The Carnivores Tour

Kris
Aug 17, 2014
4 min read

A bit of advice: always avoid 495 like the plague.

That's it. End of Blog. Goodbye!

But no, so on Wednesday I went to see 30 Seconds to Mars and Linkin Park at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, VA. Unfortunately, like an idiot, I didn't plan for the traffic around DC as much as I should have, so we were stuck bumper to bumper for 2 hours and missed AFI open.

I probably should care more about that, but I was so excited for 30 Seconds to Mars and Linkin Park that missing AFI was a non-issue. I'm sure they were awesome, but I didn't hate myself for not hearing their set.

I do, however, hate myself for missing 30 Seconds to Mars coming out. At the time, I had not known we were so late – I even thought the show started at 7:00 and we only arrived a little after 7:15, so AFI must have started at 6:30 or earlier. When I got up to go to the merchandise table, I took the chance thinking I'd only miss a bit of AFI. And when O Fortuna came through the speakers, I didn't think anything of it.

I should've known. That is such a Jared Leto way to open a show. Apparently, I missed him running out on stage, looking like Jesus.

Literally. If you are unaware, Jared is currently rocking long hair and a thick beard. And he knows exactly what he's doing. There was a great moment when he sang the lyrics: To the leader, the pariah, the victor, the messiah. This is war. And during "messiah" he raised his arms like the cross. It's a testament to his love of symbols - he even spun around with the American flag during "Do or Die."

My friend and I, while both fans, had different expectations for 30 Seconds to Mars' set. He favored their older albums since he knew them long before I had, and for his first time seeing them perform he hoped their set would be more along that vein. In comparison, he introduced me to their music around the time of This is War, so I am much more familiar with their new music, although I still like some of their older hits like "The Kill", "From Yesterday," and "A Beautiful Lie." As I expected, they played more of their new music.

Their set was particularly colorful with large balloons tossed throughout the pit and the splash of confetti accompanying the glow of the stage lights. It reminded me immensely of their newest album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams, of which the first single released was "Up in The Air." In the video for this track, the use of color enhances the chaos of the images, which puts the viewer on the edge of sensory overload.

Their music was also extremely interactive, which I had not realized until I saw them live. I've listened to their songs countless times, and never realized how often a chorus of "ooh" joins the melody. Jared Leto had a lot of energy on stage, but he also was exuberant in his inclusion of the audience, even going so far as to walk through the sections of the theater during the songs and singing in the center of the crowd.

His nod to their older music included a mini acoustic set, which was more like a sing along than a performance, but Jared's voice rang out clear and crisp. I know it wasn't quite what my friend wanted, but it reminded me of the acoustic clips I had on my iPod, which I actually used to fall asleep to. Hearing the songs live in that setting meant a lot to me. But I agree that it would've been awesome to see some of the classic favorites performed live with Shannon and Tomo. Maybe next time, if we get to see them when they are headlining their own show.

I was really worried that, for me, the Linkin Park would not live up to 30 Seconds to Mars.

I really admire them for their versatility and I love some of their hits, but I've only ever listened to them when my mood fit their music. I was worried that I'd be too disappointed that 30 Seconds to Mars left the stage to enjoy Linkin Park as much as I would if my favorite band hadn't opened for them.

But they were really freaking good. Every single song they played was one of their big hits, and everyone in the venue knew the words to each one. I didn't give myself enough credit, as I knew a lot more than I thought I would. "Castle of Glass" stood out to me in particular and "Waiting for the End" too, which was my friend's favorite song.

I keep saying there's something about seeing a band live that just helps it click. I probably would not have seen Linkin Park on their own, but now that I have I definitely would jump at the chance. They were amazing, and I cannot fully explain how it felt to have these great songs filling the stadium and to connect to them so suddenly in a way I couldn't when I heard them through my computer speakers.