Omaha Stole 30 Seconds to Mars Away from Kansas City Thursday Night to Play at Sokol Auditorium

By: Audrey Kay xx

What is it that makes a person a true fan of a band?  Is a fan someone who waits in line for hours before the doors to the show even open to ensure they get to the front of the stage?  Is it someone who spends a ridiculous amount of money on t-shirts and other merch they did not really want but bought because they are just SO IN LOVE with the band?  Is it someone who knows every word to every song, which record it came from, and the drummer's middle name?  Well, if that is the case, I would not necessarily call myself a true fan of the band.  I mean, their music is good, and the few songs I have heard on the radio I like, but besides the fact I knew Jared Leto was an actor and the band has been around for over a decade, there was not a lot I knew about them.  I guess to me, I never really understood what was so damn special about them.  But, when my friend told me she had two tickets not only to the show itself, but to meet them as well, of course I was not about to let that opportunity slip by.  Though I still would not call myself an uber-fan or anything, seeing them live helped me comprehend a bit more what people love so much about them.  On top of that, I discovered an incredible band who although was an opening band, absolutely stole the show.  Did I think it was the "greatest show I have ever witnessed in my life" like some people after the show were expressing? No, but I also did not think it was a disappointment like the other half of the concert-goers were saying, either.  All in all, for everything I saw that night (for free, lest you forgot), it was a pretty decent showcase of talent.

I was pretty upset to find out one of the opening groups, Street Drum Corps, could not make the show that night.  In all honesty, they were the one group I was pretty stoked to get to see, but things come up and it happens.  The first band of the night was a group most people, including myself, had not heard of before the show, Neon Trees.  Their sound was very similar to that of The Killers; very synthesized and upbeat.  Even in slower sets, they still maintained a solid level of energy.  I think their most unique characteristic was their female drummer, who was also the backup vocalist.  I think that helped to give them a little bit of variation, although it still fell short.  Besides that one attribute, there was really nothing too out of the ordinary that made the band stand out.  Their songs were fun and summery; something people would probably enjoy listening to in their car on a road trip. While the music was fairly easy to listen to, it became somewhat tedious with their rather basic instrumentals.  I am a person who really loves complicated guitar hooks, drum solos and the like and felt there were really no intricate or distinguishing features within the songs.  I did not care for the music much in the beginning, it started to grow on me toward the middle of the set, and then they lost me again near the end.  Keeping an audience's attention through the entire performance is not an easy task, particularly when you are not only an opener, but the FIRST opener, so it is extremely important to keep the momentum going and really drive it home at the end.

The second band, MuteMath, I have very little description other than absolutely phenomenal.  How I was never introduced to this band prior to seeing them Thursday, I have no idea, but I am so unbelievably happy I was able to be exposed to such an unusual, extremely talented group of musicians.  At first, I will admit, I was a bit of a skeptic.  The lead singer started out with a tambourine and stood in Liam Gallagher's signature pose and I just thought it was going to be just another band trying to be like Oasis, but I really could not have been more wrong in my judgment.  On top of the tambourine, lead singer Paul Meany plays the keyboard, keytar, and a range of synthesized instruments I have never even seen before, proving his multi-faceted musical ability.  Something I have not seen often is a lot of kick ass bass solos, which you saw plenty of with MuteMath's bass player, Roy Mitchell-Cardenas.  My only disappointment was his strong presence in the beginning started slowly fading as the performance went on and he began to disappear to the back of the stage.  I think he should really make harder attempts to avoid being outshone; he really has the charisma to make the band stand out even more so it is vital to make sure he is not absent on stage.  I think sound-wise, they are a perfect fit for 30 Seconds to Mars, with their hard rock vibes and romanticized vocals.  A few of the songs had a jazzier blues sound to it which as a HUGE blues fan I enjoyed.  I hope to see more of those styles incorporated in the future.  What really sealed the deal for me with this band was their finish.  It was very percussion-focused, with Mitchell-Cardenas trading in his bass for the drums, guitarist Greg Hill playing a bit on the keyboard, and drummer Darren King hitting his sticks (he broke six that night) on speakers, the stage itself, and anything else that would make an awesome beat.  It was really exhilarating to see a band let loose and just have a fun, crazy, out of control jam session.  At that point, you could really feel not only have they mastered their craft as musicians (actually, they all have mastered MORE than one instrument) but they truly know how to put on a fantastic show.  With most bands, that much going on can get busy and rather obnoxious, but for them, it was perfect and worked so well.  Amazing group, and in my opinion, best act of the night by a long shot.

Next up was the main event, 30 Seconds to Mars.  We fought tooth and nail to get up front, and succeeded to get about four rows back from the stage.  I have been to Sokol's auditorium a few times and have never seen it even close to as packed as it was for this band.  The two lines outside were wrapped around the building hours before the show even started, so it was obvious things were going to be crazy.  I lasted for about five minutes up front during their opening number, Escape, before booking my ass out of there.  I am a strong believer that a concert is a concert, and if you cannot handle it, then do not go up front.  I am usually game to mosh with the best of them, but when you have literally no room to breathe and you are sandwiched between men twice your size, I take that as my cue to move.  I ended up moving to the balcony, which gave me a much better view and I could actually get some oxygen.  The band did awesome and I really liked that they chose to break things up a bit and play a few of their tracks acoustically.  It really added a cool twist of flavor to the performance and helped to encompass all of the musical directions the band takes.  

The biggest complaint of the night among even some of the hardcore fans was the fact Jared Leto did a little too much talking and not enough singing.  I am in agreement that the show went on a little longer than necessary, but I am a huge admirer of crowd interaction and I think Leto flawlessly did just that.  Yeah, maybe he is a chatterbox, but he loves his fans, so who could criticize that?  They ended the set with an encore with their newest track, "Kings and Queens", and pulled up numerous devoted fans onstage to sing along with them.  Good ending, but incomparable to the band before them.  Not a bad job by any means, I really enjoyed myself that night, and meeting them was pretty damn cool.  I still would only say I just like them, but I feel justified in saying that now that I have seen them live and experienced a show.  Oh yeah, and the highlight of my night; Shannon Leto signed my shoe.  I'm so glad that my three dollar Thrift America shoes are now a valuable piece of concert memorabilia.

Till next time,

Audrey Kay xx

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5.9.10