Jared Leto risked his life Thursday morning by climbing the upper levels of the Empire State Building in order to… umm… promote 30 Seconds to Mars’ upcoming tour.
With the feat, the actor-singer became the first person to legally scale the Manhattan landmark, although his climb began on the 86th floor and concluded on the 104th floor, a mere 1,300 feet off the ground.
“I was more excited than nervous to tell you the truth,” Leto told Today after the stunt. “But I have to be honest, it was very, very hard. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Just the endurance that it took, the stamina that it took, and it was very sharp,” noting how his hands were sliced up on the ascent.
As for the inspiration for the climb, Leto explained, “And as a young kid, I wanted to be an artist, and New York was the place that you came to be an artist. And the Empire State Building was always that symbol for me.”
Leto — an avid climber who sometimes scales the exterior walls of hotels he stays in — then tried to thread together something nonsensical about fulfilling your dreams and 30 Seconds to Mars’ Seasons World Tour, which kicks off in March 2024. “I’ve had a fascination with the Empire State Building, the ‘world’s number one attraction,’ since I was a kid,” he elaborated on Instagram. “Not sure if it was Guinness world records, King Kong, but something about this iconic structure always captured my imagination. Built in just 13 short months, in one of the greatest cities in the world it has always been a powerful symbol to me of all the possibilities in life.”
“In a lot of ways, this album is about following your dreams and pushing yourself to do the seemingly impossible. Climbing the Empire State Building certainly falls into that category for me.”
The North American tour dates are below:
July 26 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre
July 27 – Ridgefield, WA RV @ Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
July 30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
July 31 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
August 2 – Maryland Heights, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
August 3 – Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater
August 6 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
August 7 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center
August 9 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center
August 10 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
August 12 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
August 14 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
August 15 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
August 17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
August 18 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center
August 20 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
August 21 – Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre
August 23 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
August 24 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 27 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion
August 29 – Houston, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
August 30 – Austin, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater
September 1 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
September 4 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre