The Simulation Theory World Tour[2] 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.[3] Numerous acts appeared as the opening act, including Tom Morello, Walk the Moon, Nothing But Thieves and SWMRS.[4]
| World tour by Muse | |
 Promotional poster for the tour | |
| Associated album | Simulation Theory |
|---|---|
| Start date | 22 February 2019 |
| End date | 15 October 2019 |
| Legs | 4 |
| No. of shows |
|
| Attendance | 1,308,531 (55 shows)[1] |
| Box office | $102.3 million (55 shows)[1] |
| Muse concert chronology | |
The tour grossed $102 million, with more than 1.3 million tickets sold, based on 55 reported dates.[1]
Muse – Simulation Theory, a film containing live footage from the shows at The O2 Arena in London from 14–15 September 2019, as well as additional filmed scenes, was released on 17 August 2020 in IMAX cinemas worldwide with a digital download release on 21 August.[5]
Background
editThe Simulation Theory World Tour featured a new enhanced experience package that allowed access to an exclusive mixed reality pre-show party, powered by Microsoft. This included three original virtual reality games, inspired by tracks from Simulation Theory. Additional enhanced experience perks included a premium concert ticket, show-specific poster, interactive photo experience with props and memorabilia from the band's latest videos, and more.[6]
Staging and Production
editThe staging was similar to The Unsustainable Tour of 2013, with a few differences. It consisted of a main stage, two stage wings and a long catwalk to the B-Stage, where certain songs were played from throughout the show. Behind the stage there was a large LED screen displaying various visuals. During the Metal Medley near the end of the show a large inflatable puppet skeleton called "Murph", similar to ones seen in the music video for "The Dark Side", was featured as if it were towering over the stage. The show also featured 14 dancers performing throughout the show during certain songs – some again linking to the music videos for the album.
The show loosely told the story of being caged in simulations with the world battling back and defeating them with the "creator" at the end of the show. This narrative was expanded upon in the Simulation Theory film with additional scenes.
Setlist
edit- "Algorithm" (Alternate Reality version)
- "Pressure"
- "Drill Sergeant" + "Psycho"
- "Break It to Me"
- "Uprising"
- "Propaganda"
- "Plug in Baby"
- "Pray (High Valyrian)" (Matthew Bellamy cover)
- "The Dark Side"
- "Supermassive Black Hole"
- "Thought Contagion"
- "Interlude" + "Hysteria"
- "The 2nd Law: Unsustainable"
- "Dig Down" (Acoustic Gospel Version)
- "Madness"
- "Mercy"
- "Time is Running Out"
- "Houston Jam" (drum and bass jam, with "Futurism", "Unnatural Selection" and "Micro Cuts" riffs)
- "Take a Bow"
- "Prelude" + "Starlight"
Encore
- "Algorithm"
- "Metal Medley" (Extracts from "Stockholm Syndrome", "Assassin", "Reapers", "The Handler", "New Born")
- "Man with a Harmonica" + "Knights of Cydonia"
Notes
- "Undisclosed Desires" was occasionally played at outdoor gigs from the European Leg onwards, being played after Dig Down.
- "Bliss" was occasionally played at outdoor gigs from the European leg onwards, being played after Hysteria.
- "The Void" was played on the 12, 14 and 15 September 2019, being played after "Dig Down".
- "Showbiz" was played at a few shows at the end of the tour after "Hysteria", mostly due to high fan demand for the song.
- "Metal Medley" was not played at the concert in Buenos Aires on 11 October 2019, due to poor weather.
- "Houston Jam" and "Take a Bow" were both skipped in the Latin American leg of the tour, being only performed in Mexico City.
Personnel
edit- Matt Bellamy - lead vocals, guitars, piano, synthesizers on "Algorithm"
- Chris Wolstenholme - bass, backing vocals, guitar on "Dig Down (Acoustic Gospel Version)", percussion on "Pray (High Valyrian)", harmonica on "Man with a Harmonica"
- Dominic Howard - electric & acoustic drums, percussion, backing vocals on "Supermassive Black Hole", synthesizers on "Take a Bow"
- Morgan Nicholls - keyboards, synthesizers, backing vocals, percussion including cabasa on "Supermassive Black Hole", guitar on "Uprising", "Thought Contagion", "Mercy", & "Starlight"
Shows
edit| Date | City | Country | Venue | Opening act | Attendance | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 — North America | ||||||
| 22 February 2019 | Houston | United States | Toyota Center | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 24 February 2019 | Dallas | American Airlines Center | — | — | ||
| 26 February 2019 | Phoenix | Talking Stick Resort Arena | — | — | ||
| 28 February 2019 | Salt Lake City | Vivint Smart Home Arena | — | — | ||
| 2 March 2019 | Las Vegas | Mandalay Bay Events Center | 8,084 / 8,084 | $656,610 | ||
| 5 March 2019 | San Diego | Pechanga Arena | — | — | ||
| 7 March 2019 | Sacramento | Golden 1 Center | 5,781 / 14,801 | $468,832 | ||
| 9 March 2019 | Oakland | Oracle Arena | 11,242 / 11,242 | $960,794 | ||
| 11 March 2019 | Inglewood | The Forum | 12,662 / 12,662 | $1,096,514 | ||
| 23 March 2019 | Austin | Austin 360 Amphitheater | — | — | ||
| 24 March 2019 | Sunrise | BB&T Center | — | — | ||
| 26 March 2019 | Atlanta | State Farm Arena | 6,513 / 6,513 | $551,203 | ||
| 28 March 2019 | Toronto | Canada | Scotiabank Arena | 11,352 / 11,352 | $682,726 | |
| 30 March 2019 | Montreal | Bell Centre | — | — | ||
| 31 March 2019 | Quebec City | Videotron Centre | — | — | ||
| 2 April 2019 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Capital One Arena | SWMRS | 13,516 / 13,516 | $1,083,160 |
| 4 April 2019 | Detroit | Little Caesars Arena | Walk the Moon | 9,515 / 12,699 | $623,914 | |
| 7 April 2019 | Philadelphia | Wells Fargo Center | SWMRS | 10,557 / 10,557 | $708,322 | |
| 8 April 2019 | New York | Madison Square Garden | Walk the Moon | 12,496 / 12,496 | $984,373 | |
| 10 April 2019 | Boston | TD Garden | 10,067 / 12,036 | $827,792 | ||
| 12 April 2019 | Chicago | United Center | — | — | ||
| Leg 2 — Europe | ||||||
| 26 May 2019 | Prague | Czech Republic | Letňany Airport | The Atavists Imodium |
32,987 / 35,093 | $2,251,588 |
| 28 May 2019 | Budapest | Hungary | László Papp Sports Arena | Dinosaur Pile-Up | 11,271 / 12,386 | $868,582 |
| 29 May 2019 | Graz | Austria | Stadthalle Graz | 14,365 / 14,658 | $1,029,318 | |
| 1 June 2019 | London | England | London Stadium | Tom Morello Pale Waves |
72,721 / 72,721 | $6,652,663 |
| 5 June 2019 | Bristol | Ashton Gate Stadium | 23,579 / 23,579 | $2,068,648 | ||
| 8 June 2019[a] | Manchester | Etihad Stadium | 43,128 / 43,128 | $3,732,041 | ||
| 12 June 2019 | Riga | Latvia | Arena Riga | Kiefer Sutherland | 8,962 / 11,203 | $902,904 |
| 15 June 2019 | Moscow | Russia | Luzhniki Stadium | 46,340 / 56,512 | $3,683,656 | |
| 18 June 2019 | Helsinki | Finland | Suvilahti | Kiefer Sutherland The Amazons |
15,979 / 15,979 | $1,407,586 |
| 22 June 2019 | Kraków | Poland | Tauron Arena | Allusinlove[7] | 14,222 / 14,222 | $1,182,544 |
| 27 June 2019 | Nijmegen | Netherlands | Goffertpark | SWMRS Andy Burrows[8] |
65,004 / 65,661 | $4,276,518 |
| 29 June 2019 | Cologne | Germany | RheinEnergieStadion | Andy Burrows The Amazons |
40,400 / 42,526 | $3,113,013 |
| 30 June 2019[b] | Werchter | Belgium | Werchter Festivalpark | — | — | — |
| 3 July 2019 | Zürich | Switzerland | Hallenstadion | SWMRS | 13,300 / 13,300 | $1,792,981 |
| 5 July 2019 | Saint-Denis | France | Stade de France | Weezer Mini Mansions |
131,321 / 147,552 | $12,225,296 |
| 6 July 2019 | SWMRS Mini Mansions | |||||
| 9 July 2019 | Marseille | Stade Vélodrome | 55,330 / 55,330 | $4,432,254 | ||
| 12 July 2019 | Milan | Italy | San Siro | Mini Mansions The Amazons |
89,619 / 103,010 | $6,158,308 |
| 13 July 2019 | Mini Mansions Nic Cester | |||||
| 16 July 2019 | Bordeaux | France | Matmut Atlantique | 38,613 / 38,613 | $3,063,978 | |
| 20 July 2019 | Rome | Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 50,385 / 50,385 | $3,506,064 | |
| 24 July 2019 | Lisbon | Portugal | Passeio Maritimo de Alges | Miles Kane Mini Mansions |
— | — |
| 26 July 2019 | Madrid | Spain | Wanda Metropolitano | Mini Mansions Nic Cester |
50,719 / 50,719 | $4,083,636 |
| 7 September 2019 | Oslo | Norway | Telenor Arena | Des Rocs[10] | 12,666 / 18,357 | $937,001 |
| 8 September 2019 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Royal Arena | — | — | |
| 10 September 2019 | Berlin | Germany | Mercedes-Benz Arena | 12,500 / 13.441 | $1,055,850 | |
| 12 September 2019 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Ziggo Dome | — | — | |
| 14 September 2019 | London | England | The O2 Arena | Nothing But Thieves | 30,600 / 34,773 | $3,032,640 |
| 15 September 2019 | ||||||
| 17 September 2019 | Birmingham | Arena Birmingham | 13,191 / 13,741 | $1,192,030 | ||
| Leg 3 — Asia | ||||||
| 21 September 2019 | Singapore | Marina Bay Street Circuit | Fatboy Slim Cardi B |
— | — | |
| Leg 4 — Latin America | ||||||
| 2 October 2019 | Mexico City | Mexico | Foro Sol | The Ruse | 94,400 / 122,597 | $4,968,447 |
| 3 October 2019 | ||||||
| 6 October 2019[c] | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Barra Olympic Park | — | — | — |
| 9 October 2019 | São Paulo | Ginásio do Ibirapuera[d] | Kaiser Chiefs | 8,480 / 8,480 | $452,603 | |
| 11 October 2019 | Buenos Aires | Argentina | Hipódromo de Palermo | Airbag Kaiser Chiefs |
14,378 / 17,973 | $660,211 |
| 13 October 2019 | Santiago | Chile | Pista Atletica | Kaiser Chiefs | 15,701 / 18,692 | $1,114,378 |
| 15 October 2019 | Lima | Peru | Jockey Club del Peru | 18,154 / 24,868 | $1,447,698 | |
| Total[13] | 1,308,531 | $102,357,939 (55 shows) | ||||
Notes
edit- ^ Due to a medical emergency, Pale Waves were forced to cut their set short. As a result both Tom Morello and Muse were delayed.[citation needed]
- ^ The concert on 30 June 2019 at Werchter Festival Park in Werchter was part of Rock Werchter festival.[9]
- ^ The concert on 6 October 2019 at Barra Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro was part of Rock in Rio festival.[11]
- ^ The concert in São Paulo on 9 October 2019 was originally scheduled in the Allianz Parque but it was moved to the Ginásio do Ibirapuera for undisclosed reasons.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Box Office – Update: November 12, 2019". Touring Data. 2 October 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "Upcoming Events". Muse. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "NEWS – 2019 Simulation Theory World Tour". Muse. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ Snitch, Event. "Muse – Simulation Theory tour coming to an end – Tickets, Show Details & Reviews for Concerts, Sports & more – Event Snitch". Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "Muse Simulation Theory Film". 11 August 2020.
- ^ "2019 Simulation Theory World Tour". Muse Official Website. 8 November 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "Krakow Support". Muse Official Website. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ "Mojo Concerts – Muse". Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "Muse à l'affiche de Rock Werchter 2019". RTBF (in French). 10 October 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "September Support". Muse Official Website. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Oliviera, Luccas (30 October 2018). "Rock in Rio 2019: Muse, Imagine Dragons, Nickelback e Paralamas encerram a próxima edição do festival". O Globo (in Portuguese). Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Show do Muse em São Paulo muda do Allianz Parque para o Ginásio do Ibirapuera" [Muse concert in São Paulo is moved from Allianz Parque to Ibirapuera Gymnasium] (in Portuguese). Uol. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
- ^ "Muse". Pollstar. Retrieved 24 March 2019.