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Actor-rocker Jared Leto thrills Fillmore
It's time to start respecting 30 Seconds to Mars. Not just as actor Jared Leto's ("Fight Club;" "Requiem for a Dream") not-as-bad-as-you'd-expect musical side project, but as a rock band, period.
It's been a while since we've seen a Fillmore crowd as frenzied as the wild group in attendance Friday night when 30 Seconds took the stage. Celebrity worship was certainly a factor — even the guys running the stage lights lingered over Leto to the exclusion of the rest of the band (guitarist Tomo Milicevic and Leto's drummer brother, Shannon) — but Leto's dreaminess alone couldn't explain why each of the hundreds of fans seemed to know every song by heart, or how the Fillmore floor shook during the band's heavier songs.
Leto did all he could do to ditch his brooding pretty boy image, showing up with a pink mohawk, huge shades and a Bond villain trench coat. His language definitely wasn't primetime friendly, and he repeatedly ordered the crowd to pack in tighter and mosh harder. On songs such as "Attack" and "From Yesterday," the band showed off a surprisingly burly screaming guy/loud guitars dynamic, considering 30 Seconds is better known for sweeping U2-like epics than straight-up rockers. Celebrity or not, Milicevic shredded furiously away like no one was watching, which ensured that everyone was.
The overall takeaway was this: Any band that can drive hundreds of people (many much older or younger than the typical hard rock fan) to march in lockstep and chant "This ... is ... WAR!" over and over is worth a listen, no matter who's in front of the microphone.
