Concert Review: 30 Seconds to Mars
Mr Small's Theatre - Millvale, PA - March 28, 2006
April 02, 2006
By: Scott Tady
Beaver County Times

Mars in Millvale

Prowling the stage inside a former 19th century church, Jared Leto asked 500 fans, "Who feels like confessing their sins tonight?"

With a priest's collar pressed against his neck, the black-clad Leto then urged the sold-out Mr. Small's Funhouse crowd to shout a hearty "Amen."

Taking advantage of the Millvale venue's churchly setting, Leto and his rock band 30 Seconds to Mars had stormed onto the stage to gothic strains from "Damien: Omen II."

Such theatricality comes naturally for a Hollywood actor like Leto ("Requiem for a Dream," "My So-Called Life"), whose current mission is fronting 30 Seconds to Mars on its first headlining tour.

Local fans sang along loudly with choruses from the group's 2005 disc, "A Beautiful Lie."

Leto's voice was solid throughout the band's 70-minute set, but he shouldn't quit his day job yet. Even though 30 Seconds to Mars displayed musical dexterity, the band still hasn't honed a charismatic stage presence.

Or maybe 30 Seconds to Mars simply suffered by comparison to warm-up act Aiden, a goth-punk-metal band that dazzled fans with a raucous performance drenched in danger and sexuality.

With his face caked white and his eyes surrounded by black makeup, Aiden singer Wil Francis looked creepy-cool as he leaped and spun and wildly twirled his microphone within inches of the heads of bandmates and front-row fans.

At one point, Francis marched out into - no, onto - the crowd, balancing himself on the upraised hands of fans. He offered two backstage passes to fans, but warned there would be lots of kinky stuff going on back there.

Not to be completely outdone by their madman singer, Aiden's guitarists, Angel Ibarra and Jake Wombold, manically swirled their instruments around their necks and bounded around like heavily caffeinated chimps.

Though more of a visual sensation than an aural one, Aiden displayed enough crunchy chops and thick hooks to make the Seattle band worth a myspace.com visit.

According to Francis, Aiden will return to the region July 27 when the Vans Warped Tour rolls into P-G Pavilion in Burgettstown.