Stage
The stage is a designated space for the performance productions.
The Resistance Stages (2009-2011)
There were 3 sceneries.
The Arena Production
It consisted of three gigantic cubes, which rised and descended during some songs. The middle cube had a special drum platform/section which could rotate 360 degrees during parts of the show.
The Festival Production
It consisted in hexagonal screens, inspired by the album cover, which displayed visuals. The hexagons also had color LED strips around them.
The Stadium Production
It was a huge and big pyramid shaped building, with a glowing ball on top, that displayed various elements. The whole main part of the stage consisted of rectangle LED screen sections, which displayed visuals. There was also a front truss that led to a rising platform with electronic drums. The band used it to play Undisclosed Desires. Matt also performed Take a Bow in his LED suit on it. This scenery also included an UFO called "The Heliosphere".
The Arena Production
The Arena Production
The Festival Production
The Stadium Production
The 2nd Law Stages (2012-2014)
The Arena Production
The band's stage feature an LED pyramid with visuals of dancing aliens, Dominic Howard doing kung-fu, televisions and more. The pyramid could morph into different shapes with the help of moving LED screens. The stage had a front truss aswell as the back semi-circle, so the band could get easily get around the stage. The producton also included Morgan's little light show.
As a Christmas present in December 2012, Muse sent all fans signed up to muse.mu a printable PDF file, titled "Build your own The 2nd Law Stage", so you could build your own stage out of paper.
The Television Pyramid
The Pyramid Upside Down
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Inside the pyramid
Chris and the Pyramid
The Unsustainable Tour Production
The Unsustainable Tour Production had the biggest stage on any Muse tours so far. The stage itself represented a giant powerhouse. The stage consisted of a giant LED screen with a triangle section in the middle, which resembled a pyramid, it included a semi-circle LED screen section on the stage itself aswell as the same drum section configuration as the arena production. The big LED screen was supported by 6 massive steel pillars which had massive flame-throwers on top that doubled as smoke-machines, representing the smoke stacks on powerhouses. On several ocasions (if the stadium ceilling covered the whole area or if the stadium ceiling was too low), the bigger flame throwers had to be replaced by smaller flame-throwers that were placed on both left and right wings of the stage.
The stage had a long truss that led to the little B-Stage, from which the intro explosion was fired and on which Matt or Chris sang and the band performed songs which featured an electronic drum-kit such as Undisclosed Desires.
The production also featured several other acts such as the floating light-bulb (similar to the UFO and the H.A.A.R.P. balloon acrobat) and Charles the Robot.
The Festival Production
The festival production was much simpler than the one of The Resistance era. It consisted of three big LED screens (one in the middle and two on each side) which displayed visuals (same as those of The Unsustainable tour production). It also consisted of the semi-circle LED screen and the same drum section as all the previous productions.
Drones World Tour Stages (2015-2016)
The Festival Production
The festival production was very minimalist when compared to previous productions. It consisted of a large rectangular LED screen that covered the back of the stage that displayed visuals similar to the ones used in The 2nd Law tour. Occasionally flamethrowers where used. Unlike previous tours no C02 cannons are used during or at the end of the show.
The Arena Production
The stage consists of a round circle in the middle of the arena with two runways, spanning across the entire arena, each one with a bigger hammerhead stage on the end. The stage and the runways are low, , so the band can get intimate with the crowd, while the two hammerheads are at stage-level. Located underneath the two hammerheads are the tech bunkers. These smaller b-stages are also equipped with one raiser each (one for Chris and one for Matt and his piano). This is also the first Muse stage to feature no drum raiser, and Morgan's equipment is placed in a bunker/hole lowered into the stage, facing the other direction. Above the main circle is a tube-shaped LCD screen, displaying some visuals, while other visuals can also be projected on transparent curtains, placed above the runways, which can lower or raise at any time during the concert. The visual aspects of the tour are held by Moment Factory, a Montreal-based new media and entertainment studio, which have worked on tours of various musical artists such as Bon Jovi, Madonna, Imagine Dragons and Nine Inch Nails as well as held their own visual art installations across the world. The tour also includes 16 custom made self-controlled drones, made in partnership with a Dutch company. These drones are controlled by a custom written computer programs and sensors which help control them are placed around the venues. These drones are, when not in use, "parked" on trusses above the stage. Alongside these 16 drones is a bigger inflatable drone shaped like a military aircraft/drone, hovering above the audience during certain parts of songs such as the middle part of The Globalist. On the 5th night in Paris, two of the bigger drones were used. This was also the only time so far that they've used two instead of one. During Mercy, confetti, shaped like "Drones" stick figures are deployed above the audience. When the band enters the arena, they're escorted into the arena by the "Revolt" police. Unlike previous tours, no CO2 streamers are used during or at the end of the show.
Drones Arena Tour
The Festival Production (2nd Leg)
When Muse returned to festivals after the Arena tour ended, the stage was revamped entirely. The stage featured 11 LED blocks that move inwards and outwards during the show and according to Matt are not controlled by machines but real people. The blocks displayed visuals very similar to the ones in the Arena tour and like the other productions no C02 cannons where used.