LIVE REPORT OF DOOM. D:
So here I am, sitting in school, supposed to be doing a week-overdue report on Health and Travel on Cruise ships, but I want to write this first. =P
ON SUNDAY, LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENED.
First, I was at an AN meeting, getting all my stuffed checked up. I dressed up all nice too. D: I had to make a good impression and be taken seriously... Eileen said that the spreadsheet I did was okay I was happy that she liked it. D: <3 . I was supposed to go pick something up from the DotCon girls, and I saw them (We said hi,) but I had to go to a meeting with OS and when I got back, they weren't there; they left right away, I think.
Anyway, I played with a ball python (probably the cutest thing I've seen all weekend), took a few pictures with it, then went on my merry way home to get ready for the concert. All decked out in my battle gear and whatnot. I loaded down my cargo jeans with my cellphone, iPod, Rhea's Camera ('cause y'all know how I don't have my own. I want one for when I graduate. 'Cause a flight attendant without a camera is a sad sight indeed), my wallet, house keys, ticket, and my Flights program scarf stuffed into my pocket. As you can imagine, my pants were just riding on my hips.
At the Mars Show...
I grabbed a water bottle and my dad dropped me off right at the venue downtown. <3 When I got there, the nice girls from the Echelon house were there, and I bought a lanyard and button. Because I'm a button whore, and anyone who's seen my highschool kilt can attest to this. I fashioned a sort of belt out of my Seneca lanyard and the Echelon House lanyard. It ended up helping keep my pants up at a later part of the set, right before Kings and Queens. XD
While waiting in line, I was chatting with these two really nice guys about the band, how fricken cold we were, and how long we had to wait. I fangirled to them a little about all the Porter Airplanes flying overhead, (if you guys by any chance are reading this, I'M SO SORRY FOR TALKING A LOT, OH GOD) The younger dude knew one of the 102.1 The Edge intern people there, and we all took a picture and I got a free ticket to some concert this saturday/friday? XD At around 7:00, we were let in, and I didn't see them again. Security also took one of my two sharpies. *huff*
When I walked in, I went to the washroom then went to find my place in the crowd. Lucky me; There was a LARGE GAP right in front of Tim and Shannon. Sweet. Score. I wanted to get as close as I could to the drums because I wanted to feel the beats echo through my body. I rooted myself there in the 4th-ish row, quite happy with myself... until people shifted and I was surrounded by three really tall people. We waited for a bit more and my back started to kill horribly, so I had to crouch down a few times to give my back a rest. The soothing music didn't help much, and I started to get sleepy. I think I took like... a 5 minute nap in a crouched/seated position.
Then, Neon Trees started playing. It was hard to get into their set because I couldn't see a thing, so I occupied myself with securely tying my Flights scarf onto my right wrist, right next to my Echelon wristband. Goddamn, I love the colour red.
The girls behind me were impatient for 30 Seconds to Mars, saying to themselves that they wouldn't clap or cheer until the boys came out. Party poopers. I tried to dance around at some songs, but I was kinda scared I would accidentally smack them with my hair or something. I did, however, like this song.
I wish I knew the song better, because the chorus would buttfucking awesome to sing aloud, 'specially knowing what the Echelon are capable of. I tried my best though. The vocalist took the time and energy to teach us that part; "I'VE GOT THESE HABITS THAT I CANNOT, BREAK~~". <3 If you're going to see show/tour with these guys as support, LEARN THIS SONG. It's good stuff regardless.
Now, after Neon Trees left (I was pretty miffed that I couldn't see anything after I realized that the drummer was a chick), I was fully expecting Street Drum Corp to come out. But they didn't; they weren't there, and I was sad. ;~; DRUMS.
MARS SET STARTS HERE. 8D
Escape
We heard the music start to play, we heard the drumbeats. Then the white sheet was lit up from behind Jared, and the moment his silhouette was visible, the crowd went nuts. He held out his arms ("...It's just a new beginning"), as if beckoning the insane masses to join him in this moment, to begin the show with a declaration of war. Fuck, we loved it. And I think we let him know. Now, let me be honest with you. I downright fangirled when the curtain dropped. Not because there was Jared fuckin' Leto, not because Shannon was right there infront of me or because I had both Tim and Shannon (two for the price of one!) in my vision, but because Jared was wearing a navy blue blazer that had Captain/Pilot wings on them. I seem to have a bit of a fetish whenever things associate themselves with my career sector, or if an airport is involved.
Back to the concert; There was nothing better than screaming out "THIS IS WAR" all in unison. It was like saying the biggest 'Fuck you' to anyone who's ever tried to hold me back. Also, the last measure or so of the drums sound abso-fucking-lutely INTOXICATING. So tribal. D: If you can't tell, I'm a huge drum whore; I live for the drums and the bass section. Sure, you can take those sections away, but without them, the band sounds so hollow without them. *cackle* Bass section, representin'.
Night of the Hunter
"EVERYBODY, JUMP!" Yes, Jared, I will jump. And I did. The night was still young, and it was just about the only way I could attempt to see Shannon. I particularly wanted to see him drum this song (and Closer to the Edge), because the beats just own my soul. There is absolutely nothing like wanting to get thrashed around during this song. It's just that kind of song. Not moshing, but just... being pushed up against everyone while everyone else is moving in the same typical way as you. I totally counted in french too.
Looking at other videos, I think the closer to the stage you were, the more active the crowd was during the jumping. It was just so chaotic where I was it was GREAT.
Then, there was this one guy in purple who was just shoving his way forward violently, elbowing me and practically climbing over me and other people to get to the front. "JARED, JARED". The guy reminded me of a black haired, purple-shirted Peter Griffin from Family Guy.
Attack
I believe it was around this time that Jared started his 'Let's kill everyone at the front of the barricade!' campaign. Like the god he is, he commanded the masses to "I want everyone at the back to take three big steps forward. On the count of three; One, two, three, step it forward~" and us at the front got really crushed... Also, might I add he told us that in the middle of the song, right at the beginning of the bridge. And then,
SHORT MC, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SONG, RIGHT BEFORE THE CHORUS STARTS. e_e only Jared could do that. He did a lot of short MCing, and I don't know in what order, so anything I remember, I'll put in the section below, which, in no means, is in chronological order. Also, I'll tell you now I might not remember a lot, as most times I was fighting for my life or something like that.
Though I was at the other part of the stage, this is a really good clip of the whole ordeal... thing.
You can't see it clearly on the clip because Jared's somewhat in the way, but I could tell that the rest of the guys were pretty used to Jared randomly stopping them in the middle of songs to talk; Shannon just motioned for Tomo to listen and pay attention to the drums so he could cue them in. Great musicians, pro at improvising and picking up at any given measure. As someone with musical training/instruction while growing up, I certainly do respect the ability to pick up a song like that.
Vox Populi
I was pretty scared for my feet here; I was standing next to the purple-shirt guy, and with how inconsiderate he was before, I was scared he'd stomp on my feet.
At the end of the song, the lighting guy (I think), named Travis, missed his cue, so we and Jared were repeating "Here we are at the start" a whole lot. XD
From Yesterday
Just at the beginning of the song, the tall people in front of me opted to get out, so I was now second person from the barricade. 8D And I remained so for the rest of the evening, until Kings & Queens. I could see a bit of Shannon's gorgeous drumming... I remember during the bridge, when Shannon hits the hi-hat, he quickly reaches out to silence it while his other arm is out, poised in 'strike' position. Then when Jared let the crowd sing the chorus right after, it was just Shannon tapping the cymbals with both sticks, all faux bored; it was cute.
A Beautiful Lie
I have no idea why, but it got pretty violent here in my area, lotsa people shoving, and my vision was compromised, so I can't quite say anything 'bout the guys here... little bits of Jared's 'hawk popping up here and there, but nothing much. ;~; just the back of heads.
***MC
Banter, and lots of it.
Sorry, I had to laugh when he looked at Tomo during that. I wondered what he was doing looking off in that direction... and, well, I couldn't see well.
ALSO, YOU SEE THAT WHITE, BLACK, AND RED SCARF TIED TO MY WRIST WITH THE ECHELON WRISTBAND AT AROUND 3:24? THAT'S ME RIGHT THERE. This was also around the point where I waved to Shannon after Jared told us to shove forward again. And I know he was waving at me because Jared as having a Jared moment and all attention was on him; I had a clear line of vision to Shannon, and he was looking in my general direction. I smiled and waved at him and he looked over at me. I kept waving and he smiled and waved back. (this is significant, keep reading.)
This is WAR
"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT." it was interactive with the vocalizing, the clapping, the jumping... Just as the song was winding down, I got much more into it, much more light thrashing around... (which led to my disappointment of the next song. XD) Again, more talking about Shannon, purely because he was right infront of me. I wanted to see how he did those 16th notes in the verses, hitting the rim of the drum. He was quite fun to watch during this song, since it has fairly simple parts in the verses, then near-chaos during the chorus. Christ, if they do DVD and have a camera pointed right at the drums for a song or two, so we could see what Shannon was doing... I'd absolutely love that.
100 SUNS
It took some time for the crowd to catch on with their parts. D: WHY ARE YOU SINGING ALONG WITH JARED WHEN WE HAVE PARTS FOR US? At least they caught on on the second half of the song. Sorta. I kinda would have liked to hear Jared a little more clearly.
L490
To be honest, I hated this song on the CD. Hated, hated, hated. But as much as I didn't like it, I absolutely loved it live. There was that loud, resonating BEAT that went through my body again, and it really, really set the tone for the whole song; really ambient, I wanted to shut my eyes and just sway, but it's Shannon, and I couldn't tear my eyes from him, but when I did, I noticed that Tim had another stringed instrument on him, and if I'm not mistaken, it was a guitar. Could be mistaken. I think I am, don't quote me on it; he wasn't directly in front of me, and my eyesight sucks.
When Shannon had finished with the bowl, he struck it and walked away with a slight smirk before going off to get the guitar. Uhm, I'll say this now; he holds the guitar neck the exact same way I do, which is incorrectly. He holds it with his thumb supporting the neck, behind it. I personally found it quite endearing... XD
Oblivion (acoustic), Capricorn (acoustic), Echelon (acoustic), Buddha for Mary (acoustic), Hurricane (acoustic)
"Hello Toronto, It's great to be back, we love you, etc." Lots of bantering here. We started to sing a bit of Oblivion on request, "Oh, we haven't played that one in a while..." So he obliged and played for us, under the condition we sung it because he said he's getting old and doesn't remember the lyrics much anymore, so we'd have to turn it into a karaoke session. Even if he played just a bit of Capricorn, I fuckin' love it acoustic. Ngh, the chords. D: I totally sang along. Also, here's a clip of said "I'm old", Buddha for Mary, and "We were here in 1998".
It was kinda interesting, though, that Jared had magically appeared at the back of the venue, but we were still getting pushed forward against the barricade. Also, he said Spadina correctly. That made me happy. XD
The Kill
It was literally just that, The Kill. Jared tried to part us like the fuckin' Red Sea, and you know what? I think it happened. I couldn't see if it happen or not though, 'cause there were lots of people. I would have liked to see that pink pomegranate 'hawk go through the crowd as if he were Jaws or something. Either way; he must have run a fuckin' gauntlet to get back to the stage. And somehow, magically, he got out of that with that FLIMSY AS HELL SHIRT OF HIS STILL INTACT. Man is insane. And magic. Or Canadians are just kind and polite.
***MC AGAIN.
"You got one more song to give it a shot" He was referring to Miss Plaid (See point 9 at the bottom) at this point, at which she just smiled and nodded. XD
And also, I forgot when, but Jared mentioned that at the end of the night, they were gonna be having an autograph session at the back of the venue, 'Old school style'. This was greeted with cheers of approval.
Closer to the Edge
I wanted to get a damn good look at Shannon during this song. If you listen to the drum part, you know exactly why.
It was during the end of this song that Jared jumped up onto the barrier at my side and kinda watered us, then tossed his waterbottle out into the crowd. It was refreshing. If I come down with a cold, I'll blame Jared... The same way I blamed Toshiya at the last Dir en Grey concert I went to. He also proceeded reached out over us and towards us. When he reached out into the crowd, I held his hand for like 2 seconds (those were long seconds) before he pulled away to motion towards us again. Nice, firm hold, that man. Hands were a bit bigger than mine, and his fingers felt like that of a guitarist's; rough.
And you might not see it in clips, but Jared was trying to keep his balance when he hopped up to the barricade, knees bent and wobbling a bit. But he was so fricken close to me that I could reach out and touch his leg. So it did, right on his lower left leg. I saw someone's hand up on his upper right thigh, just resting there... XD And the girl that was infront of me. :'D Jared was still a little wobbly and was trying to keep his balance, so he crouched down a little, incidentally almost-sitting on her head. If she had looked up a little, she would have gotten Jared!crotch in her face. At any rate, she was wearing a hat and Jared's jeans rubbing up against it, plus my arm and everyone else's arm shooting up to touch him in some way/shape/form, forced her to take off her hat. When she did, I told her to look up and lo and behold, we could see clearly up Jared's shirt.
Man is fit. A bit on the skinny side, but fit.
He also had a bit of trouble getting down off the barrier in the dark. XD
Search and Destroy
"UWA-AH-AH-AH, UWAAH~O" It was EPIC to actually sing that part aloud with other people, all in unison, and to sound exactly like the album. :'D Finally, the rest of the fans and I all do something together... <3 I had been waiting for a moment like that during a song for the whole set.
The Fantasy
Shannon did that epic-looking hit-the-hi-hat-then-silence-it again. I couldn't help but sway and thrash around a bit to this song... and then, Jared had a lot of fun direction the crowd's vocalizations. A lot of fun. He played us like a fuckin' soundboard, and we were more than happy to oblige. 'Specially at the end of the song. Here's a clip of that last part.
***MC & Encore
I forgot what he said here, but it was a lot of banter about picking people to go onstage for Kings & Queens, a couple fun stuff... Jared encouraging everyone who wanted to go onstage to crowdsurf their way over to the stage...
Jared: See? This is why I wanted you guys at the back to come closer.
There was a mad rush to the front of the stage, people who were climbing, crowd surfing, people who were dropped (I'm talking 'bout that dude who was dropped just next to me,) people who were pulled out (I got kicked in the face by this chick who seemed to be trying to swim towards the from of the stage) but I was relatively okay. 8D I was shoved back one person, but I lived. My pants almost came off when someone stepped on my pant leg, but the lanyards kept them up. ;~; Thank god. That was one reason why I didn't want to be pulled up onstage; just in case I was pulled up, but my pants wouldn't have made it up with me.
And I don't exactly remember when, (it was at some point between Closer to the Edge and Kings & Queens), but I had another clear view at Shannon, who, of course, was watching the crowd's frantic attempts to get onstage. I didn't get onstage, but I did manage to get his attention again from behind a tall person, peeking over the guy's shoulder to give Shannon a grin and motioned in Jared's direction like "your brother is trying to kill us, lol, what is he doing." He laughed briefly, at which I gave him the thumbs up with my right hand again, 'cause even with all this rough shuffling around, I was alright; he smiled and nodded.
Kings + Queens
Now, It was a bit hard to breathe here, but even if I wasn't up close to the front where I was, I still wouldn't be able to breathe well.The euphoria and adrenaline running through me was more than enough to keep me alive and keep me singing, jumping, and just going absolutely insane. Jared was also darting around onstage like a madman, unable to keep still or in one spot for a second. I couldn't see a single thing after a while, too many tall people around again, so I closed my eyes and sang, loudly like I had been needing to since I first heard this song.
AFTER THE CONCERT
I shuffled over to the merch table walking or running was out of the question and bought a CD, finally, but I couldn't find where the hell they were taking pictures for the Faces of Mars. I had quite the time debating what the hell else to buy, but when I settled on buying a triad necklace (Because Triad = Air, and Air I associate with planes and being a flight attendant), the chick infront of me bought the last two. So I emoed a bit by the steps of the merch area with the Echelon House girls.
But, I did hear the autograph line-up was happening, so I waited in line outside (I didn't know they were outside. D: ). But I was more than happy to, since it was smouldering hot inside, I had sweat-that-wasn't-mine on my body, and I knew my hair was downright messed up. So I went and braided my hair while waiting, chatting with another fan from the US.... Jersey, I think. ;~; If she's reading this, I'm sorry I talked a lot. I had a lot of adrenaline in me. I bought an Iced Tea because I hadn't eaten much that day since around 5:00, which was just a Samosa... and a whole bottle of water before the show; By that time it was around 11:30.
I made up my mind that I didn't want them to sign my brand new CD. No, I wanted them to sign my scarf. Y'see, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be pursuing this new dream of mine. They gave me the strength to dream again, and the encouragement to go after that dream at any cost. After all, what is life without a dream? So of course I want them to sign my Flight Attendant-in-training scarf.
I didn't care much that we weren't allowed to take a picture with the band; I just wanted them to sign my scarf. Just before it was my turn to go up, I put my iced tea aside on a pillar before running over to my spot.
It was Shannon first, then Tomo, and Jared last. I'll say this now and honestly, I was starstruck, and I'll try to remember this as clearly as I can. I had my scarf in my hands, and I approached the table, then held it up;
"Uhm... Is it possible that I could get my scarf signed?" I looked over and saw Shannon there with a smile on his face. He smiled a bit more, and nodded, saying "Yeah, sure."
We spread the scarf on the table and I slid it over to him, hoping he would utilize the space available. The fabric has a tendency to bunch up, so Shannon was carefully trying to write out his autograph.
"You were getting kinda squished up there." Wait, what? He remembered me? 8D I was delighted by that, and managed to laugh a little and respond with a "Yeah, I was... But it's all good." I wanted to say more a comment/compliment, but honestly, I was speechless (that smile and the fact he remembered me did me in. Augh.) He didn't finish at just his stylized 'Sx', but went on to draw that lil' smirky face of his, which he also drew out with care. I could barely think when he went on to write something else.
The fabric started to bunch up a little, so I straightened it out for Shannon as he continued to write carefully, chuckling with me quietly at the stubborn scarf while he finished writing. Short, simple, but I still couldn't believe it.
"I <3 U!"
At this point, I was just all smiles. I thanked him happily and he looked up and returned the smile. I grinned as I slid the scarf over at Tomo, who greeted me with a cheery "Hi", to which I responded with a "Hi" as well (lol, still glowing from my encounter with Shannon). He didn't have trouble at all with signing the scarf (with a silver sharpie <3), but I still held the scarf still for him. When he finished, he looked up at me again, gave me a smile and a slight nod before thanking me for coming. I slid the scarf over to Jared, who just finished with the person before me.
Jared seemed a little rushed, smiling, but looked only half there. He greeted me with a 'Hi' as well (I replied with a cheerier 'Hey'), quickly signed my scarf and thanked me for coming before turning to the girl behind me. The slight disappointment that came with that treatment melted away as I retrieved my ice tea from the pillar, looking at the autographs on my scarf while I waited for the girl I had been chatting with before.
Tomo's autograph was pretty, 'specially with the silver sharpie. I noticed on the back of the scarf, that Shannon really tried to make it as neat as he could (bless him <3) and I swear to god, I commit every second of him signing my scarf to memory and Jared's autograph (that scribble on the left there, on the left of Shannon's Sx) was quick and messy. His sharpie was running out too. I had half the mind to pull out my sharpie and hand it over to him, seeing as he needed it more than I did... but I didn't want to get rugby tackled by the security guards, so I thought against it. 8D;
So the girl and I remained outside, chatting about random stuff like the band, where her friends were, gave O_o looks at some Jared fangirls who went up to the window behind the boys and did something there (we tried to ignore them) etc. We took a picture with the Echelon House people again after they went through the autograph line, played with some silly string, then went down to shiver with some other people while waiting for rides. Chatted with Bek (Australian girl), Marcio Novelli, and a few other people before parting ways. My dad then came to pick me up and I went home to shower and scrub the gross off me, went online to spazz to friends, then went to bed so I could wake up early for my exams the next day.
...Yes, this was my sinfully long live report, and if you read through it all, you have too much time on your hands. Closing thoughts? GO TO A CONCERT. IT'S FUCKIN' EPIC. PEOPLE ARE relatively AWESOME, THE BAND IS FUN TO WATCH, AND THE MUSIC IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS LIVE.
RANDOM THINGS I FORGOT WHEN THEY HAPPENED:
1) Jared cannot dance. He admits this. and I agree with him. I think he threatened someone that he'd make them come up and dance onstage if they weren't having a good time, thus, making them make a fool of themself. XD
2) Jared loves Canada and Toronto, and joked(?) that he was half Canadian. Dunno what to think about that one.
3) Jared had this mark on his side, on his left rib. Bruise or new scar? Maybe he hit himself on a barrier recently and bruised, or just got scratched really hard... Happens to me.
4) Jared's a very charismatic frontman, which helps when he commands the crowd to do his bidding. 'Specially with that 'arms stretched out, like a king receiving praise from his subjects. It's kinda insane, the kind of power he holds over us.
5) The security guards must have hated Jared every time he told us to take THREE big steps forward. Which he asked of us about 2-4 times through the entire night. And every time, a huge groan of displeasure from the front. The guys had their war faces on, ready to pull any one out of the crowd... It was a little funny to watch. Sometimes, I think Jared likes being difficult.
6) Tim is fricken hilarious on the keyboards. At one point, all he had to do on them was just play a single note at a time, and he was all >8D and made dramatic pecking movements to press that key down. He did a lot of singing along too, as well as twirling around and making hilarious facial expressions. It was great to see smiles on the guy.
7) Interaction between Shannon and Tim was great, lotsa sharing 'lol, are you listening to this guy?' looks when Jared joked with the crowd.
8) Tomo was pretty random whenever he did come over to our side. He'd run over, go RAWR or something while playing guitar, then run back to his side. Also, his hair was down and in his face, so it was just downright funny/cute to me. :'D
9) There was this one girl at the front wearing a black-red plaid shirt who Jared refered to as 'Miss Plaid', who he chatted to a lot.
10) Probably the most said phrase about 30 seconds to mars, when not refering to Jared; Shannon is a fucking animal on the drums. There is no strict method to his drumming; It's all very organic and instinctual, fluid, and I think that's what makes it so interesting to watch. He really does let himself go right into the music. You know those dramatic pianists during televised performances? Eyes shut, mouth parted just slightly, just him and the drums and the expression like he's making love through the music. ... C'mon, you people who love what they do, can so relate to that. You've all felt it.
11) Jared's sunglasses were somewhat glow in the dark-ish, and matched his hair. :'D
12) Someone also managed to smuggle a can or two of Silly String into the venue and tried to get Jared with it when he got close to the edge of the stage once. He laughed and pointed out at the person as he sang, in a "HAH, I SAW THAT, BUT YOU DIDN'T GET ME. GOOD ONE THOUGH~" kind of way/expression.
13) Also, I swear to god I saw the DotCon girls in line as I was getting wanded, and in the crowd, closer to the middle of the stage or something.
... Yeah. 8D
ON SUNDAY, LOTS OF THINGS HAPPENED.
First, I was at an AN meeting, getting all my stuffed checked up. I dressed up all nice too. D: I had to make a good impression and be taken seriously... Eileen said that the spreadsheet I did was okay I was happy that she liked it. D: <3 . I was supposed to go pick something up from the DotCon girls, and I saw them (We said hi,) but I had to go to a meeting with OS and when I got back, they weren't there; they left right away, I think.
Anyway, I played with a ball python (probably the cutest thing I've seen all weekend), took a few pictures with it, then went on my merry way home to get ready for the concert. All decked out in my battle gear and whatnot. I loaded down my cargo jeans with my cellphone, iPod, Rhea's Camera ('cause y'all know how I don't have my own. I want one for when I graduate. 'Cause a flight attendant without a camera is a sad sight indeed), my wallet, house keys, ticket, and my Flights program scarf stuffed into my pocket. As you can imagine, my pants were just riding on my hips.
At the Mars Show...
I grabbed a water bottle and my dad dropped me off right at the venue downtown. <3 When I got there, the nice girls from the Echelon house were there, and I bought a lanyard and button. Because I'm a button whore, and anyone who's seen my highschool kilt can attest to this. I fashioned a sort of belt out of my Seneca lanyard and the Echelon House lanyard. It ended up helping keep my pants up at a later part of the set, right before Kings and Queens. XD
While waiting in line, I was chatting with these two really nice guys about the band, how fricken cold we were, and how long we had to wait. I fangirled to them a little about all the Porter Airplanes flying overhead, (if you guys by any chance are reading this, I'M SO SORRY FOR TALKING A LOT, OH GOD) The younger dude knew one of the 102.1 The Edge intern people there, and we all took a picture and I got a free ticket to some concert this saturday/friday? XD At around 7:00, we were let in, and I didn't see them again. Security also took one of my two sharpies. *huff*
When I walked in, I went to the washroom then went to find my place in the crowd. Lucky me; There was a LARGE GAP right in front of Tim and Shannon. Sweet. Score. I wanted to get as close as I could to the drums because I wanted to feel the beats echo through my body. I rooted myself there in the 4th-ish row, quite happy with myself... until people shifted and I was surrounded by three really tall people. We waited for a bit more and my back started to kill horribly, so I had to crouch down a few times to give my back a rest. The soothing music didn't help much, and I started to get sleepy. I think I took like... a 5 minute nap in a crouched/seated position.
Then, Neon Trees started playing. It was hard to get into their set because I couldn't see a thing, so I occupied myself with securely tying my Flights scarf onto my right wrist, right next to my Echelon wristband. Goddamn, I love the colour red.
The girls behind me were impatient for 30 Seconds to Mars, saying to themselves that they wouldn't clap or cheer until the boys came out. Party poopers. I tried to dance around at some songs, but I was kinda scared I would accidentally smack them with my hair or something. I did, however, like this song.
Click to viewI wish I knew the song better, because the chorus would buttfucking awesome to sing aloud, 'specially knowing what the Echelon are capable of. I tried my best though. The vocalist took the time and energy to teach us that part; "I'VE GOT THESE HABITS THAT I CANNOT, BREAK~~". <3 If you're going to see show/tour with these guys as support, LEARN THIS SONG. It's good stuff regardless.
Now, after Neon Trees left (I was pretty miffed that I couldn't see anything after I realized that the drummer was a chick), I was fully expecting Street Drum Corp to come out. But they didn't; they weren't there, and I was sad. ;~; DRUMS.
MARS SET STARTS HERE. 8D
Escape
We heard the music start to play, we heard the drumbeats. Then the white sheet was lit up from behind Jared, and the moment his silhouette was visible, the crowd went nuts. He held out his arms ("...It's just a new beginning"), as if beckoning the insane masses to join him in this moment, to begin the show with a declaration of war. Fuck, we loved it. And I think we let him know. Now, let me be honest with you. I downright fangirled when the curtain dropped. Not because there was Jared fuckin' Leto, not because Shannon was right there infront of me or because I had both Tim and Shannon (two for the price of one!) in my vision, but because Jared was wearing a navy blue blazer that had Captain/Pilot wings on them. I seem to have a bit of a fetish whenever things associate themselves with my career sector, or if an airport is involved.
Back to the concert; There was nothing better than screaming out "THIS IS WAR" all in unison. It was like saying the biggest 'Fuck you' to anyone who's ever tried to hold me back. Also, the last measure or so of the drums sound abso-fucking-lutely INTOXICATING. So tribal. D: If you can't tell, I'm a huge drum whore; I live for the drums and the bass section. Sure, you can take those sections away, but without them, the band sounds so hollow without them. *cackle* Bass section, representin'.
Night of the Hunter
"EVERYBODY, JUMP!" Yes, Jared, I will jump. And I did. The night was still young, and it was just about the only way I could attempt to see Shannon. I particularly wanted to see him drum this song (and Closer to the Edge), because the beats just own my soul. There is absolutely nothing like wanting to get thrashed around during this song. It's just that kind of song. Not moshing, but just... being pushed up against everyone while everyone else is moving in the same typical way as you. I totally counted in french too.
Looking at other videos, I think the closer to the stage you were, the more active the crowd was during the jumping. It was just so chaotic where I was it was GREAT.
Then, there was this one guy in purple who was just shoving his way forward violently, elbowing me and practically climbing over me and other people to get to the front. "JARED, JARED". The guy reminded me of a black haired, purple-shirted Peter Griffin from Family Guy.
Attack
I believe it was around this time that Jared started his 'Let's kill everyone at the front of the barricade!' campaign. Like the god he is, he commanded the masses to "I want everyone at the back to take three big steps forward. On the count of three; One, two, three, step it forward~" and us at the front got really crushed... Also, might I add he told us that in the middle of the song, right at the beginning of the bridge. And then,
SHORT MC, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SONG, RIGHT BEFORE THE CHORUS STARTS. e_e only Jared could do that. He did a lot of short MCing, and I don't know in what order, so anything I remember, I'll put in the section below, which, in no means, is in chronological order. Also, I'll tell you now I might not remember a lot, as most times I was fighting for my life or something like that.
Though I was at the other part of the stage, this is a really good clip of the whole ordeal... thing.
You can't see it clearly on the clip because Jared's somewhat in the way, but I could tell that the rest of the guys were pretty used to Jared randomly stopping them in the middle of songs to talk; Shannon just motioned for Tomo to listen and pay attention to the drums so he could cue them in. Great musicians, pro at improvising and picking up at any given measure. As someone with musical training/instruction while growing up, I certainly do respect the ability to pick up a song like that.
Vox Populi
I was pretty scared for my feet here; I was standing next to the purple-shirt guy, and with how inconsiderate he was before, I was scared he'd stomp on my feet.
At the end of the song, the lighting guy (I think), named Travis, missed his cue, so we and Jared were repeating "Here we are at the start" a whole lot. XD
From Yesterday
Just at the beginning of the song, the tall people in front of me opted to get out, so I was now second person from the barricade. 8D And I remained so for the rest of the evening, until Kings & Queens. I could see a bit of Shannon's gorgeous drumming... I remember during the bridge, when Shannon hits the hi-hat, he quickly reaches out to silence it while his other arm is out, poised in 'strike' position. Then when Jared let the crowd sing the chorus right after, it was just Shannon tapping the cymbals with both sticks, all faux bored; it was cute.
A Beautiful Lie
I have no idea why, but it got pretty violent here in my area, lotsa people shoving, and my vision was compromised, so I can't quite say anything 'bout the guys here... little bits of Jared's 'hawk popping up here and there, but nothing much. ;~; just the back of heads.
***MC
Banter, and lots of it.
Sorry, I had to laugh when he looked at Tomo during that. I wondered what he was doing looking off in that direction... and, well, I couldn't see well.
ALSO, YOU SEE THAT WHITE, BLACK, AND RED SCARF TIED TO MY WRIST WITH THE ECHELON WRISTBAND AT AROUND 3:24? THAT'S ME RIGHT THERE. This was also around the point where I waved to Shannon after Jared told us to shove forward again. And I know he was waving at me because Jared as having a Jared moment and all attention was on him; I had a clear line of vision to Shannon, and he was looking in my general direction. I smiled and waved at him and he looked over at me. I kept waving and he smiled and waved back. (this is significant, keep reading.)
This is WAR
"FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT." it was interactive with the vocalizing, the clapping, the jumping... Just as the song was winding down, I got much more into it, much more light thrashing around... (which led to my disappointment of the next song. XD) Again, more talking about Shannon, purely because he was right infront of me. I wanted to see how he did those 16th notes in the verses, hitting the rim of the drum. He was quite fun to watch during this song, since it has fairly simple parts in the verses, then near-chaos during the chorus. Christ, if they do DVD and have a camera pointed right at the drums for a song or two, so we could see what Shannon was doing... I'd absolutely love that.
100 SUNS
It took some time for the crowd to catch on with their parts. D: WHY ARE YOU SINGING ALONG WITH JARED WHEN WE HAVE PARTS FOR US? At least they caught on on the second half of the song. Sorta. I kinda would have liked to hear Jared a little more clearly.
L490
To be honest, I hated this song on the CD. Hated, hated, hated. But as much as I didn't like it, I absolutely loved it live. There was that loud, resonating BEAT that went through my body again, and it really, really set the tone for the whole song; really ambient, I wanted to shut my eyes and just sway, but it's Shannon, and I couldn't tear my eyes from him, but when I did, I noticed that Tim had another stringed instrument on him, and if I'm not mistaken, it was a guitar. Could be mistaken. I think I am, don't quote me on it; he wasn't directly in front of me, and my eyesight sucks.
When Shannon had finished with the bowl, he struck it and walked away with a slight smirk before going off to get the guitar. Uhm, I'll say this now; he holds the guitar neck the exact same way I do, which is incorrectly. He holds it with his thumb supporting the neck, behind it. I personally found it quite endearing... XD
Oblivion (acoustic), Capricorn (acoustic), Echelon (acoustic), Buddha for Mary (acoustic), Hurricane (acoustic)
"Hello Toronto, It's great to be back, we love you, etc." Lots of bantering here. We started to sing a bit of Oblivion on request, "Oh, we haven't played that one in a while..." So he obliged and played for us, under the condition we sung it because he said he's getting old and doesn't remember the lyrics much anymore, so we'd have to turn it into a karaoke session. Even if he played just a bit of Capricorn, I fuckin' love it acoustic. Ngh, the chords. D: I totally sang along. Also, here's a clip of said "I'm old", Buddha for Mary, and "We were here in 1998".
It was kinda interesting, though, that Jared had magically appeared at the back of the venue, but we were still getting pushed forward against the barricade. Also, he said Spadina correctly. That made me happy. XD
The Kill
It was literally just that, The Kill. Jared tried to part us like the fuckin' Red Sea, and you know what? I think it happened. I couldn't see if it happen or not though, 'cause there were lots of people. I would have liked to see that pink pomegranate 'hawk go through the crowd as if he were Jaws or something. Either way; he must have run a fuckin' gauntlet to get back to the stage. And somehow, magically, he got out of that with that FLIMSY AS HELL SHIRT OF HIS STILL INTACT. Man is insane. And magic. Or Canadians are just kind and polite.
***MC AGAIN.
"You got one more song to give it a shot" He was referring to Miss Plaid (See point 9 at the bottom) at this point, at which she just smiled and nodded. XD
And also, I forgot when, but Jared mentioned that at the end of the night, they were gonna be having an autograph session at the back of the venue, 'Old school style'. This was greeted with cheers of approval.
Closer to the Edge
I wanted to get a damn good look at Shannon during this song. If you listen to the drum part, you know exactly why.
It was during the end of this song that Jared jumped up onto the barrier at my side and kinda watered us, then tossed his waterbottle out into the crowd. It was refreshing. If I come down with a cold, I'll blame Jared... The same way I blamed Toshiya at the last Dir en Grey concert I went to. He also proceeded reached out over us and towards us. When he reached out into the crowd, I held his hand for like 2 seconds (those were long seconds) before he pulled away to motion towards us again. Nice, firm hold, that man. Hands were a bit bigger than mine, and his fingers felt like that of a guitarist's; rough.
And you might not see it in clips, but Jared was trying to keep his balance when he hopped up to the barricade, knees bent and wobbling a bit. But he was so fricken close to me that I could reach out and touch his leg. So it did, right on his lower left leg. I saw someone's hand up on his upper right thigh, just resting there... XD And the girl that was infront of me. :'D Jared was still a little wobbly and was trying to keep his balance, so he crouched down a little, incidentally almost-sitting on her head. If she had looked up a little, she would have gotten Jared!crotch in her face. At any rate, she was wearing a hat and Jared's jeans rubbing up against it, plus my arm and everyone else's arm shooting up to touch him in some way/shape/form, forced her to take off her hat. When she did, I told her to look up and lo and behold, we could see clearly up Jared's shirt.
Man is fit. A bit on the skinny side, but fit.
He also had a bit of trouble getting down off the barrier in the dark. XD
Search and Destroy
"UWA-AH-AH-AH, UWAAH~O" It was EPIC to actually sing that part aloud with other people, all in unison, and to sound exactly like the album. :'D Finally, the rest of the fans and I all do something together... <3 I had been waiting for a moment like that during a song for the whole set.
The Fantasy
Shannon did that epic-looking hit-the-hi-hat-then-silence-it again. I couldn't help but sway and thrash around a bit to this song... and then, Jared had a lot of fun direction the crowd's vocalizations. A lot of fun. He played us like a fuckin' soundboard, and we were more than happy to oblige. 'Specially at the end of the song. Here's a clip of that last part.
***MC & Encore
I forgot what he said here, but it was a lot of banter about picking people to go onstage for Kings & Queens, a couple fun stuff... Jared encouraging everyone who wanted to go onstage to crowdsurf their way over to the stage...
Jared: See? This is why I wanted you guys at the back to come closer.
There was a mad rush to the front of the stage, people who were climbing, crowd surfing, people who were dropped (I'm talking 'bout that dude who was dropped just next to me,) people who were pulled out (I got kicked in the face by this chick who seemed to be trying to swim towards the from of the stage) but I was relatively okay. 8D I was shoved back one person, but I lived. My pants almost came off when someone stepped on my pant leg, but the lanyards kept them up. ;~; Thank god. That was one reason why I didn't want to be pulled up onstage; just in case I was pulled up, but my pants wouldn't have made it up with me.
And I don't exactly remember when, (it was at some point between Closer to the Edge and Kings & Queens), but I had another clear view at Shannon, who, of course, was watching the crowd's frantic attempts to get onstage. I didn't get onstage, but I did manage to get his attention again from behind a tall person, peeking over the guy's shoulder to give Shannon a grin and motioned in Jared's direction like "your brother is trying to kill us, lol, what is he doing." He laughed briefly, at which I gave him the thumbs up with my right hand again, 'cause even with all this rough shuffling around, I was alright; he smiled and nodded.
Kings + Queens
Now, It was a bit hard to breathe here, but even if I wasn't up close to the front where I was, I still wouldn't be able to breathe well.The euphoria and adrenaline running through me was more than enough to keep me alive and keep me singing, jumping, and just going absolutely insane. Jared was also darting around onstage like a madman, unable to keep still or in one spot for a second. I couldn't see a single thing after a while, too many tall people around again, so I closed my eyes and sang, loudly like I had been needing to since I first heard this song.
AFTER THE CONCERT
I shuffled over to the merch table walking or running was out of the question and bought a CD, finally, but I couldn't find where the hell they were taking pictures for the Faces of Mars. I had quite the time debating what the hell else to buy, but when I settled on buying a triad necklace (Because Triad = Air, and Air I associate with planes and being a flight attendant), the chick infront of me bought the last two. So I emoed a bit by the steps of the merch area with the Echelon House girls.
But, I did hear the autograph line-up was happening, so I waited in line outside (I didn't know they were outside. D: ). But I was more than happy to, since it was smouldering hot inside, I had sweat-that-wasn't-mine on my body, and I knew my hair was downright messed up. So I went and braided my hair while waiting, chatting with another fan from the US.... Jersey, I think. ;~; If she's reading this, I'm sorry I talked a lot. I had a lot of adrenaline in me. I bought an Iced Tea because I hadn't eaten much that day since around 5:00, which was just a Samosa... and a whole bottle of water before the show; By that time it was around 11:30.
I made up my mind that I didn't want them to sign my brand new CD. No, I wanted them to sign my scarf. Y'see, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be pursuing this new dream of mine. They gave me the strength to dream again, and the encouragement to go after that dream at any cost. After all, what is life without a dream? So of course I want them to sign my Flight Attendant-in-training scarf.
I didn't care much that we weren't allowed to take a picture with the band; I just wanted them to sign my scarf. Just before it was my turn to go up, I put my iced tea aside on a pillar before running over to my spot.
It was Shannon first, then Tomo, and Jared last. I'll say this now and honestly, I was starstruck, and I'll try to remember this as clearly as I can. I had my scarf in my hands, and I approached the table, then held it up;
"Uhm... Is it possible that I could get my scarf signed?" I looked over and saw Shannon there with a smile on his face. He smiled a bit more, and nodded, saying "Yeah, sure."
We spread the scarf on the table and I slid it over to him, hoping he would utilize the space available. The fabric has a tendency to bunch up, so Shannon was carefully trying to write out his autograph.
"You were getting kinda squished up there." Wait, what? He remembered me? 8D I was delighted by that, and managed to laugh a little and respond with a "Yeah, I was... But it's all good." I wanted to say more a comment/compliment, but honestly, I was speechless (that smile and the fact he remembered me did me in. Augh.) He didn't finish at just his stylized 'Sx', but went on to draw that lil' smirky face of his, which he also drew out with care. I could barely think when he went on to write something else.
The fabric started to bunch up a little, so I straightened it out for Shannon as he continued to write carefully, chuckling with me quietly at the stubborn scarf while he finished writing. Short, simple, but I still couldn't believe it.
"I <3 U!"
At this point, I was just all smiles. I thanked him happily and he looked up and returned the smile. I grinned as I slid the scarf over at Tomo, who greeted me with a cheery "Hi", to which I responded with a "Hi" as well (lol, still glowing from my encounter with Shannon). He didn't have trouble at all with signing the scarf (with a silver sharpie <3), but I still held the scarf still for him. When he finished, he looked up at me again, gave me a smile and a slight nod before thanking me for coming. I slid the scarf over to Jared, who just finished with the person before me.
Jared seemed a little rushed, smiling, but looked only half there. He greeted me with a 'Hi' as well (I replied with a cheerier 'Hey'), quickly signed my scarf and thanked me for coming before turning to the girl behind me. The slight disappointment that came with that treatment melted away as I retrieved my ice tea from the pillar, looking at the autographs on my scarf while I waited for the girl I had been chatting with before.
Tomo's autograph was pretty, 'specially with the silver sharpie. I noticed on the back of the scarf, that Shannon really tried to make it as neat as he could (bless him <3) and I swear to god, I commit every second of him signing my scarf to memory and Jared's autograph (that scribble on the left there, on the left of Shannon's Sx) was quick and messy. His sharpie was running out too. I had half the mind to pull out my sharpie and hand it over to him, seeing as he needed it more than I did... but I didn't want to get rugby tackled by the security guards, so I thought against it. 8D;
So the girl and I remained outside, chatting about random stuff like the band, where her friends were, gave O_o looks at some Jared fangirls who went up to the window behind the boys and did something there (we tried to ignore them) etc. We took a picture with the Echelon House people again after they went through the autograph line, played with some silly string, then went down to shiver with some other people while waiting for rides. Chatted with Bek (Australian girl), Marcio Novelli, and a few other people before parting ways. My dad then came to pick me up and I went home to shower and scrub the gross off me, went online to spazz to friends, then went to bed so I could wake up early for my exams the next day.
...Yes, this was my sinfully long live report, and if you read through it all, you have too much time on your hands. Closing thoughts? GO TO A CONCERT. IT'S FUCKIN' EPIC. PEOPLE ARE relatively AWESOME, THE BAND IS FUN TO WATCH, AND THE MUSIC IS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS LIVE.
RANDOM THINGS I FORGOT WHEN THEY HAPPENED:
1) Jared cannot dance. He admits this. and I agree with him. I think he threatened someone that he'd make them come up and dance onstage if they weren't having a good time, thus, making them make a fool of themself. XD
2) Jared loves Canada and Toronto, and joked(?) that he was half Canadian. Dunno what to think about that one.
3) Jared had this mark on his side, on his left rib. Bruise or new scar? Maybe he hit himself on a barrier recently and bruised, or just got scratched really hard... Happens to me.
4) Jared's a very charismatic frontman, which helps when he commands the crowd to do his bidding. 'Specially with that 'arms stretched out, like a king receiving praise from his subjects. It's kinda insane, the kind of power he holds over us.
5) The security guards must have hated Jared every time he told us to take THREE big steps forward. Which he asked of us about 2-4 times through the entire night. And every time, a huge groan of displeasure from the front. The guys had their war faces on, ready to pull any one out of the crowd... It was a little funny to watch. Sometimes, I think Jared likes being difficult.
6) Tim is fricken hilarious on the keyboards. At one point, all he had to do on them was just play a single note at a time, and he was all >8D and made dramatic pecking movements to press that key down. He did a lot of singing along too, as well as twirling around and making hilarious facial expressions. It was great to see smiles on the guy.
7) Interaction between Shannon and Tim was great, lotsa sharing 'lol, are you listening to this guy?' looks when Jared joked with the crowd.
8) Tomo was pretty random whenever he did come over to our side. He'd run over, go RAWR or something while playing guitar, then run back to his side. Also, his hair was down and in his face, so it was just downright funny/cute to me. :'D
9) There was this one girl at the front wearing a black-red plaid shirt who Jared refered to as 'Miss Plaid', who he chatted to a lot.
10) Probably the most said phrase about 30 seconds to mars, when not refering to Jared; Shannon is a fucking animal on the drums. There is no strict method to his drumming; It's all very organic and instinctual, fluid, and I think that's what makes it so interesting to watch. He really does let himself go right into the music. You know those dramatic pianists during televised performances? Eyes shut, mouth parted just slightly, just him and the drums and the expression like he's making love through the music. ... C'mon, you people who love what they do, can so relate to that. You've all felt it.
11) Jared's sunglasses were somewhat glow in the dark-ish, and matched his hair. :'D
12) Someone also managed to smuggle a can or two of Silly String into the venue and tried to get Jared with it when he got close to the edge of the stage once. He laughed and pointed out at the person as he sang, in a "HAH, I SAW THAT, BUT YOU DIDN'T GET ME. GOOD ONE THOUGH~" kind of way/expression.
13) Also, I swear to god I saw the DotCon girls in line as I was getting wanded, and in the crowd, closer to the middle of the stage or something.
... Yeah. 8D