Thirty Seconds to Mars bring the party to Place Bell

For a band that began its career 20 years ago, Thirty Seconds to Mars have not slowed down, playing to a busy Place Bell in Laval on Friday night. Combined with an amazing stage setup, the band played to their strengths, full of crowd interaction and arena rock choruses.

It truly is the Jared Leto show, as the frontman was as frantic and energetic as he always has been in his art. The multitalented actor, director, and vocalist drew in the crowd from the very first song, without even having to sing a note. Surrounded by a cube of lights, Jared with his brother and drummer Shannon Leto took to the stage, as the music built the crowd’s cheers grew louder, then going straight into Up in the Air.

Evolving musically after the album A Beautiful Lie came out in 2005, Thirty Seconds to Mars has grown to arena rock, providing anthems with plenty of sing along chances for the audience. Songs such as Kings and Queens, This is War, and Walk on Water had the audience singing, balloons floating, and flags waving throughout the arena.

Fitting into the second slot on the bill was Walk The Moon, the group who emerged in 2014 with their hit single “Shut Up + Dance.” The Cincinnati, Ohio band is no stranger to the stage, as Walk The Moon have been working hard since 2006 to get where they are today.

New York City indie pop group MisterWives are another recent band on the come up, and after touring with Panic! At the Disco last year, you could tell they knew how to get a crowd on their side. Vocalist Mandy Lee took control of the stage, running from end to end with a few ninja-like kicks at the air thrown in for good measure. Playing songs from their two albums Our Own House and Connect the Dots, the group made it known that they are one to watch on the scene.

Kicking things off was Joywave, beginning in a peculiar fashion by singing the national anthem, and although the group isn’t even Canadian (Rochester, New York in fact), they did a decent job on it. Lead singer Daniel Armbruster had quite the wardrobe, adding and removing various capes and jackets throughout the show. Throwing a toonie or two into the crowd, the group let the audience know there was more where that came from if they continued to give great reception to the band.

On what was a night full of youthful and energetic sets, Thirty Seconds to Mars showed why they are a band you need to see live, as they kept the party going all night. Openers Walk The Moon, Misterwives, and Joywave all gave promising performances that provided the perfect build up to the Leto brothers taking the stage.