This was my second Mars show, but the first one in an actual venue and in the pit, so everything from this night was brand new to me. I was one of the lucky Golden Ticket holders, so my evening began a little earlier with the meet and greet (which was a surprise for all of us, since we were originally told it was going to be after the show). Meeting the band was an experience I will never forget. They were all incredibly nice, especially Jared, who was patient as I stammered though my words because of my nerves. He smiled and said that there was no need to be nervous, and that he liked my triad necklace. I seriously thought that this was going to be the highlight of my evening, talking to the band, and getting my “Leto Sandwich” during the picture. Little did I know that the fun was just beginning…

After the meet and greet, we were all ushered around to the other side of the venue, and let into the pit through a small side door. By the time we made it there, the general admission pass holders were already there, but there weren’t that many of us Golden Ticket holders, so there was plenty of room in the pit. We weren’t waiting long before the lights went down, and “O Fortuna” started playing. Tomo, Shannon, and finally Jared ran out on stage, and immediately started into “A Beautiful Lie”. The amount of energy that Jared brought on to the stage was unbelievable. It was so easy to just let loose, and jump around with him, something I’ve always loved about watching him on stage.

They moved on to “Attack”, but by this point, it was clear that Jared was unhappy with the pit only being half full. However, despite his efforts to get more people to come down, security got in the way and wouldn’t allow it. It really was a bummer, but he got the crowd energized again with “Search and Destroy”. A little ways in, he called out someone who wasn’t jumping at all, making the entire audience laugh. I expect it must have been embarrassing, but it was quite amusing. They did one more song, “This is War”, before Shannon took over with L490.

Jared came out solo for the acoustic set, which he opened with “Hurricane”, and followed with “Alibi” and “Was it a Dream”. The real shocker came when he started playing “The Mission”. Unfortunately, not enough people were singing along, and he stopped and asked “You guys don’t know this song, do you?” There were a few people who shouted back, but he moved on anyway. He asked “How many of you have heard our self-titled album?” There were a few more shouts this time, and he started playing “Capricorn”. I have never heard this song done acoustic before, and I must admit that it was beautiful. I was a little surprised that he did any of the songs from the self-titled album, since normally (as far as I’ve heard) he doesn’t. So, needless to say, I was very happy at this point.

Jared finished up the acoustic set with “The Kill”, before Tomo and Shannon came back out. Jared held on to the acoustic guitar, and they started playing “Night of the Hunter” from MTV Unplugged. I loved all the tracks from their MTV Unplugged segment, but hearing it live was unbelievable. I simply got lost in the song, and sang along with Jared and the rest of the audience.

Towards the end of the show, Jared started calling people up on stage. He called up the cutest little girl, who was clearly very excited and nervous to be up there. He invited a few more people on stage, mostly kids, but also a few others who were lifted onto another’s shoulders. Everyone got crazy again, including Jared, with “Closer to the Edge”. I think this was probably my favorite song of the night because of the amount of energy both in the audience and up on stage. Between Jared’s orders to keep jumping,  him running around on stage, and the fist pumping “No, No, No, No!” it was so much fun. Plus he did lift his shirt at the camera guy, earning him even more screams and cheers.  Before the final song, we all sang “Happy Birthday” to Tomo, who’s birthday was the day prior, and Shannon, who’s birthday was in March (I was a little lost on this one, but I went along with it anyway). The show ended with “Kings and Queens”, and as usual, Jared invited half the audience up on
stage. The pit turned into a bit of a madhouse at this point, with people shoving to get to the barrier, but it was all in good fun. I was a little bummed that I didn’t get on stage, but I still had a great time singing along and jumping around. As soon as the song ended, Jared fought his way back stage, through all the people grabbing at his shirt, and security ushered us back out of the concert hall, and into the casino.

I can honestly say, that this has been one of the best experiences of my life. Out of all the concerts I have ever been to, out of all the different artists, this one was by far the best, and the most fun. I had always heard that Thirty Seconds to Mars knew how to have a good time, and put on an awesome show, and I am so glad that I finally got to experience it for myself. From meeting Jared, Shannon, and Tomo, to jumping around singing and cheering in the pit, it was an absolutely incredible night. My family and (non-Echelon) friends thought I was crazy to travel clear across the country just for a show. Perhaps it’s true, but I am so glad I did it. It’s something that I will never forget, and never regret.