THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS: On Stage

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

June 16, 2024, Cologne, Lanxess Arena

What can’t this man actually do? Oscar winner, frontman and fashion icon Jared Leto made a guest appearance in Cologne with his rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars. The final concert of their European tour was attended by 14,000 fans in the Lanxess Arena. Many of them immediately stocked up on the band’s latest merchandise. We couldn’t resist either …

A new discovery

The venue went dark as early as 7:50 pm. The opener Jagwar Twin from Los Angeles appeared in the middle of a cone of light. The singer had pulled a white, shaggy balaclava over his head. His upper body was only covered by an open jacket and he wore white knee socks with his dark kilt. He raised his crystal-clear voice to soft sounds and immediately captured our full attention. As a result, the mask disappeared and the songwriter’s friendly face emerged. His rocking pieces were partly enriched with trumpets, and within a very short time the atmosphere in the arena was upbeat. “You guys earn to party!” Self-confident and present, he took the gigantic stage for himself to songs such as “Life Is Good” and “Great Time to be Human”.

Proud grandmother?

“This next song is for all the misfits, weirdos and losers like me.” “Loser” snuggled up to us with an even poppier note. “Last year was one of the hardest years of my life. I had no money and no place to come home. But I’m here tonight – with you, Cologne. This is a dream come true. Follow your heart. Please don’t give up! I hope this song is a reminder of who you are.” The singer performed “Soul Is a Star” with just a pink guitar. He stood there calmly, sang his touching lines and, to match, a whole sea of lights appeared in the arena. To “Put on a Happy Face”, the atmosphere was once again upbeat and the audience swung their arms back and forth full of enthusiasm. Jagwar Twin did it – the spark was ignited and it was truly a pleasure to see him on stage. “Cologne, you guys are amazing. This is the last day of this tour. This next song goes out to my German grandma Viola – she’s here tonight.” To say goodbye, the smart singer left us with “Bad Feeling”, a cheerful catchy tune including the well-known “Oompa-Loompa” melody from the movie “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Grandma Viola must have been very proud of her grandson that evening.

Unusual insights

A huge LED wall in the shape of a triangle was mounted on the stage. Of course, it was reminiscent of the symbol that Thirty Seconds to Mars like to use, which initially showed a fluffy collection of clouds in a blue sky. This picture also adorns the band’s current album cover – Jared Leto once shot it himself with his cell phone. At 20:55, “Closer to the Edge” rang out loudly from the speakers. The fans immediately joined in and a pleasant shiver ran down our spines. Then an official countdown began. A woman’s voice counted backwards from 100. 99, 98, 97, … You were prepared for nothing to happen in the next few seconds, but suddenly a live video from the backstage area appeared. From now on, we were able to follow the Leto brothers’ journey closely. They laughed gleefully into the camera, posed for a bit and then stormed the stage together with their guitarist Stevie Aiello.

Authentic affection

“Are you ready?!” Large dark sunglasses covered the area around Jared’s eyes. He teamed his black sports trousers with bright red sneakers and wore a white oversized jacket over them. As the first notes of “Up in the Air” rang out, a huge load of white confetti was released over the crowd. The fans joined in euphorically and the mega party was underway. The matching music video for the title appeared in the background and towards the end Jared remained in his position with his fist raised, clearly enjoying the moment of jubilation. The fan choirs picked up again for “Kings and Queens”. Now the gifted singer used a long bridge that extended a good distance into the interior. He spun animatedly around his own axis while pyros in the shape of triangles shot into the air in the center of the stage. Jared exhaled and formed his hands into the symbol. His fans did the same and the deep bond between the two sides was clearly noticeable.

Look me in the eye

Shannon positioned himself behind his drum set and fired up the crowd. His brother took the floor “Hellooooo! Let me take my glasses off.” Another storm of enthusiasm arose, after all, who wouldn’t want to look into the big blue eyes of Mr. Leto? “Holy shit! Let’s stand a little bit.” The frontman looked around curiously until he noticed how high the stands were. “This is the tallest arena I’ve ever seen in my fucking life!” As there was still room in the stands below, he encouraged the fans under the roof to come further down. He had already informed the security staff about this change. Being close to his supporters has always been immensely important to the all-rounder. But that wasn’t all. “For this next song, you promise me something. I wanna see you jump, I wanna watch you dance, I wanna hear you sing and I wanna hear you fucking scream! Are you ready? One more thing. I wish I could speak more German, but my German is terrible. So I’m gonna bring someone on stage to help me how so say something in German.” He promptly invited dozens of fans to share the stage with him. He was looking for the craziest dancers. Jared picked out a tall young man with glasses and asked for his name. He introduced himself as Jan and shouted the words “I can’t hear you!” at the crowd with all his might. Jared immediately joined in with “I can’t hear you, either!” The outright lie was a source of amusement. Jared coaxed the information out of him that he was from Meschede. Now the big moment had arrived. Jan was allowed to teach the world star something in German. And what did Jared blurt out? “You son of a bitch!!!”

Taken by storm

So “Rescue Me” was accompanied by the dedicated dancers on stage and Jan from Meschede really went for it, confidently taking the bridge area for himself. Jared joined in and encouraged a schoolboy to join in. At first he acted shyly, but then he got carried away and came out of his shell. With his arms raised high, he happily jumped up and down and proudly showed off his moves. What a wonderful moment. The crowd also gave it their all. Jared’s call was a complete success. Afterwards, silence returned to the stage. Shannon came to the front and played a drum pad while his brother performed the current single “Seasons”. Deep, dark sounds heralded the start of “Hail to the Victor”. A black flag with the Mars symbol appeared on the screen. Fires and columns of flames rose alternately. Stevie garnished these powerful moments with a gifted guitar solo. The next highlight followed hot on the heels. “Hurricane” was bursting with intensity. And full of emotion, Jared sang the chorus: “Tell me, would you kill to save a life?” At the very front of the bar, he now removed one shoulder from the oversized jacket. Gradually, he also uncovered the second shoulder and then walked along the edge for a few moments with his jacket half down. With a red flare in his hand, the singer ended the devotional song.

Strong community

He came back without the jacket. His upper body was only covered by a black leather part that ended above his well-toned stomach. Two straps crossed his neck and a few cords were attached very low on the back – that was it. The reactions in the audience were accordingly. The eyes in all the rows got bigger and bigger and one or two jaws dropped for a moment. “Get your fist in the air!” A fabulous energy erupted throughout the arena to “This Is War”. “I tell you something. We wanna make you feel like you’re at home. A place to turn to. You know, my brother and I we are safe to say that music changed our lives. And everybody here changed my brother’s and my life as well. So, we thank you. We love you for that. Anybody out there ever had a heart broken? Is anybody in love or not in love right now? Is anybody sick and tired of love?” “Never Not Love You” went deep into the heart. Fittingly, the cell phones were pulled out and all the lights twinkled like little stars in the “firmament”.

A voice that gets under your skin

Jared threw on a taupe-colored balloon cape that inflated like a parachute as soon as he moved. “Anybody wanna hear an old song?” Bam! With “Beautiful Lie” and his incredible voice, the singer gave us the next goosebumps. Then it was time for an acoustic part. “Armed” with a guitar, Jared collected spontaneous song requests. “Let’s play song roulette.” “Search and Destroy”, “Do or Die” and “Remedy” were just a few of the songs he sang spontaneously. “This is for the old-school and the hardcore fans!” The title “Night of the Hunter” was dark and atmospheric. Numerous huge black balloons were released into the crowd, which danced through the air to the tune of the melody. “Now we jump!” No sooner said than done. Was that such a good idea? Even the lower tier began to shake under the movement. The Letos were in absolute top form! Shannon also played his drums like a young god and Jared held even the most demanding long notes of the evening as if nothing was wrong. Now the frontman picked up an electric guitar. Together with Stevie, he jammed in Shannon’s direction for all he was worth. “Come, make some fucking noiiiiiiise!” Thirty Seconds to Mars left the stage together and a five-minute silence returned to soft instrumental music.

A night to remember

No more – the musicians loudly demanded their return. Naturally, this urgent call was granted. Jared returned with a glittering coat that almost resembled tinsel. Shannon, meanwhile, threw a few drumsticks into the enthusiastic audience. “We have a few more songs. Let’s make this to a night we’ll never forget. Turn the lights on.” Once again, the Lanxess Arena shone in bright light. Detached and completely free, the siblings danced to “Stuck” and once again inspired the crowd to forget everything around them and enjoy their time together. “This is the last show of the European tour and you guys have been the best show, so far. Thank you!” Pyro free for “The Kill”. Full of passion, thousands of voices mingled with that of the singer. “Come, break me down. Bury me, bury me. I am finished with you. Look in my eyes. You’re killing me, killing me. All I ever wanted was you!” Leto repeatedly raised his arms in delight as he made his way down to his fans and leaned forward to get very close to them. Suddenly Brandon, alias Jagwar Twin, joined him on the jetty again. Jared gave him a microphone and together, arm in arm, they performed the band’s mega-hit.

Happy ending

For the final demolition, Jared once again brought a whole crowd of his fans on stage with him. “Closer to the Edge” could not have ended more brilliantly. The words “We love you” were displayed on the screen. After two hours, a final generous amount of confetti was shot into the air. “Germany, that was Thirty Seconds to Mars 2024.” Waving, the musicians released their fans into the night. Jared and Shannon Leto have been making music together for this band for 26 years. The fire of their fans is unbroken. The subsequent post on the Lanxess Arena’s Facebook page also said, among all the exuberant comments: “That was the best concert I’ve ever seen!” With this evening, Thirty Seconds to Mars really did give us a concert spectacle that we will never forget. And that wasn’t because of the special effects, but because of their aura and the countless precious moments between the fans and the band.

Setlist JAGWAR TWIN:
“The Circle” – “Down to You” – “Life Is Good” – “I Like to Party” – “Great Time to be Human” – “Loser” – “Soul Is a Star” – “Happy Face” – “Bad Feeling”

Setlist THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS:
“Up in the Air” – “Kings and Queens” – “Walk on Water” – “Rescue Me” – “Seasons” – “Hail to the Victor” – “Hurricane” – “This Is War” – “Never Not Love You” – “A Beautiful Lie” – “Search and Destroy” – “Great Wide Open” – “Get Up Kid” – “Do or Die” – “Remedy” – “Stay” (Mikky Ekko cover) – “City of Angels” – “Night of the Hunter” – “From Yesterday” – “Attack” — “Stuck” – “The Kill (Bury Me)” – “Closer to the Edge”

Text: Nadine Kloppert
Photos: Michael Gamon