All About 30 Seconds to Mars- FREE SHOW at USF and Kings & Queens Video Up for MTV EMAs

30 Seconds to Mars came to life when Jared Leto,(who you might remember from My So Called Life w/ Claire Danes, or Fight Club w/ Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, or some of his best on-screen work in Requiem for a Dream) who fronts the band as well as sings and plays guitar, along with his brother Shannon Leto, who plays drums, got together with Tomo Miličević in 1998.

Yup, it looks like they're doing a FREE show, for real! On MTVu.com it clearly states, "MTV is bringing the hottest artists directly onto college campuses across the country with the 2010 mtvU Campus Invasion Music Festival. Headlined by the multi-platinum rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars, as part of their "Into The Wild" U.S. tour, which is presented by mtvU, the band will be joined by special guests Neon Trees and New Politics. The invasion starts this fall, hitting the following schools:

Oct 8 - Kent State University - Kent, OH (Get Tickets)
Oct 15 - University of South Florida - Tampa, FL (Free Show)
see the rest of the tour dates here.

Thirty Seconds to Mars has had great success with number one hits like "From Yesterday" , "The Kill," "Kings & Queens" (see video for Kings and Queens Here).

I wouldn't doubt if it's because of Jared's piercing blue eyes, pretty-boy steamy looks, and sexy vocals that range from a breathy urging to passionate screaming (along with his acting talent) that have catapulted them into the higher "echelons" of rockdom. "The Echelon" is also what they call their adoring fans - and whom also became an integral part of the record with an over more-than-100,000-strong legion of them screaming, humming and "Oooohhh-ing" on their newest epic album "This is War").

The band has gone to hell and back fighting Virgin Records, and have finally come out on top.
"In 2008, the group was sued for $30 million by Virgin Records; the company alleged breach of contract in delays getting an album out. That experience inspired the band's latest album, This Is War. "-thirtysecondstomars.com

Jared Leto's charity work includes donating an item to watchmaker Nixon to be made into a watch, the sale of which benefited the MusiCares MAP Fund-a pool of resources set aside to address addiction and recovery needs of members of the music community. And supports the following charities:
MusiCares and The Art of Elysium. Read more about his charity work at: http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/416-jared-leto#ixzz10SlCxpaE.

But, despite all their success, I had to wonder why they would offer a free concert as most bands that are riding the wave of superstardom wouldn't dare offer aFREE SHOW! Yet, in clear view, on the 30 Seconds to Mars website TOUR page I was surprised to see listed a free show at USF.

"Oct. 15, 2010 - Tampa, FL at the University of South Florida (USF) - FREE SHOW "

I've made numerous attempts at contacting the school to verify this claim, and have yet to hear back from them, but have heard rumors that only students of USF may attend the show for free. But I still don't know if this means the rest of us can't attend or that we'll have to pay for tickets?
I'll be sure to include any updates as this may change.

In the meantime, you can VOTE for them at www.ema.mtv.co.uk/vote in the three categories they were nominated in: (well, at least TWO of them, as the Best Video will be voted on only by the panel).

Best Rock
Best Video
Best World Stage Performance

Vote for your favorite here
http://ema.mtv.co.uk/vote

On Sunday, 7th November, the 2010 MTV EMAs will be live from Madrid where two confirmed performers-Katy Perry and rock gods Linkin Park will be taking the stage at the Caja Magica. I'm also hoping Thirty Seconds to Mars will perform as well, but that's yet to be decided.

30 Seconds to Mars Artist Page at EMAs UK MTV page; http://ema.mtv.co.uk/artists/30-seconds-to-mars

How Voting Works - MTV-EMA's:

Voting for the Main Categories is open from 20 September 2010 until 11.59pm CET on 3 November 2010 and the winners will be announced by presenters during the live EMAs show on 7 November 2010.

There is no voting for the category of Best Video as this will be determined by MTV and announced during the live EMAs show on 7 November 2010. "-

30 Seconds to Mars FACTS:
-Thirty Seconds to Mars have sold more than 3.5 million albums worldwide.
-The band was formed by Jared and Shannon Leto and signed in 1998 to Virgin Records.
-Their videos have been viewed more than 100 million times on YouTube.
-The video for A Beautiful Lie's title track and fourth single took the band 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
-"From Yesterday" was the first American music video ever shot in the People's Republic of China.
-Thirty Seconds to Mars have won numerous awards and accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV EMA's, MTV Latin, Asia and Australia Awards, a Fuse Award, and three Kerrang! Awards.
-Thirty Seconds to Mars now boasts nearly 42 million plays on MySpace and more than one million fans on iLike/Facebook.
- A Beautiful Lie produced two Top 5 Modern Rock singles in "From Yesterday" and "The Kill"
-"The Kill" set a record for the longest-running hit in the history of Modern Rock radio when it remained on the national airplay chart for more than 50 weeks following its No. 3 peak in 2006.
-www.abeautifullie.org was created as a bulletin board for educating the public on environmental issues and instructing on how and where to take action.
-The band have played nearly 500 shows around the globe since the 2005 release of A Beautiful Lie, including festival performances at Lollapalooza in the U.S., Pinkpop in the Netherlands, Download and Give It a Name Festivals in the U.K., Germany's Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park and Japan's Summer Sonic.

You can also buy GOLDEN TICKETS w/ VIP side stage available here for Thirty Seconds to Mars new TOUR. http://thirtysecondstomars.thisisthehive.net/blog/the-golden-ticket-to-mars/

TWEETS and NOTES from fans and the Band:

MichiganEchelon tweeted:
"#Echelon don't forget to vote for #30Secondstomars for the #ema. Don't waste time! 100 votes a day till Nov 2nd! #EchelonPower! "

30SECONDSTOMARS tweeted:
MTV Buzzworthy Interview: 30 Seconds To Mars Talk 'Closer To The Edge,' Jared Leto's Hair, Gary Coleman & More http://ow.ly/2J1V3

I love this tweet by Jared to all his fans:
Jared Leto tweets-
"The believers are as important as the dreamers...maybe even more so. Kings+queens you are the world to us. -mars"

Resources and MORE!
Kings and Queens video;
Mtvu.com tour dates for 30 seconds to mars college shows; http://www.mtvu.com/music/campus-invasion/campus-invasion-with-30-seconds-to-mars/#3
30 Seconds to Mars homepage;
Jared's Blog;
Follow Jared Leto on Twitter;
Follow 30 Seconds to Mars on Twitter;
Jared Leto's charity work;