concert goers who needed a bit of calm in between all the craziness.
In addition to the mainstage, there was a second stage set up in the parking lot area which hosted a wide variety of acts throughout the day. Some of the standouts were the London based Leogun whose blues infused hard rock had the crowd pumping and the Danish indie rockers of New Politics whose lead vocalist David Boyd twisted, danced, and gyrated his way into the hearts of the fans. A change of pace was brought by singer/songwriter Langhorne Slim. Part cowboy, part rocker, and part folk singer, Slim put on a solid performance. Filter closed out the day on the second stage with a terrific set which included their latest single “What Do You Say” and crowd favorites like “Take a Picture.” For those who didn’t venture out of the main amphitheatre, you missed out on some fantastic music and performances.
Of course, the mainstage drew the biggest crowds with outstanding sets by Manchester Orchestra and The Airborne Toxic Event whose violinist Anna Bulbrook absolutely captivated the audience. One of the most interesting acts of the day was the electronic rock of Awol Nation. Lead vocalist Aaron Bruno led the band through a rousing set which featured their hit single, “Sail.” The reggae rock of Sublime with Rome was up next and as the Rasta rock sounds filled the air, so did the sweet scent of their favorite indulgence as they launched into their well known cover of “Smoke Two Joints.”
After a short break, the crowd was ready for the headliners of 30 Seconds to Mars to take the stage. Touring in support of their “Love, Lust, Faith + Dreams” record, the band’s set up featured a giant pyramid with a huge, raised drum riser to the right giving the audience a side view of drummer Shannon Leto. Guitarist Tomo Millicevic was set up on the left with keyboards and additional percussion. As the band began with “Birth” lead vocalist and guitarist Jared Leto was front and center as the audience roared to life. 30 Seconds to Mars offers up a unique blend of rock sounds with alternative, emo, metal, and electronic all mixed together. During “This Is War” hundreds of beach balls were released from the ceiling which made for a beautiful sight. One of the things I enjoyed the most about their set was the fact that they went acoustic halfway through. It was a nice change of pace before coming out for a guitar led encore of “Up in the Air” where Jared invited fans up on to the stage in typical 30 Seconds to Mars fashion to share in the performance. It was nice to see a big band stay connected to their fan base and was much appreciated by all in attendance.
As the crowd sang along, it was a fitting end to a terrific day of music and fun. Bring on Weenie 2014!
30 Seconds to Mars Setlist:
Birth
Kings and Queens
This Is War
Conquistador
Do or Die
City of Angels
From Yesterday (Acoustic)
Hurricane (Acoustic)
The Kill (Bury Me) (Acoustic)
Night of the Hunger(Acoustic)
Closer to the Edge (Acoustic)
Encore:
Up in the Air (with fans on stage participating)
We would like to thank Kim Shiver from Livenation for allowing BackstageAxxess to review the show.
