Glenn Connelly / Assistant Photo Editor

With no supporting act opening for it, The Mars Volta took the stage at 8 p.m. on Thursday at the San Diego State Open Air Theatre. The crowd may have varied from young indie hipsters to black-shirted metal heads, but everyone was equally excited to see the super-froed, super-genius duo Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Cedric Bixler-Zavala take the stage.

Rarely stopping to take a breather, let alone a drink of water, The Mars Volta rocked its audience song after song. Bixler-Zavala sang with an intensity and passion that left heads reeling. He hit high notes that Minnie Riperton would kill for. And here’s the kicker: He was actually fun to watch. Their stage presence is impressive, especially to those who have never been subject to their antics at live performances.

Bixler-Zavala ran everywhere, screaming at the top of his lungs, all while doing mic stand tricks that seemed all but impossible. At one point he held his mic stand in front of him, slid all the way down to the ground and used nothing but his seemingly scrawny arms to slide back up. Perhaps he puts Crisco on his mic stand before a show, coupled with a pulley?

Either way, he left this Mars Volta newbie gleefully shakin’ in her boots.

Rodriguez-Lopez’s guitar licks wailed to the sky, causing a few to wonder if they might be bothering those in the library feverishly studying for their midterms. While they performed all of their new material very well, it was plain to see, based on the audience’s reaction, most people really just wanted to hear the hits from their 2003 best-selling debut “De-Loused in the Comatorium.” As its later album reviews slide lower, including the latest offering “The Bedlam in Goliath,” perhaps it’s time The Mars Volta thought about tinkering with new sounds. With talented musicians such as the ones it has, it’s safe to say its fan base will stick through thick and thin.