March 28, 2024

Thirty Seconds to Mars Monolith Tour brought hope and love to fans

Thirty Seconds to Mars

Thirty Seconds to Mars made their long awaited return to Chicago with their Monolith Tour.  I was worried at how the show would be when I found out that Tomo Miličević, their longtime guitarist, percussionist, keyboardist, etc., made the decision to leave the band. How would the onstage dynamic play out? Would there be an emptiness that everyone would notice? I was eager to find out those answers and in the end the worrying dissipated and I was excited to see these guys strut their stuff.

30STM had an extremely solid pair of opening acts in the form of Joywave and Misterwives. Joywave has been touring heavily over the past couple of years and they are making quite the impression with the city of Chicago. They even announced that they will be back again this fall with a show at House of Blues.  It has not been officially announced online so keep your eyes peeled.

Joywave’s set was perfect for those in the audience who had yet to hear them perform.  With “It’s a Trip”, “Doubt”, “Somebody New”, and “Tongues”, they impressed the crowd and made a lot of new fans in the process.  They are still on the rise and will become much more popular!

Misterwives set was the most surprising of the night for me since I had yet to see them live. Amanda Lee Duffy had an energy that was vibrant and free while on stage.  You were drawn to her vocals and her on stage acrobatics.

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Mandy spoke to the crowd about love and positivity throughout the set and the group was absolutely uplifting. Misterwives performed a solid set of their own songs sprinkled with some amazing covers. “Machine” and “Oh Love/Survivor” were the highlights of their set. Instrumentally and vocally, Misterwives is a fantastic band to see live. Definitely a band to see in a headlining capacity.  I’m hoping to see them back in Chicago again soon.

Now with the shake up in 30STM’s  band, I was definitely wondering what the setup of the band would be as well as the energy brought by Jared and Shannon Leto. As soon as their set began you were immediately taken on a visual and audio journey that had you sucked right in. The energy brought by Jared and Shannon made you completely forget that Tomo was not even originally in the band.

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The message that Jared and Shannon brought to fans was one of hope and that if you are struggling in life emotionally to know that their are so many people around you to help you and love you. Jared even took a few shots at the current administration and their choice of cruelty. Fans were very receptive with his comments. And he did not stick to having the set be heavily political.  It was a short lived moment.

In regards to their set list selections, the songs were skewed heavily on their most recent albums with no acknowledgement of their original album and 1 song from their 2nd album. I do miss hearing their older songs live, but they make it work well with the brothers focusing on their newer material. “Rescue Me” was extremely powerful with Jared bringing up fans who are struggling with depression. You can see that he is so focused on connecting with fans and letting everyone know that they are special and important. Something you don’t see very often with other bands.

They have an extensive tour ahead of them and when they make it back to the Midwest, if you have yet to see them live before or have not seen them in a long time, their new set up is worth seeing live. Its a beautiful experience to say the least.

Joywave Setlist:

  1. Now > 2. Parade > 3. It’s a Trip! > 4. Destruction > 5. Rumors > 6. Doubt > 7. Somebody New > 8. Compromise > 9. Tongues

Misterwives Setlist:

  1. Machine > 2. Chasing This > 3. Drummer Boy > 4. Never Give Up > 5. Dreams (The Cranberries cover) > 6. Coloring Outside the Lines > 7. Why Why Why > 8. Oh Love/Survivor (Destiny’s Child cover) > 9. Reflections > 10. Our Own House

Thirty Seconds to Mars:

  1. Monolith Intro > 2. Up In The Air > 3. Kings and Queens > 4. This Is War > 5. Dangerous Night > 6. Do Or Die > 7. Hail To The Victor > 8. Rescue Me > 9. Pyres of Varanasi > 10. Great Wide Open > 11. Remedy > 12. The Kill (Bury Me) > 13. Walk On Water > 14. Closer To The Edge