Two Tough Breaks for Jared Leto

Mon., Mar. 5, 2007 7:18 PM PST by Natalie Finn

Jared Leto had more than his share of chaos last week.

The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman suffered a broken nose and other injuries Thursday during a Taste of Chaos tour stop in El Paso, Texas, the same night the band announced that bassist Matt Wachter would be leaving the group.

Leto unintentionally caused an audience-powered melee when he ventured into the crowd at County Coliseum during a performance of "The Kill," prompting thousands of fans to rush toward him with an urgency unseen since Claire Danes made eyes at him on My So-Called Life.

No fans were seriously hurt in the scuffle, according to a spokesperson for the band, but in addition to the wounded schnoz, Leto also suffered a foot injury and superficial wounds to his face and body. Taking a page from Iggy Pop, and any other rock star who has been known to jam while bleeding profusely, Leto finished the show before checking into a nearby hospital for treatment.

"I've been producing shows for 25 years and this was one of the scariest moments I have witnessed," Taste of Chaos organizer Kevin Lyman said in a statement. "We hope Jared's injuries are all minor and that he has a speedy recovery."

According to MTV News, Leto declared the show a success, one of the best of the tour, which has 30 Seconds to Mars in Houston on Monday and then New Orleans the following night. Taste of Chaos winds up Apr. 6 in Calgary, Alberta.

So, the show will go on, albeit without one of its original members. The alt rockers said onstage Thursday that, after five years, Wachter is amicably taking off to spend more time at home with his family.

"We love and support him completely and accept his decision with respect and understanding. This is not an end, it is a new beginning," the band said in a statement on its Website.

"There are all times we wish for things to stay the same but change is inevitable and we believe it must be embraced as a gift, not as anything else. There are only positive feelings between us all and we will always remember the wonderful contributions he has made to this project.

"We care for our brother Matt very much and wish him the best of everything."

30 Seconds to Mars, which also includes guitarist Tomo Milicevic and drummer Shannon Leto (Jared's brother), released their second album, the platinum-selling A Beautiful Lie, in August 2005.

While Leto was ever the trooper on Thursday, his band was forced to cancel a show Feb. 23 in Sacramento when doctors ordered the singer to sit one out due to an undisclosed illness.

The 35-year-old multitasker's next film, the true-crime drama Lonely Hearts, costarring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Salma Hayek, Laura Dern and Scott Caan, hits theaters Apr. 13. Chapter 27, for which Leto packed on a reported 62 pounds to play John Lennon's murderer, Mark David Chapman, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Leto's other film credits include Lord of War, Panic Room, Requiem for a Dream and American Psycho.