Jared Leto's band is coming to Europe – but you need to scan your eyes to buy a ticket.
Jared Leto’s band, "Thirty Seconds to Mars," is coming to Europe and they've found a unique way to prevent ticket scalping during sales. Fans must scan their eyes to prove they are human.
Thirty Seconds to Mars has announced the dates of their 2027 European tour, but ticket sales are quite different from those of other bands. The band has partnered with "World," a company that created a tool similar to a digital passport. The "World ID" is meant to distinguish humans from bots and AI.
Registering for a World ID seems complicated because you can’t verify your identity online: you need to find your nearest “Orb.” An orb is a special device created by World that scans your iris and face. After the scan is complete, the data is transferred to your phone and deleted from the orb. According to the company, all data is encoded, so it’s completely safe even if your phone is lost.
In the case of ticket sales, the World ID helps prevent bots from buying tickets before actual fans can. Bots have been a problem for ticket sales for quite some time. They access the website in seconds and purchase thousands of tickets before real people can. Then, the tickets are being resold for much higher prices.
The verification method will be used for select locations on the European tour. Leto and his bandmates have reserved special tickets for World ID users in Munich, Berlin, Hanover, London and Manchester. These tickets also come with a guest and merchandise vouchers. The band seems eager to promote this new ticket-selling concept.
Then again, maybe Leto is just worried because ticket bots can’t show up to his cult meetings. Thirty Seconds to Mars is known not only for their music but also for their unusual festival on an island in Croatia. During the 2019 three-day retreat, Leto gave intimate performances while wearing a white robe. Leto has previously referred to his fanbase, officially called the "Echelons," as a cult, but it seems like this was not a joke. At least, he plays with the image a lot.
Apart from that, Jared Leto doesn’t have the best reputation. He’s known for acting creepily toward his costars – but, of course, it's just "method acting." In recent years, many women have spoken out against him, accusing him of sexual harassment. Some of them claim that they were minors when the incidents occurred.
Hollywood doesn't seem to care much about any of this since they continue to hire Leto for blockbuster films. It is still unknown if the European audience will be deterred from going to his concerts by the security system of the ticket sellers or the allegations against him.
