The Drones World Tour[1] was a worldwide concert tour by the English rock band Muse. Staged in support of the band's 2015 album Drones, the tour visited arenas and festivals throughout 2015 and is the tenth concert tour the band has carried out. It began on 23 May 2015 in Norwich, England at the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. The Drones World Tour sold over 1.2 million tickets and grossed $23M from 34 shows in 2015, plus $65.5M from 64 shows in 2016.[2][3]
A live video of the tour entitled Muse: Drones World Tour, was released in cinemas worldwide on 12 July 2018.[4]
Rehearsals
Rehearsals for the Drones festival tour took part in late April and were held in Air Studios, where Muse previously rehearsed for the Origin of Symmetry anniversary concerts at Reading and Leeds festivals, and where Muse also recorded Absolution and parts of The 2nd Law, Drones and Simulation Theory.
European Festivals
Muse using the LED pillars in Paris 2016
Muse played various festivals around Europe on the first leg of the tour, which started 23 May 2015. This leg of the tour also included Muse's debut performance at Download Festival, which they also headlined.
The second leg of the European Festivals tour began on 24 June 2016 at Glastonbury. The new stage set up featured 11 LED pillars which could be manually pushed back and forth by members of the crew to accommodate the show. Bellamy compared this set up to The Resistance tour on his Instagram. An updated version of this set was used for the remaining dates in 2017, complete with new lighting rigs and lasers.
Drones Arena Tour
Drones used in the show
Matt Bellamy confirmed that Muse would be tour North America in late 2015, and Europe in 2016. The stage setup is an 'in-the-round' setup, with a circular stage in the middle, similar to U2's 360 Tour, with catwalks on either end of the stage. Bellamy has also said that they will be flying drones over the audience during the shows. This set up was first used on 17 November 2015 in Mexico City at the start of the band's North America tour. The Arena tour dates prior in South America and Asia the band used their festival production.
Confetti and streamers during Mercy
The show begins with spherical drones being launched from a space station-style grid at the top of arenas, and they later re-appear during the course of the concert. There are also retractable video screens using projection, a spherical 360 screen over the main central stage, and a giant inflatable device designed to look like a Reaper drone. Confetti and streamers were also shot into the audience during performances of "Mercy".
However, the show has had technical difficulties. Two concerts in San Diego & Las Vegas were rescheduled due to "technical and logistical" challenges, while the drones were not used at all in three gigs, and one gig in Detroit saw several drones fail simultaneously.
"Drones" was very occasionally replaced with "Drill Sergeant" at the start of the show
The piano slot after "Starlight" was not always played; instead the band would skip straight to "Munich Jam"
A range of different songs have been played after "JFK", including "Assassin", "Hysteria" and "Defector"
"Take a Bow" was added to most setlists from 1 March 2016 onwards as the first song of the encore
On 18 April 2016, during the second of their shows at Glasgow's SSE Hydro, the band were joined onstage by a lone bagpiper and a group of Highland dancers to play "Glasgow Jam" (a different drum and bass jam) that replaced "Munich Jam".
↑ Phantogram was supposed to play but were cut due to technical difficulties.[9]
↑ The concert on 7 January 2016 in San Diego at the Valley View Casino Center was originally planned to take place on 16 December, but was rescheduled due to unforeseen logistical and technical challenges.[10]
↑ The concert on 9 January 2016 in Las Vegas at the Mandalay Bay Events Center was originally planned to take place on 6 December, but was rescheduled due to unforeseen logistical and technical challenges.[10]
1 2 3 4 The score data is representative of the two shows at the Centre Videotron on 18 and 23 January 2016 respectively.
↑ Nothing But Thieves were supposed to play but got replaced by The Van Jets after one of the members got sick.[12]
1 2 3 4 The score data is combined from the shows held at The O2 Arena from 3, 11, 12, 14 & 15 April 2016 respectively.
Related Research Articles
Muse are an English rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard.
Touring the Angel was a 2005–06 concert tour by English electronic group Depeche Mode in support of the act's 11th studio album, Playing the Angel, which was released in October 2005.
The Unforgettable Fire Tour was a concert tour by Irish rock band U2 that took place in 1984 and 1985 in support of band's album The Unforgettable Fire. Beginning in August 1984 with the band's first tour to Australia and New Zealand, the tour spanned four further legs which included 43 concerts in Europe and 50 in North America.
A Bigger Bang was a worldwide concert tour by the Rolling Stones which took place between August 2005 and August 2007, in support of their album A Bigger Bang. At the time, it was the highest grossing tour of all time, earning $558,255,524, before being surpassed by U2's 2009–11 U2 360 Tour, and eventually Taylor Swift's 2023–24 Eras Tour. The tour was chronicled on the video release The Biggest Bang, compiling full performances, several recordings from shows and documentaries. Notable concerts on the tour included a two-night stand in the autumn of 2006 at the Beacon Theatre filmed by Martin Scorsese for Shine a Light, and their half-time performance at Super Bowl XL.
The Reunion Tour was a 2007–2008 worldwide concert tour by The Police, marking the 30th anniversary of their beginnings. At its conclusion, the tour became the third highest-grossing tour of all time, with revenues reaching over $360 million. The tour began in May 2007 to overwhelmingly positive reviews from fans and critics alike and ended in August 2008 with a final show at Madison Square Garden.
The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 December 2008. It was built on the site of the former Point Theatre, a smaller music venue which operated from 1988 to 2007, retaining only some of the outer facade. The Point Theatre was branded as "The Point Depot", in recognition of its original role as a railway goods handling station. The venue was re-branded on 4 September 2014 due to the takeover of O2 Ireland by Three Ireland. The venue is owned by a Live Nation subsidiary, Apollo Leisure Group Ltd. The venue is among the top ten busiest music arenas by ticket sales in the world.
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. The concerts featured the band playing "in the round" on a circular stage, allowing the audience to surround them on all sides. To accommodate the stage configuration, a large four-legged structure nicknamed "The Claw" was built above the stage, with the sound system and a cylindrical, expanding video screen on top of it. At 164 feet (50 m) tall, it was the largest stage ever constructed. U2 claimed that the tour would be "the first time a band has toured in stadiums with such a unique and original structure."
The Resistance is the fifth studio album by English rock band Muse, first released on 11 September 2009 through Warner Bros. Records and Muse's Helium-3 imprint. Produced by the band and mixed by Mark Stent, the album was recorded from September 2008 to May 2009 at Studio Bellini in Lake Como, Italy. Musically, the record is similar to some of the band's previous material, mixing orchestral elements with rock and electronic music. The album also saw the band craft a three-part, 13-minute long symphony piece titled "Exogenesis". Lyrically, it is a concept record, as well as a continuation of the themes from their previous records, being influenced by politics and more oppressive subjects.
The Resistance Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse in support of their fifth studio album The Resistance. The opening European leg began on 22 October 2009 and ended on 4 December 2009, comprising 30 shows. The second leg, which began on 7 January 2010, included thirteen shows, seven of which were part of the Australasian Big Day Out shows. A North American leg of 26 shows took place in early 2010. Nine stadium shows took place in Europe in 2010, with three of those dates taking place at Wembley Stadium and Old Trafford Cricket Ground. A second round of North American concerts took place throughout September and October 2010. These dates focused on secondary markets and other areas not previously hit on the tour. A return to Australasia took place throughout December 2010 and Muse are confirmed as openers for U2's 360° Tour dates in South America in spring 2011 and also played further European shows in the summer of 2011. At the conclusion of 2010, the tour was placed on Pollstar's annual "Year End Top 50 Worldwide Concert Tours", and appeared 13th worldwide, earning over $76 million with 64 shows in 2010.
The Black Holes and Revelations Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse in support of their fourth studio album Black Holes and Revelations. Lasting at over 2 years, this was the band's longest tour to date.
The 2nd Law World Tour was a worldwide concert tour by English alternative rock band Muse. It was the band's eighth concert tour, which supported their sixth studio album The 2nd Law. Muse announced the tour via their official website and Twitter account on 7 June 2012. The European summer stadium tour was called The Unsustainable Tour, and saw the band's biggest stadium tour to that date.
The Battle Born World Tour is the fourth major concert tour by American rock band The Killers, in support of their fourth studio album Battle Born, which was released in September 2012. The tour included the band's biggest show to date at Wembley Stadium. It also saw them visit new territories including Russia, Ukraine, China and South East Asia. The tour was the 43rd highest grossing worldwide during 2013.
The Innocence + Experience Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Staged in support of the band's 2014 album Songs of Innocence, the tour visited arenas throughout 2015. It was U2's first time playing arenas since 2005–2006 on their Vertigo Tour. Comprising two legs and 76 concerts, the Innocence + Experience Tour began on 14 May 2015 in Vancouver, Canada. It visited North America from May through July, and Europe from September through December. Shows were predominantly booked in pairs for each market.
Drones is the seventh studio album by English rock band Muse, released on 5 June 2015 through Warner Bros. Records and the band's own Helium-3 imprint. The album was recorded between October 2014 and April 2015 at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, with orchestral sections recorded at Officine Meccaniche in Milan, and was produced by the band and Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Drones is a concept album following a soldier's abandonment, indoctrination as a "human drone", and eventual defection. It also comments on the Obama administration's drone program. After their previous albums incorporated orchestral and electronic music, Muse aimed to return to a more straightforward rock sound musically.
The Endless Forms Most Beautiful World Tour was the sixth world tour by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish, in support of their eighth studio album, Endless Forms Most Beautiful.
The Get Weird Tour was the third concert tour and the first worldwide tour held by British girl group Little Mix, in support of their third studio album, Get Weird, announced in July 2015. The tour began on 13 March 2016 in Cardiff, Wales and concluded on 27 August 2016 in Newmarket, England.
The Not in This Lifetime... Tour was a concert tour by hard rock band Guns N' Roses, spanning from April 1, 2016, to November 2, 2019. It featured classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, marking the first time since the Use Your Illusion Tour in 1993 that the three performed together. After the previous tour in 2014, guitarists DJ Ashba & Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, bassist Tommy Stinson and keyboardist Chris Pitman left Guns N' Roses, leaving the band with several open spots. Former members Slash and McKagan rejoined the band and Melissa Reese joined as keyboardist. The group embarked on a world tour that spanned all continents except Antarctica. They performed 175 shows making it their third longest tour ever, just behind the Use Your Illusion Tour and the Chinese Democracy Tour. The group welcomed former drummer Steven Adler to the stage for several shows as a guest spot, the first time he had played with the group since 1990. The tour has been a financial success, grossing over $584.2 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing concert tour of all time. The tour was 2016's highest-earning per-city global concert tour as well as the fourth-highest-grossing overall that year. In 2017, the tour ranked as the second highest grossing worldwide tour. The tour was honored at the Billboard Live Music Awards in November 2017, winning Top Tour/Top Draw and being nominated for Top Boxscore.
The Babymetal World Tour 2016: Legend Metal Resistance was the third worldwide concert tour by Japanese band Babymetal. Supporting their second album Metal Resistance (2016), the tour ran from April 2, 2016 to September 20, 2016, taking place in Japan, the United States, and several countries in Europe. The tour commenced the day after the worldwide release of Metal Resistance on April 1, 2016.
Muse: Drones World Tour is a live video by the English rock band Muse, which was released on 12 July 2018 in a worldwide one-night only cinema release, with a home media release at a later date. The video combines four individual concerts together recorded in Germany, Italy and The Netherlands. The concerts were part of their Drones World Tour shows that took place from 2015–16, done in support of their album of the same name.
The Simulation Theory World Tour was a world concert tour by English rock band Muse, in support of their eighth studio album, Simulation Theory (2018). The tour began in Houston on 22 February 2019 and ended in Lima on 15 October 2019. Numerous acts appeared as the opening act, including Tom Morello, Walk the Moon, Nothing But Thieves and SWMRS.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
