#jaredsdiary

INTO THE WILD BLOG #2 – SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2010

Been truckin around the UK and Wales and the shows have been incredible so far. So grateful to all of you who have come and spent your nights with us. Can’t wait to come back!

I took the train to Manchester on Saturday afternoon.

At night over 11,000 people showed up to make it our biggest show so far. My friend and amazing designer Lina Osterman made these jeans for me which are a LOT more comfortable than they look.

And for those of you who missed the show, this is what our set list looked like.

After the show I went in to check out the arena and see what a mess we made but we have an amazing crew and the evidence was gone in no time.

We played some old songs tonight in Cardiff from the very first record. I did Echelon acoustic from the balcony high above everyone on the floor. And then we all played Buddha for Mary from the B stage. It was like seeing long lost friends. Fun.

This Is War has really been one of the high points in the set. This is what it looked like from our soundboard tonight.

It was one of our hard workin gtr techs’ bday…we called him to the dressing room for an “emergency meeting” instead of a “sit down” he got a cake!

Searched high and low to no avail for bday candles but luckily at the last min we found one in our dressing room. Vanilla scented too.

One more day till Wembley!

P.S. We’re en route to London with our camera guy riding in the luggage bay for some reason…long story!

-j

INTO THE WILD BLOG #1 – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2010

After a few fun days in NYC working, seeing old friends, and getting a little haircut, courtesy of my buddy Terry Richardson…

…we headed to London!

I’m writing from the train to snowy Nottingham (insert clever Robin Hood reference) in the UK for the very first show of INTO THE WILD and although we’re a bit jetlagged and bit more exhausted, we couldn’t be more excited about our first arena tour. Never in a million years did we imagine this. Very very grateful.

We spent the last two days doing final rehearsals and are still plotting and planning. Def a lot of last min things to finish up (in typical Mars style). No warm up show here….the first show is sold out and will be packed with 8000 people! Fun.

Headed into soundcheck now…wish us luck!

-j

Haircut

The beginning…

The middle…

:)

Photos by Terry Richardson

News of The Summit, EMI, and the new record below. Check it out!

04/29/09 – MTV Exclusive: 30 Seconds to Mars Talk Settlement with EMI http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610285/20090429/30_seconds_to_mars.jhtml

04/29/09 – MTV : 30 Seconds To Mars Try Hard So You Don’t Have To http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610180/20090428/30_seconds_to_mars.jhtml

04/28/09 – Los Angeles Times: 30 Seconds to Mars and EMI make nice, new album due this fall http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/04/30-seconds-to-mars-and-emi-make-nice-new-album-due-this-fall.html

04/28/09 – MTV: 30 Seconds To Mars Talk Fan Summit http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610134/20090428/30_seconds_to_mars.jhtml

04/20/09 – Rolling Stone: 30STM’s Jared Leto on Working With Kanye West: “It’s Slightly More than Unexpected” http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/04/20/30stms-jared-leto-on-working-with-kanye-west-its-slightly-more-than-unexpected/

“What an insane/amazing/intense/incredible week…

*deep breath*

Ok…

First: The new cd is out.

THIS IS WAR.  Almost hard to believe the day has actually come.

Two years in the making, Flood, Lillywhite, 30mm lawsuits, global crises, a couple birthdays, a dog gone, lots of fun, a moment or two of panic, 10 million vocal takes, a new president, my same old car.  There were days we didn’t know if it would actually be heard.

I’m on the plane to Chicago having played a frenzy of a show last night in Seattle with Muse, Phoenix, Metric, and Vampire Weekend and I’m thinking about how lucky we are to be able to do all of this.  Maybe it’s the holiday crush, but this is the gift of a lifetime. The bands were all ridiculously great last night and the crowd the most rowdy and raucous and fun bunch of Pacific No’westerners we ever met. We left the stage sweaty, satisfied and awed by the good peeps of Washington.

By the way, who puts a cd out at xmas along side the heavyweights of the biz and the holiday CDs that crowd the shelves?  I guess we do!  Very happy it is finally out and there to share with the world and we are very grateful to all of you who were choosing between Susan Boyle, Xmas hits by Zamfir, and the new MARS and in a moment of weakness grabbed that CD with a face of a total random stranger on it (http://www.facebook.com/FacesofMars) . BRAVE CHOICE!

-j

P.S. We believe in the record.  Maybe more than anything before. And are so thankful for the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response. Its unlike anything we’ve experienced. If you are reading this and imagining how much you will may not like this album / this band, I have a small request. Take a moment, throw away any preconceived notions, and listen to the music. You never know… you may just like what you hear.

P.P.S. Here’s what I found backstage at KROQ’s Acoustic Xmass”

Tampa was like a giant family reunion.

“Lots of old friends, new faces…our good friend Shark and co took great care of us and put on one of the best shows in the country, our buddy Matt from Kill Hannah came out, and always good to hang with the Chevelle boys again.

17,000 amazing people gave us an unforgettable evening and the moon was full and shining above the crowd.Everyone in Tampa made us feel at home, like usual, and seemed to know every single song… even the ones that weren’t out yet.

Someone brought my old yearbook from junior high. Wow talk about reunion. I was the only kid who was never still and well behaved in any of the shots. Some things never change.

Met and interviewed Matisyahu for the upcoming film we have been shooting for the past year and a half. What a smart, talented, and interesting guy. Glad to have met him. Very cool.

Well, ended the night with my pet helicopter (Genghis Kahn) which I almost lost to a barbed wire fence. I’m not big on toys but I had fun with that little guy for a couple days. Warning: don’t fly your pet helicopter in a bus.

Have a loooong drive to Baton Rouge…back to our birth state of Louisiana.

P.S. THIS IS WAR IS IN OUT NOW!!! What do you all think? What’s your favorite song? How do you think this album is different? How did it feel listening to the album for the first time?

-j”