30 Seconds To Mars: The Bizarre Jared Leto Cult

30 Seconds to Mars: The Bizarre Jared Leto Cult

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I cite my sources and they may differ than other people's accounts, so I don't guarantee

Back in August of 2015, the band Thirty Seconds to Mars launched Camp Mars, a three-night getaway taking place in Malibu, California. Alison P. Davis of the publication The Cut, described the evidence of the camp as resembling and I quote “a combination of Coachella, a work retreat, and a Guilty Remnant Gathering,” since it combined activities like hiking and camp singalongs with band and DJ performances.
While there was some suspicion over the camp’s $900 admission fee, as well as a cultish ad promoting it, many fans reported having genuinely positive experiences in the camp. But in 2019, the band took this experience a step further by launching the Mars Island festival, and have since played up their persona as a cult. That’s what we’ll discuss in today’s video.
The Mars Island Festival was created as a successor to Camp Mars, occurring the same month as a three-night, all-expenses-paid retreat, featuring many of the same activities, and was reserved for several hundred fans. But this time taking place overseas, on a private Adriatic island in Croatia. Excluding travel expenses, the starter package for the first Mars Island festival was $995, while the highest tier package was $6,499, including and I quote “an exclusive VIP experience with [the band’s frontman] Jared [Leto] himself”.
It’s worth noting that the Mars Island festival occurred two years after the infamous Fyre Festival, which ended in disaster at the hands of its founder Billy McFarland, and even though this festival was a success in contrast, its spectacle was also at the forefront, which was off-putting to some attendees. According to Total Croatia News, they’d expressed disappointment with the festival’s first iteration, as the concert performances that were promised as part of the experience were replaced with preaching sessions conducted by Leto. But a majority seemed unfazed by this change, and complied with the dynamic. As shown in Jared Leto’s Twitter post on August 15th, 2019, several photos feature droves of attendees dressed in white robes alongside him, all appearing to be in adulation of him, with the caption, “Yes, this is a cult.”
While this quote appears as if it’s specific to the festival, it actually had its origins early in Thirty Seconds to Mars’s history. By the time the band released their self-titled debut album in 2002, they had already amassed a devoted following, which they’d call The Echelon, named after the sixth track on the album. They’d also become known for their intimacy with their fans, which is shown in the music video for their second single, “Edge of the Earth,” released a year later. A decade following that release, the band were profiled by Time Magazine, who mentioned to Leto about the quote “Yes, this is a cult” appearing in the music video for the song “Closer to the Edge.” Leto would respond,
“It’s a joke, a response to journalists saying, ‘‘You have such a cult following.’’ We have always had incredibly committed people following us. If people like 30 Seconds to Mars, they really, really, really like it.”
While noting their preference for the collective term, “The Echelon,” rather than fans, he’d say, by his own admission,
“I hate the word ‘‘fan’’; it just seems so dismissive. Because we have this cult, this family, these believers who understand, it seems fitting that there was a name to reference them.”
While the festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic, it was announced in 2021 to take place on the Croatian island of Obonjan from August 20th to 23rd. Much like Camp Mars during its four-year span, the price increased considerably, with the base package now at $1,649, and the VIP package at $7,149. According to the Mars Island section of the band’s website, which is accessible by login only, these packages were said to include, and I quote, “two full-length group concerts, activities with the band, [accommodations] and food.” With the already high admission price, there were also several upsells. If attendees were to request a bathroom as part of their tent, rather than using a facility near the site, they’d have to pay as much as $2,491.66 on top of their chosen admission price, and an extra night on the island would cost them an additional $467. But as the pandemic worsened during this time, the 2021 festival was also.

[stanley-fghijk]

Playing in the band was a horrorshow. He paid his guys nothing, while he and his bro took everything. It was a revolving door, and I never met one musician who a positive thing to say about Leto.

[CommodoreFloopjack]

$2, 500 JUST FOR A F**KIN' BATHROOM?!? OH, HELL NO!!

[worldsheaviestjamband]

30 Seconds to Mars always sounded like some fake band name for a bad 2008 movie.

[plumeria]

Anyone willing to pay $2000 to do yoga and listen to Jared Leto is by definition an obsessed fan or cult follower. Nothing wrong with that. They are almost all women and know exactly what they are signing up for. Can’t criticize him for taking advantage of his fame and popularity. He isn’t lying or cheating. Nobody is forcing them to spend $2000 to hang out with their idol. He isn’t a charlatan promising them miracles or healing to take place.

[mattjazzfan]

Definitely not a cult. It’s just capitalism taken to the extreme. What would make it a cult is if members would be ostracized for trying to leave

[blacksunshine]

Anyone that's a fan enough to pay those prices for 30STM should be committed

[mxstunkxwn]

Sometimes I rewatch fightclub JUST to see Jared Leto get his face beaten in.

[kenknight]

I bet the package to meet the bassist or drummer is cheaper
(both of whom could play a better Joker)

[nolasaintsfan]

What if i wanted to break? Laugh it all off in your face? What would you do? Me after going to camp mars.

[brynstarkiller]

Rock stars have been banging their fans forever. These people don’t have to go man.

[lorimrasek]

Yes this isn't creepy at all, admitting that it's a cult usually means it's a cult, hiding in plain sight.

[yves]

I don't mean to be unkind, but the people paying to be with him don't look like people he would choose to get close with.

[BigDaddy-vrut]

I’m honestly shocked that they had such a following go to the island together.

Does Jared think he’s actually Jesus. I think he wants people to think that . People are really hard up for some celebrities to go on an island to worship them.
This is really sad to see. Humanity sunk so low, that it’s now, beyond pathetic .

[TheWillingKitten]

Like he played you. I was one of the few guys that went to the island and it was amazing! There was actually two full length concerts... not preach sessions. One night the band played this is war from start to finish. The other night was basically "what do you want us to play". Everyone dressed in white was actually voted on as a theme night. The other options were EMO night or black night. The moment the picture was taken by the water all in white... there was boat in the area with telescopic lens taking photos. Jared actually said lets fuck with them. The island was actually a resort island in which you can stay at and have all the same amenities and activities for about the same price. Additionally if you look at meet and greets for someone like Taylor Swift, the packages are about the same except you get a three night stay on an island paradise. The island resort was ran by locals and they had cool things like telescopes to look up at stars and planets, nature hikes, and water sports. I mean you content is cute but you did zero research. You fed exactly into what he was trying to do.

[jeremylhay]

Gotta say, Even if I was a millionaire, and tickets to this were $1 a piece, and the hottest girl in town asked me to take her, I still wouldn't go to one of these.

[thedogfromraditude]

Guys, it happened. The Rock n’ Roll True Stories channel has officially been morb’d.

[inutero]

30 seconds is about all i can take of their music

[twistoffate]

This is so bizarre I had to check my calendar to make sure we didn't warp speed to April 1st.

[jjayala]

I have always thought this dude was a fn creep. I was like requiem for a dream would be great if it wasn't for this fairy. I got to watch him get shot in Lord of War so that was cool.

[fevgatos]

This Is War was such a good pop-rock album... what went wrong after that? :/