MTV unplugged 30 Seconds To Mars

Spoiler:

As an honorary member of the Echelon, it is a huge relief
to finally be able to say that Thirty Seconds To Mars’ “MTV Unplugged”
performance is (finally) just one day away. But before we reveal the
entire “Unplugged” show, which includes dramatic renditions of
much-beloved Thirty Seconds To Mars classics (though really, which
Thirty Seconds To Mars songs aren’t much-beloved?) like “Kings And
Queens,” “Closer To The Edge,” “Night Of The Hunter,” and “Hurricane,”
as well a cover of U2′s “Where The Streets Have No Name” with the assist
of a gospel choir — we’ve got an exhaustive collection of interviews
with Jared Leto, Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević shot in the band’s
dressing room just moments after they finished their soon-to-be
legendary “Unplugged” set.
And speaking of exhaustive, if the band was a little groggy after
days of back-to-back “Unplugged” rehearsals leading up to an exacting
taping where they spent hours perfecting each song, inviting the
audience to lend their voices in resplendent multi-part harmonies, well
they certainly didn’t show it. Instead of packing up (or passing out)
and taking off, Thirty Seconds To Mars spent a generous amount of time
backstage with Kevin Manno and me, discussing what went into creating
their unmissable “Unplugged” performance.
“Jared really led the way like, let’s turn these around… turn them on
their head,” Tomo said of the band’s recreating their material for
“Unplugged,” which also included a collaboration with the Vitamin String
Quartet. “They were really open and collaborative,” Jared enthused.
“They were really fluid and in the moment and improvisational.”
Thirty Seconds To Mars also revealed the painstaking process of
deciding which song to cover, considering “everything from Cyndi Lauper
to Zamfir the pan flautist, Eminem, Fleetwood Mac,” Jared said. A Dolly
Parton song even made it onto the table before they decided upon U2′s
“Where The Streets Have No Name.” (Note: Thirty Seconds To Mars did not
cover Dolly Parton, though the video clip below may be the first and
hopefully not the last time you’ll hear them sing a verse of “9 To 5,”
complete with Jared’s impromptu robot dance.)
And a band famous for their intense connection with their Echelon fan
base didn’t fail to credit their fan family with helping complete the
surreal, revealing picture that was their “Unplugged” performance, which
was a mini Echelon convention, as Jared put it. “It was the church of
Mars tonight… It was great to be collaborative with our family of freaks
and fans,” he said.
Watch Thirty Seconds To Mars interviews from the set of “MTV
Unplugged,” watch a sneak peek of their “MTV Unplugged” performance of
“Hurricane,” and don’t miss the premiere of “MTV Unplugged: Thirty
Seconds To Mars” Tuesday, July 19, at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.com.