Fans of New Politics, Neon Trees and 30 Seconds to Mars crowd around the MTV Campus Invasion stage to await the concert.
As a part of mtvU’s Campus Invasion Tour, New Politics, Neon Trees and 30 Seconds to Mars put on a riveting performance, free of charge, for the students at the University of South Florida.
By: Torie Doll Nov. 19, 2010
TAMPA, FLA— When someone hears the name MTV, a free concert is not the first idea that pops into their mind. For most people, MTV is that television station full of music videos and reality shows. Therefore, the possibility of MTV invading their college campus sounds a little farfetched.
In mid-September, mtvU, a college-targeted division of MTV, left the studios and hit the road along with New Politics, Neon Trees and 30 Seconds to Mars. Together, the three bands put on free concerts all over the country as a part of the 2010 mtvU Campus Invasion Music Festival.
It was the University of South Florida’s turn on Oct. 15, 2010, the day mtvU decided to invade the campus with the help of USF’s Campus Activity Board.
“We were very excited to learn that mtvU wanted to bring this high-profile event to USF,” said Leah McCall, USF Campus Activity Board special events director, in an interview with Tampa Bay’s Maddux News Wire. “To add an all-out rock music festival with two quality bands—especially the popular 30 Seconds to Mars—to our fall student events program really exceeded our expectations!”
The students of USF were just as thrilled, especially after Pit Bull canceled his appearance on campus earlier that semester when he hurt his hand in a car accident.
Students who wanted to be in the front row for the free, standing room only concert were prepared to do some waiting as they showed up hours early to beat the crowd. Those students also had a chance to meet the lead singer and guitarist of Neon Trees when the band members grew tired of hanging out in the trailers.
Understandably, the majority of the audience was made up of university students, like Alayna Treece, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry.
“This is actually my first concert, so I’m really anticipating it…and it’s free, so that’s great too,” Treece said.
Also in the crowd, laced throughout the USF Bulls, were people who drove out from the surrounding areas. Kati Steiner, a Riverview High School senior, drove from Sarasota to see 30 Seconds to Mars.
MTV’s Sponsorship Village, vendors handing out food and gifts, began at 5 p.m. while the concert wasn’t until 7 p.m.
New Politics was the first band to grace the stage. The crowd cheered out of respect and thrill that the concert was starting, but hardly anyone was cheering because they actually knew the band’s music. The band members are from Copenhagen, Denmark and they have a crazy, hardcore kind of sound. The lead singer is the most entertaining because he jumps around stage and at times looks like he’s having a seizure while he screams and curses. New Politics’ unique sound and entertaining performance will definitely lead them to popularity, plus all the publicity from being on the mtvU tour won’t hurt.
The sun finally slipped beyond the horizon as Neon Trees occupied the stage. Neon Trees is also a fairly new band, like New Politics, but they have recently become popular because of their song “Animal.” The lead singer, Tyler Glenn, is a talented vocalist and it’s amazing that such a pure voice comes out of his mohawk, edgy exterior. The crowd seemed to liven up and they sang along for the pop-rock band as Glenn swung the microphone around by the cord.
At last, it was time for the multi-platinum rock band, 30 Seconds to Mars. The crowd seemed to double in size by the time the main band hit the stage and that’s when it got interesting from a crowd member’s point of view. Suddenly, the crowd went from stationary sing-a-longs to mosh pits and crowd surfing. The lead singer, Jared Leto, loved the audience involvement and, against MTV wishes, egged on the behavior.
Nearing the end of the concert, Mary Small, a senior majoring in journalism, noticed some strange behavior from Leto, “[he] was suspiciously pointing the microphone toward the audience more than he was singing himself,” said Small in an article she wrote for HerCampus.com. “At first it was endearing. They were just genuinely in love with their fans, but then I realized he mostly pointed the mic away during wailing notes on the higher register- he was losing his voice.”
Despite Leto draining his voice, it didn’t stop him from having some fun with the MTV cameras. The onstage camera in charge of getting up close shots of the band was redirected by Leto to film the audience instead. The crowd then took this opportunity to remind MTV what campus they had invaded and started chanting “U-S-F” and proudly thrusting bull signs in the air. Leto then invited a group of students onstage before the musical festival officially came to a close.
It was an amazing concert for all those involved. The concert gave New Politics and Neon Trees the much needed publicity all new bands crave for survival, put 30 Seconds to Mars back in the spotlight after four years of not producing a CD, and gave students a great escape from the daily stress of school.
Take a look at this audio slideshow of the concert to get a feel for what it was like.
mtvU, Campus Invasion, 30 Seconds to Mars, New Politics, Neon Trees, USF, music
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