Jared Leto halts Thirty Seconds To Mars Birmingham gig to make embarrassing admission

Hollywood star Jared Leto was forced to stop his band’s long-awaited Birmingham World Tour gig with a cheeky admission. The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman may have won an Oscar but it seems that hasn’t helped him perfect his lines when performing in his alter ego as a rock star.

The concert at Utilita Arena Birmingham was originally supposed to take place on April 20 but was postponed until last night(Sunday, June 9), as the SAG-AFTRA Actor’s strike delayed Jared’s filming schedule in America.

This creative side-hustle for Jared with his brother Shannon has turned into 20 years of soft rock meets emo hits for the pair and this Seasons tour is to coincide with their new album, It’s The End Of The World But It’s A Beautiful Day. But that’s where the famous singer came a little unstuck.

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It was during an acoustic section with his guitar that he veered off script and set list. Constantly responding to the crowd, a sign caught his eye saying ‘Acoustic Roulette’ with various hidden song requests on it – but it featured two of his newer songs.

Stopping the show briefly, Jared asked his brother for help before admitting they were too recent for him to have memorised yet. He had a quick go, mumbling a few words before grinning cheekily and saying ‘that’s all I’ve got’ before the audience took over.

The adoring crowd didn’t seem to mind this off-piste moment as during the rest of the gig, Jared dazzled like the showman that he is accompanied by big budget theatrics of flames and movie-like visuals. He even held a burning red flare during song Hurricane.

As the Joker in the Justice League movies and his Academy Award winning turn in Dallas Buyers Club, Jared is a big pull on his own. He’s got style and personality that makes him one of those celebrities that’s a favourite at the Met Ball red carpet, let alone Birmingham.

Opening with one of their most popular tracks, Kings and Queens, Jared wore a long black trench coat with trainers and bright royal blue PVC gloves. Only he could carry off a look like that and still look so amazingly chic.

If he wasn’t on a brief walkabout around the arena, he was repeatedly inviting up fans from the mosh pit to the stage. ‘You with the beard, you with the tattoos – come up here’, he’d point to some delighted fan. ‘I want the craziest people in Birmingham up on this stage’.

The band as a whole were in fine form through a strong back catalogue including Rescue Me, This Is War and Stay. The latter proving Jared does have the voice and Thirty Seconds To Mars isn’t just a vanity project.

Changing into a silky black kaftan midway, the singer admitted how being in Birmingham made him keep thinking about Ozzy Osbourne and how his mum played a Black Sabbath album all the time when he was growing up.

Rockier hits like Stuck were in that vein but this crowd-pleasing show was more about theatrics and personality than old-fashioned head-banging. Although rounded down on the rating, Thirty Seconds To Mars deserve three and a half stars for a fun, memorable show.

Jared is the winning formula that endlessly delights, even when he can’t remember the words.