June 17th, 2018

Concertgoers received a jam-packed show last night when Thirty Seconds to Mars brought their Monolith tour to Blossom Music Center in support of their most recent album, America. The show started relatively early in order to make enough room for the three bands supporting Thirty Seconds to Mars. The openers, taking the stage at 6:00, who started out the night included indie dance rocker bands Joywave from Rochester and the dance-driven sextet, MisterWives, from NYC. Walk the Moon gave a rousing, bright performance that included their hits “Shut Up & Dance With Me” and ended with their breakthrough hit, “Anna Sun."

By the time Thirty Seconds were ready to take the stage, the crowd was hyped up from the previous performances. Some fans in the pit raised and waved flags that bore the Thirty Seconds’ iconic emblem. Blossom went dark at 9:30 on the nose as drummer Shannon Leto sat behind his drum kit and began to slam away, pumping up the crowd anticipating his brother Jared Leto’s grand entrance.

The stage was backlit with two light screens that displayed neon lights of every spectrum of color. Frontman Jared took the stage wearing one of his eccentric outfits as if he was starring in an Off-Broadway production of Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Kimono. Over-sized bedazzled gloves completed the look. Outlandish as it seems-this is what gives Leto star power-and the crowd ate it up.

Opening up with “Up in the Air” from 2013’s Love Lust Faith+ Dreams, Leto twirled, hopped and ran to the edge of the stage’s catwalk to the delight of those who waited at the end for hours to have this moment.

While both Leto brothers’ stage presence was enough to keep the crowd roaring for more, the band sprinkled in fun elements to the show, including over-sized silver balloons that bounced around the amphitheater (some making their way out onto the lawn). During “Do or Die," Jared Leto invited two young boys from Canton up on the stage to dance it off and take a selfie for the once in a lifetime moment. During “Rescue Me," Leto asked the audience if anyone had suffered from depression or anxiety; he dedicated it to anyone who has suffered from any types of mental illness. The Suicide Squad star also invited a few more people to the stage to have a dance off and celebrate life. The audience member in the blue tank top stole the show twerking up and down the catwalk, thoroughly impressing Leto as he cheered him on.

Shannon Leto got his turn in the spotlight doing a solo performance of “Remedy,” which was followed up by Thirty Seconds’ hit, “The Kill” and “Walk on Water." For the last song, the band invited several dozen people standing in the pit to jump the barrier so that they could be on stage while they played “Closer to the Edge” which ended with a spray of white confetti.

Even though the audience didn’t want the night to end, there was no need for an encore. Thirty Seconds to Mars ended their show on a high note, leaving their adoring fans feeling good with the memory of having just seen a truly rock ‘n roll performance.

Review and Photos by Judie Vegh