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Thirty Seconds to Mars is currently on their Seasons tour and Jared Leto has been playing “song roulette” several times during the acoustic part of the show. True to the interactive spirit of all Mars shows, he asks fans for suggestions of old songs he used to play. His memory often proves a bit rusty, though, so it’s mostly been just the choruses and some vocalises - ah-ah-ahs, oh-oh-ohs.

But refreshingly, Jared Leto can still play the twenty-year-old song “A Modern Myth” from beginning to end by heart...

“A Modern Myth” was the first song ever played live off their second album A Beautiful Lie (2005). That was long before finishing and releasing the album. In fact, it was February 2004, about a week after he had wrapped shooting Alexander (2004).

There’s a review of a gig from February 21, 2004, at the Roxy in West Hollywood with quite favorable first impressions of the song and performance. It's an interesting glimpse into the band’s biography as well - Tomo Miličević was still a newbie; Shannon Leto was energized; Matt Wachter's input elevated their sound; the guys were close with Incubus, especially Mike Einziger who contributed here on a “Where the Streets Have No Name” cover.

But “A Modern Myth”, or just “Myth” then, had a special place in the set list. It was performed by a nervous Jared and a string quartet. Clearly a labour of love.

The concept of the duality of myth and reality as a song theme was completely contingent … wait, no, kidding! It was the central theme of Alexander!

Ptolemy: Alexander once said to me that we are most alone when we are with the myths.

And thus it was Colin Farrell’s number one theme, for a certain period of time.

It begs the question: was Colin Farrell at the TSTM gig in February 2004, at the Roxy in L.A.?

Probable, he was. He was also at the show of his 2003 fling Britney Spears on March 8. Hobbling on crutches, necklace with medallion, that contained Leto’s/Hephaistion’s lock of hair dangling around his neck (which it would for several weeks more), listening to AMM - I can easily picture it. Not even made up. Pendants were worn by both actors throughout the film shooting and beyond by Colin, while on crutches. Even when most of his other clothes would mysteriously fall off or were never put on, this thing stayed put. Dedication.

So here’s some slightly out-of-character New York Post gossip story saying Colin on crutches was outside the Roxy “the other night” and in a defensive mood ...

Which other night? Here’s the schedule of bands playing the Roxy between Colin’s return from Thailand - shooting wrapped 13/02/04 after which he spent some days in Krabi at a resort - and the date given here (12/3/2004). I think it boils down to two dates - if at all: Courtney Love or TSTM.

Wouldn’t he choose his actor buddy’s concert? After all this was the guy who had been portraying his loyal friend and lover, who had been closely working with him on a daily basis from August the year before until not even a fortnight before the concert date, who had planned something very special and novel for his stage return after a long band hiatus due to the film shooting, including a cover of U2, Colin’s favourite band, almost like a surprise, whose strand of hair Colin was still carrying around his neck.

Just shoot us in the face, Oliver Stone. It’s quicker.

I love Jared’s brilliant smile and the nonchalant way Colin’s hand slides down his thigh before he takes a bite.