Wednesday 26/07/06 30 Seconds To Mars, June, Envy On The Coast, Hour Cast @ The Sunshine Theater, New Mexico

It’s raining. A monsoon has parked over the Sunshine Theater and is keeping the summer heat at bay. People have been in line since 10 am and now it’s almost dark as we start to pour into the venue smelling like wet puppies. One of the hallmarks of 30 Seconds To Mars is their ability to pick the best of the newest bands to open for them so tonight we are in for the show of our lives.

Hour Cast takes to a darkened blood red stage and the first keyed notes of ‘This Life’ echo against a stunned audience that lurches forward at the power of their delivery. All eyes in the sold out house are transfixed on the stage. Their industrial metal sound is spacious, other-worldly and immersive. Patrick McBride’s steely rich voice is mesmerizing. Gigwise is also stunned. Their instrumental depth is a bit like Thursday with the dark haunting quality of Lacuna Coil and the sexual power of Nine Inch Nails. The audience breaks out of their jaw dropping shock and starts to roar as ‘Freeze’ invades our senses and consumes us. Patrick says “This is a song about sex. About wanting to **** someone so bad you don’t care what it cost you” and ‘3rd Of July’ begins. The desperate edge of red raw desire lingers in his voice. The cymbals clash, the crowd and the song reach a fevered pitch and he lies across a speaker reaching for screaming women who strain to touch his finger tips. Suddenly faced with a sound and a sexually charged performance the likes of which we’ve never seen before Hour Cast leaves us wanting more.

The next band Envy On The Coast has the place jumping with their creative instrumental mix and two outstanding vocalists. Lead singer Ryan is ever conscious of the crowd. He climbs out on top of them and pours himself into every aspect of his performance. He almost spends more time surfing on the sea of hands then on the stage. They are alternative to the core. Jeremy is tied down to a keyboard and but when he sings it becomes clear that it’s the dual vocalist of this group that creates their overall clean sound.

Gigwise has been hearing about June from scenesters at other venues for months. It’s time to see what all the banter is about. This Alternative Pop Rock band with a punk flavored delivery commandeers the stage as red and blue lights whirl and they begin ‘Elevators Are Matchmakers’ The dancing commences and crowd surfing rages as their high energy music with attitude sinks in. During ‘My Side Of The Story’ Tim Brennan’s vox are freaking right on and spontaneous shouts are heard during pauses in the vocals whilst he steps back and head bangs. The audience is watching his every move. Bathed in blue light, the three guitarist power up to the front of the stage and attack ‘The City’. Tim takes his guitar off and saunters forward sending the crushed and impassioned mob absolutely wild. Without notice he leaps into the churning horde. The crowd and the band seem to become one, singing and celebrating this hard chugging bass driven song to the hilt. Back on stage he crouches down and with tremendous passion sings the last line “You know I never wanted you to leave”.

They are setting up for 30 SecondsTo Mars and every time someone enters the stage screams erupt. Gigwise first saw this band last year playing in a tiny tacky venue with missing ceiling tiles to a sold out house. Since then constant touring, strict attention to fans and outrageously good music has strapped them onto a rocket ride to the top. The crowd is chanting “We want Mars” and beating their fists in the air. Colored lights flash, smoke fills the stage and a black masked Mars assumes their positions to a frenzied mob’s thunderous din. With the words “This is the life on Mars” the song ‘Buddha For Mary’ starts to take flight and gives Gigwise chills as its alternative progressive instrumentals takes us along on a journey to another world. Jared Leto’s vocals flow across an instrumental soundscape moving from whispers to roars and soaring highs he becomes the guide through an absolutely incredible experience.

The crowd is crushed against the rail singing, some are in tears and people are literally fainting. The first echoing cords of ‘The Fantasy’ hits the crowd and they explode into cheers. Mournful, wistful and tension filled this is a killer piece. During ‘Hunter’, a cover of Bjork’s song,  Jared paces about like a stalking panther, pulsating, hungry and seductive his vocals and movements reflect he mood of the piece reaching a climax that drives the audience mad. The final song of the night ‘Attack’ assaults our senses and leaves us breathless as the band’s urgent energy filled performance drives it over the top and, as predicted, makes this a concert we won’t soon forget.