This is an open forum for staff members, contributers, and fans alike to submit their reviews on the latest music releases and concerts. In an industry that is drowning with overprocessed, grossly overrated, unoriginal crap these days, this is our chance to allow the real stars to shine, if only on our humble, little stage; and expose you to some of our favorite talents.
Reviews are given 1 - 5 stars.
The MTV2 2$ Bill Tour starring the 30 Seconds To Mars Army and their cavalcade of opening acts recently rolled into Boston, armed with an arsenal of talent and not afraid to unleash it. I knew I was in for a long night of getting my socks rocked off when I read the bill: Men Women and Children, Cobra Starship, The Pink Spiders, and Head Automatica all taking the stage to open for 30 Seconds To Mars. That’s almost too much rock for one stage. Taking a look around, the crowd was a diverse mix of youngsters with their parents, diehard 30 Seconds To Mars fans (who were sporting their Echelon gear from head to toe), mixed in with a strong showing of fans for each of the bands, oh and and a few festive fans donning Halloween costumes (at least I think they were? I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt!)
Men Women And Children, armed with a bus load of heart (No, literally, that’s all they had, all of their equipment was recently stolen after a gig in Detroit, if you want to find out more or help them out, check out their MySpace page for details) got the party started using borrowed equipment. When they took the stage you wouldn’t know that they had just lost everything they treasured, they rocked the party and set the mood for things to come. For their last song, members of Head Automatica came out and joined them. Their music is just plain fun. If you don’t have a good time listening to Men Women And Children, then forget it, your fun-o-meter has just crashed into the red zone of no return.
Next up, Cobra Starship - the band who’s bringing back the key-tar in rocktastic fashion! Not just that, it’s a girl rocking it out! I tried to find her name but wasn’t very successful so if anyone knows it, please send it to me! I love seeing girls kicking ass on the rock n’ roll stage. They ended their set with the infamous Snakes On A Plane Song - Bring it. They even let one lucky audience member come up and bust out the rap in the song. All in all, high energy, tight sound, good times.
I was really excited to see The Pink Spiders. They are a bit of a diversion from the collections of sounds that this tour seems to encompass but I thought it was a great break. After the techno infused rock beats of the prior bands, The Pink Spiders brought it all back to dirty, gritty rock riffs. They played a bevvy of songs off of their debut release Pink Graffiti including the first single Little Razorblade. Their set was as eye quenching as it was eartastic. - drummer Bob Ferrari sports a sparkly pink kit fully equipped with his name right on it, just so you don’t forget. The mic stands are pink, and light up, just so you don’t miss it! There was a whole lotta pink going on and I loved every minute of it.
Head Automatica took the stage next. They never disappoint. Their sound is so tight and frontman Daryl Palumbo knows how to interact with the crowd and really make them feel like they are a part of something special. The played a hearty mix of songs from their latest album POPAGANDA (Graduation Day, Lying Through Your Teeth, Scandalous) as well as a handful from their last album (Beating Heart Baby, The Razor, I Shot William H. Macy) which appeared to be crowd faves. Electronic beats beautifully glossed over by Palumbo’s biting lyrics and addictive vocal stylings wafted through the crowd entrancing people and leaving them wanting much more than the short set that we got. Unfortunately, on big shows like this, time is of the essence. (And besides, now everyone has yet another good reason to go see Head Automatica on their own tour other than the obvious one of - THEY ROCK!)
And now, the moment that everyone had been waiting for, it was time for a regime change. The lights dimmed, the strobe lights pulsed, the night was about to hit it’s peak. 30 Seconds To Mars (Jared Leto on vocals and guitar, Tomo Milicevic on guitar, Matt Wachter on keyboard and bass and Shannon Leto on drums) hit the stage and commanded the attention of everyone in the crowd. It was very clear, The 30 Seconds To Mars Echelon had come in droves to meet their maker. The crowd surged forward and from the moment Jaret Leto opened his mouth, the crowd was his. He had them at hello. The whole set was a bit hypnotic, the sound was perfect, all around. Shannon was perched high on his drum riser looking out over all of us as the beats permeated the air. The flashing red and white lights had me believing I had been transported to a parallel universe and for just one fleeting moment I knew that my self-fulfilling prophecy that I had made so many years ago, was finally coming true! I was in the same room while Jordan Catalano was rocking the stage! My So-Called-Life was now complete.
Playing quite a few songs from their latest release (that recently won them an MTV2 Award for “The Kill) the crowd sang along and clapped on cue. Just when you thought they might be fading, Leto would jump into the crowd and get the blood rushing again. Calling out on fans to let them know what they wanted to hear, the set included From Yesterday, The Kill, A Beautiful Lie, Attack, and a few songs from their first release. One of the highlights was a haunting version of Was It a Dream? featuring Jared Leto with only his electric guitar.
The gothic glares of the band behind their eyeshadow and red face paint left me wanting to know more about what lies beneath. This band seems to have an air of mysticism about them, and I think that’s a lot of what keeps people coming back for more. Brothers Jared and Shannon formed the band back in 1988, who knew their path would lead to this. Their success continues to grow and their fanbase is growing at a clipping rate. Launch Forth Into The Deep.
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Photos from the show:
30 Seconds To Mars
Head Automatica
The Pink Spiders
Cobra Starship
Men Women And Children
Band Official Websites:
30 Seconds To Mars
Head Automatica
The Pink Spiders
Cobra Starship
Men Women And Children
Reviewed by: Mary Ouellette | October 2006
