The first night of a world tour for a high profile band should be amazing, it should encompass to the band the magnitude of their success and perhaps be their biggest show to date. It is fair to say Nottingham Arena was not one of those massive first nights for 30 Seconds To Mars, being one of the smallest dates they are playing on their 'Into The Wild' tour which consists of Wembley Arena and The O2 in Dublin. However, this did not stop it being awe inspiring.Starting off proceedings were LostAlone, a Derbyshire band playing rock tunes mixing slow and fast melodies with Steven Battelle's vocal presence. However, playing to an arena full of 8000 people is hard work, and it showed. The vocals were strained and seemed at certain points out of tune. Quirky features about the band such as wearing masking tape and using certain guitar moves, which would thrive in a smaller venue, seem unimpressive and boring. Bands should conquer the intimate venues before attempting to entertain a bigger crowd.
One band that is used to those bigger crowds is the Street Drum Corps, having played the Warped Tour and other gigs classed as 'huge deals' within America and this was their first time playing in the UK. The band consists of members playing varieties of drums including bins and marching band drums, not too dissimilar from the instruments used in the musical Stomp. Though - this is not Stomp! Their set is a surreal punk rock extravaganza, perfectly performed for an arena audience as the lead singer creeps around the stage with a wide grin on his face. The acoustics throughout the venue, though, did not seem capable for this performance with the vocals being drowned out for much of the set but the atmosphere was created and as the curtain drew the audience were left ready for the band that have won many an mtv and kerrang award, and were left ready for one of the best hour and three quarters of the year so far.
The silhouettes of 30 Seconds To Mars appeared and as the curtain dropped after first song 'Escape', so too did any possible doubts about the band. This was the first time a majority of songs from their recent 'This Is War' album have been played live and Jarod Leto mentioned about flaws but noone saw them. The band created a personal experience for all fans playing on two stages, playing acoustic songs from within the crowd and walking through half the audience. They seriously couldn't get any more intimate. The audience cherished every single second, and so too did the band. As the 8000 strong audience came together singing 'Kings and Queens', the glee in each of the bands faces was shown. Their first time in Nottingham couldn't have been any better for them, 30 Seconds To Mars showed exactly what it is like to own an arena.
*****
