Reviewed on Saturday March 29 (photo by Katrina Clarke)

“Get off your fucking seats, Sydney,” howled Jared Leto. Demonstrating his remarkable ability to hopscotch between performer, singer, guitarist and working a crowd, one could be mistaken into believing that Thirty Seconds To Marswas Leto’s one-man show, rather than a band of three. The trio’s live performance offered an incessant balance between complementary aesthetics and vocal theatrics. Leto oozed a sense of effortless cool as his vocals, stage presence and cheeky charisma remained as focal as ever.

Introducing Thirty Seconds To Mars was London five-piece White Lies, who provided a pleasant and promising start to the evening with a rich, buttery baritone that rung throughout. Jogging across tracks ‘There Goes Our Love Again’and ‘Farewell To The Fairground’, the occasional addition of heavy drums made rhymes livelier, however there was a lack of magnetism and confidence in their presentation and delivery.

Not long after the abrupt close of the support set, the already dimmed house lights darkened further, allowing a burst of strobe lights to flood the vast arena. Doused in their signature black draped clothing and aviators, Thirty Seconds To Mars emerged to open with ‘Night Of The Hunter’, ‘Search And Destroy’ and ‘This Is War’, while giant multi-coloured balloons were unleashed into the crowd and Leto conjured up a vigorous storm.

The moment which resonated for all in attendance was when Leto picked out a blind punter from the congested mosh, bringing him forward in accompaniment for ‘Kings And Queens’. When it came to the more vocally strenuous and slower songs, ‘City Of Angels’ and ‘End Of All Days’, Leto landed an on-point vocal delivery, as his ragged, potent voice reverberated across an arena of glowing iPhones.

The trio exhibited animal onesies while breaking out in full force for ‘Closer To The Edge’, with a dramatically amped crowd that too soared along. To cap things off, the band again invited a few enamoured fans to groove about onstage and belt out ‘Up In The Air’, confirming the incredible energy executed throughout the night.

BY KIERA THANOS

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