From the sci-fi themes interwoven throughout Thirty Seconds To Mars‘ music and imagery, to frontman Jared Leto‘s roles in films like ‘Tron: Ares‘ and ‘Blade Runner 2049‘, technology has been a relative constant in the Oscar Award-winning actor/musician’s creative pursuits.
However, his new adoption of biometric technology being employed for live events may be too futuristic/invasive for some. Thirty Seconds To Mars have partnered with Orb, a spherical physical device used to scan the eyeballs of willing participants. Those scans are used to verify their identity and construct a digital ‘World ID’ assigned specifically via their provided biometric data.
That device was created by Tools For Humanity, a startup co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Its usage thus far largely aims to combat abuse by bots, hackers and more in regards to identity verification for online services. In partnership with Concert Kit technology, those digital IDs have begun to roll out in ticketing for live events.
Thirty Seconds To Mars are one of the latest artists to implement the technology, having set aside a limited allotment of 2 for 1 tickets for those willing to scan their eyes and create a ‘World ID’ via the aforementioned tech. Those tickets will be valid at select dates of the band’s 2027 European and UK touring, including shows in London, Manchester, Berlin, Munich and Hanover.
Leto said of the initiative:
“Live music is about connection, energy, and shared experience. Fans wait years for these moments, and too often bots get there first. We wanted to work with World to create something that helps protect the fan experience and gives real people a fair shot at being part of it.”
You can find out more about Thirty Seconds To Mars‘ implementation of the technology via world.org. Leto isn’t the only member of the rock community to consider the potential of the aforementioned technology when it comes to combating bots and more in the live entertainment industry. Last October, politically outspoken rap-rock/country star Kid Rock stated of the Orb:
“Somehow, I got one of these world orbs, and that proves you’re a human. Comes with an app —World app, — you download it, proof of human, proof of humanity. This thing would cut the bots out, cut the scalpers out immediately. Somehow, I got one in my f*cking house. But the ticketing companies can’t figure this out. You know why? Because every time… if you buy a ticket and go to a concert, you are their worst customer.
They want that ticket to resell on their own platform so they can f*ck everybody twice. They get the service charges. They get another whatever, 17% or something, on top all the other horse shit they’re dicking you around with. I know this, none of the ticketing companies, are using it. Somehow I got one in my f*cking house, but they can’t figure it out. They’re full of sh*t. They could have stopped the bots years ago. They could have fixed this f*cking problem, and they haven’t, because they’re greedy f*cks.”
Thirty Seconds To Mars‘ spring 2027 European/UK tour will see them celebrating their albums “A Beautiful Lie” and “This Is War” in the following cities:
04/06 Lisbon, POR – MEO Arena
04/08 Madrid, SPA – Movistar Arena
04/09 Valencia, SPA – Roig Arena
04/11 Milan, ITA – Unipol Forum
04/12 Munich, GER – Olympiahalle
04/14 Vienna, AUT – Stadthalle D
04/15 Krakow, POL – Tauron Arena
04/17 Frankfurt, GER – Festhalle
04/18 Berlin, GER – Velodrom
04/20 Hanover, GER – Zag Arena
04/21 Cologne, GER – Lanxess Arena
04/23 Antwerp, BEL – Lotto Arena
04/25 Amsterdam, NET – AFAS Live
04/25 Paris, FRA – Accor Arena
04/28 London, UK – The O2
04/29 Manchester, UK – Co-Op Live
05/01 Dublin, IRE – 3Arena
