The world renowned multi-platinum selling and multi-award winning English rock band Muse, gave its Drones World tour in 2015 and 2016. It was an eye-opener, a feast for all the senses and an experience unlike any other.
For those who didn’t manage to catch the tour, or for those who would like to re-live it, cinemas worldwide will be screening a concert film all about the tour for one night only on Thursday.
Muse, who are Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard, was formed in 1994. The band’s debut album Showbiz came out in 1999 and their second album, Origin of Symmetry, came out in 2001. This second album expanded their sound and incorporated wider instrumentation and romantic classical influences. Their third album Absolution, released in 2003, showed their classical influences with the use of orchestras on number of tracks. Then in 2006 the album Black Holes and Revelations had more electronic and pop elements, while things moved more into the exploration of certain themes, like government oppressions, in their next two albums The Resistance in 2009 and The 2nd Law in 2012. Things came full-circle in 2015 with the release of Drones, which saw a return to a harder rock sound.
Back to the concert film; The Drones World Tour ran for over 130 dates around the globe and really pushed the boundaries of what is involved in stage production. The band performed on a round stage in the middle of the arena, offering all fans a full 360 degree audio and visual experience. But that was not the only wow factor when it came to visuals, there were also drones, which flew autonomously above the stage and across the audience, alongside giant projections which interacted with the band members on stage. This spectacle, along with the band’s celebrated repertoire, including the songs Psycho, Madness, Uprising and Plug in Baby, made each performance a spectacle of pure entertainment.
Speaking about the concept of the tour, frontoman Bellamy said “the symbiosis between humanity and technology has always been something I am interested by.
Drones just seem to be a very interesting modern metaphor for what that represents… You want to leave people with the idea that they ask the question themselves about the role of technology in our lives and whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing.”
Filmed and recorded over multiple shows, the concert film includes never before seen special effects, along with an exclusive insight from the band in the introduction. Fans will get to hear the band members talk about the creative concept behind the tour.
The New York Times has described the live experience as “an endless build-up, heading for one peak after another — is what a Muse concert sets out to deliver by every means available.”
Muse: Drones World Tour
Screening of a recording of the band on tour. July 12. Pantheon Theatre, 29 Diagoras Street, Nicosia. 8.30pm. €10. Tel: 22-675787
