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The [[Drones (album)|Drones]] World Tour will officially begin on November 17th, 2016 in  Palacio de Los Deportes in Mexico City, Mexico.
[[File:MPDLDVGMX2.jpg|thumb|right|Promotional poster for the first two dates of the tour in Mexico]]
 
{{GigNav
{{GigNav
| Previous = [[Drones Tour|Drones Festivals Tour 2015]]
| Previous = [[Drones Festivals Tour 2015]]
| Current = [[The Drones World Tour 2015/16]]
| Current = [[The Drones World Tour 2015/16]]
| Next =  
| Next = [[Drones Festivals Tour 2016]]
}}
}}
A headlining tour in support of [[Drones (album)|Drones]], '''The Drones World Tour 2015/16''' or the '''Drones 360 Tour''', as it's sometimes reffered to as, officially began on November 17th, 2015 with two sold out gigs at Palacio de Los Deportes in Mexico City. Prior to the tour, Muse have released an official teaser trailer for the it, which can be seen [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGJWBBzZgHM here]. The tour ended in [[Moscow Olimpiski 2016 (gig)|2016]].


== Information ==
== Information ==
The tour will being on November 17th 2015 and end in summer of 2016.
[[File:DWT360StageDesign.jpg|thumb|right|Stage design]]
[[File:SmallDrones.jpg|thumb|right|Smaller drones]]
[[File:ReaperDrones.jpg|thumb|rightw|The big drone]]
[[File:RevoltRiotPolice.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Revolt'' Police]]
This was an indoor arena exclusive headlining tour. This was mainly because of the use of flying drones, the outdoor use of which was forbidden by the health and safety restrictions. The official start of the tour was, as mentioned, on November 17th 2015 in Mexico City. The tour lasted until the summer of 2016. Despite Muse previously "touching" the surround experience of a 360 show during both The Resistance and The 2nd Law tours, during which, on some occassions, audiences were also located on stands behind the stage, with the band giving them some interaction, mainly through a rotating drum riser, this was the first time that the band were actually put in the midle of the arena, on a 360 stage, giving all audiences a proper 360 visual and sonic experience.
 
According to Matt, this was Muse's version of [[Pink Floyd]]'s famous ''The Wall''.
 
== Warm Up Gigs ==
 
The tour's warm up gigs took place on a short tour across Asia and South America in Autumn of 2015, including their first performance in mainland China. The warm up gigs' setlists had some basis for the main tour sets, with Psycho and Reapers as show openers, and Voodoo Child being the main intro to Supermassive Black Hole. These warm up gigs also included [[Unsustainable (song)|Unsustainable]], which wasn't played on the main tour.
 
The first such gig was in [[Beijing MasterCard Center 2015 (gig)|Beijing, China]], and the last one was in [[Bogotá Parque Deportivo 222 2015 (gig)|Bogotá, Columbia]]. The stage design was the same as with the [[Drones Festivals Tour 2015]]. Opening acts included [[The Ruse]] for most of Asian shows, [[Utopians]] for most of South American shows, and [[TELEBIT]] for the last show in Bogotá.
 
== Stage/Production Design ==
 
The  stage was based around a rotating circle in the middle of the arena, with two runways spreading out from it, spanning length-wise in the arena, each one with a bigger hammerhead B-stage on its end. In terms of stage-height, the stage and the runways were lower than usual, so that band could get intimate with the crowds, while the two elevated B-stages sat at stage-level. The two B-stages housed tech bunkers and cool-down areas for the band underneath them. Each of the hammerheads was also equipped with its own elevating platform (one for Chris and one for Matt and his piano). This was also the first Muse stage to feature no drum riser, and [[Morgan Nichols|Morgan]]'s equipment was placed in a bunker/hole lowered into the stage, placed behind Dom, facing the opposite direction. In order for the band to arrive inside the venue and to the stage, they blended themselves in by dressing up as "Revolt police", which consisted of several crew-members dressed as riot police from the Revolt music video, standing infront of the barriers, before the start of every show.
 
Above the main circle was a circular LED screen, displaying most of the visuals. Other visuals were projected on transparent curtains, placed above both the runways and the main stage, which got lowered at certain points during the concert. The visual aspects of the tour were producted by Moment Factory, a Montreal-based media and entertainment arts 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.
 
One of the most notable aspects of the tour were also 16 custom-made autonomous inflatable drones, or ''HFO''s (High Flying Objects), as the crew called them, made in partnership with a Dutch company Path65. The drones themselves consisted out of an inflatable ball, which was put inside a light propeller-fitted frame. These drones were controlled by a custom written computer program. Sensors, which helped control them, had to be calibrated for each venue, and were located throughout the entire venue. The drones were, when not in use, "parked" on trussing above the stage, where the "brains" of the system sat. Alongside these 16 HFOs was also one bigger inflatable drone, shaped like the famed MQ-9 Reaper military drone (thus adopting the nickname, "Reaper"), travelling above the audience during the middle part of [[The Globalist (song)|The Globalist]], starting with the [[Seattle KeyArena 2015 (gig)|Seattle gig]]. On night four in Paris, two such drones were used during the song. This was the only time that they've used two instead of one. The Reaper was sometimes refered to by fans as "The Dildrone". In Brussels, Drone stations had to be placed on the floor due to the height restrictions of the venue.
 
According to Bellamy, they originally wanted each of the 16 small drones to have it's own projection on it (hence the matte-white drones, which were used during the opening Mexico gigs in 2015), however that turned out to be technically impossible, prompting them to swap and use transparent drones for future shows instead. In the Drones World Tour movie, these projections were simulated using visual-FX.
 
During Mercy, both streamers, and confetti, shaped like "Drones" stick figures (as seen on the album cover) were released. Unlike previous tours, no CO2 streamers were used during or at the end of the show. The production also didn't allow Matt's feedback amp to be present on the stage, making this the first tour with no amps on stage.
 
== The 'Drones' Enchanced Experience Package ==
[[File:MUSEumDrones.jpg|thumb|right|Part of the Drones World Tour MUSEum]]
The Enchanced Experience Package was a special VIP package containing one premium VIP ticket, early access to the venue, admission to the MUSEum, invitation to the pre-show party at the so called ''Starlight Lounge'', one limited edition tour poster designed exclusively for the Enchanced Experience guests, one souvenir laminate and private merch shopping.
 
=== The MUSEum ===
 
The MUSEum was a travelling exhibition which was, as mentioned above, available to visit by buying the Enchanced Experience Package. As its name suggests, the exhibition included various memorabilia from Muse's previous tours, such as musical gear, costumes and VIP/crew passes.
 
The MUSEum was included as part of the experience again at the [[North American Summer Amphitheatre Tour 2017|North American Summer Amphitheatre Tour]] in 2017, the gallery of which can be seen on the tour's page.
 
== Drones World Tour (Live Film) ==
 
The Drones World Tour movie was released on July 12th 2018 in cinemas all around the world. The movie was directed by Tom Kirk and Jan Willem Schram with additional direction and production by Hans-Peter Van Velthoven. It was produced by Corrino Studios. The movie is comprised of footage shot at four European shows in 2016, in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.
 
More on the film [[Drones World Tour (live)|here]].
 
== Average setlist ==
*[[Drones (song)|Drones]] ''(choir track)''
*[[Psycho (song)|Psycho]] / [[Reapers (song)|Reapers]]
*[[Dead Inside (song)|Dead Inside]]
*[[Interlude (song)|Interlude]] + [[Hysteria (song)|Hysteria]]
*[[Plug in Baby (song)|Plug in Baby]] ''(extended outro)'' / [[Bliss (song)|Bliss]] ''(extended outro)'' / [[Citizen Erased (song)|Citizen Erased]]
*[[Isolated System (song)|Isolated System]]
*[[The Handler (song)|The Handler]]
*[[Map of the Problematique (song)|Map of the Problematique]] / [[Resistance (song)|Resistance]]
*[[Supermassive Black Hole (song)|Supermassive Black Hole]]
*[[Prelude (song)|Prelude]] + [[Starlight (song)|Starlight]]
*[[United States of Eurasia (song)|United States of Eurasia]] / [[Apocalypse Please (song)|Apocalypse Please]] / [[Feeling Good (song)|Feeling Good]]
*[[Riffs_and_jams#Munich_Jam|Munich Jam]] ''(fast ending)''
*[[Madness (song)|Madness]]
*[[Undisclosed Desires (song)|Undisclosed Desires]] / [[Resistance (song)|Resistance]] ''(if not played earlier)''
*[[JFK (song)|JFK]] + [[Reapers (song)|Reapers]] ''(if not played earlier)'' / [[Revolt (song)|Revolt]] / [[Stockholm Syndrome (song)|Stockholm Syndrome]] / [[Interlude (song)|Interlude]] + [[Hysteria (song)|Hysteria]] ''(if not played earlier)''
*[[Time Is Running Out (song)|Time Is Running Out]]
*[[Uprising (song)|Uprising]] ''(extended outro)''
*[[The Globalist (song)|The Globalist]]
*[[Drones (song)|Drones]] ''(reprise)''
{{encore}}
*[[Take a Bow (song)|Take a Bow]]
*[[Mercy (song)|Mercy]]
*{{Man with a Harmonica}} + [[Knights of Cydonia (song)|Knights of Cydonia]]
 
=== Notes ===
 
* Several minor setlist changes were made during the first couple of gigs (such as Reapers opening and Psycho being the second track) of the tour, allthough the setlist have became consistent throughout the tour.
 
* [[Drill Sergeant (song)|Drill Sergeant]] sometimes replaced Drones at the beginning at gigs where HFOs weren't used.
 
=== Main Tour Stats ===
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Album
! # of songs
! Songs played
|-
| style="background: #42E1E3;" |'''[[Showbiz (album) | Showbiz]]'''
| 1
| Sunburn
|-
| style="background: #FFDB12;" |'''[[Origin of Symmetry (album) | Origin of Symmetry]]'''
| 4
| Bliss, Plug in Baby, Citizen Erased, Feeling Good
|-
| style="background: #D7D7D7;" |'''[[Absolution (album) | Absolution]]'''
| 7
| Apocalypse Please, Time Is Running Out, Stockholm Syndrome, Interlude, Hysteria, Blackout, Butterflies and Hurricanes
|-
| style="background: #F59C1C;" |'''[[Black Holes and Revelations (album) | Black Holes and Revelations]]'''
| 6
| Take a Bow, Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Assassin, Knights of Cydonia
|-
| style="background: #42E1E3;" |'''[[The Resistance (album) | The Resistance]]'''
| 4
| Uprising, Resistance, Undisclosed Desires, United States of Eurasia
|-
| style="background: #000000;" |'''[[The 2nd Law (album) | The 2nd Law]]'''
| 5
| Supremacy, Madness, Panic Station, Prelude, The 2nd Law: Isolated System
|-
| style="background: #ABABAB;" | '''[[Drones (album) | Drones]]'''
| 11
| Dead Inside, [Drill Sergeant], Psycho, Mercy, Reapers, The Handler, [JFK], Defector, Revolt, The Globalist, Drones
|-
| '''Other'''
| 2
| Munich Jam, Glasgow Jam
|-
|}
 
=== Asia / S. America Warm-Up Tour Stats ===
 
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Album
! # of songs
! Songs played
|-
| style="background: #42E1E3;" |'''[[Showbiz (album) | Showbiz]]'''
| 1
| Muscle Museum
|-
| style="background: #FFDB12;" |'''[[Origin of Symmetry (album) | Origin of Symmetry]]'''
| 3
| Plug in Baby, Citizen Erased, Feeling Good
|-
| style="background: #D7D7D7;" |'''[[Absolution (album) | Absolution]]'''
| 5
| Apocalypse Please, Time Is Running Out, Stockholm Syndrome, Interlude, Hysteria
|-
| style="background: #F59C1C;" |'''[[Black Holes and Revelations (album) | Black Holes and Revelations]]'''
| 4
| Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Knights of Cydonia
|-
| style="background: #42E1E3;" |'''[[The Resistance (album) | The Resistance]]'''
| 2
| Uprising, Resistance
|-
| style="background: #000000;" |'''[[The 2nd Law (album) | The 2nd Law]]'''
| 1
| Madness, Prelude, Animals, The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
|-
| style="background: #ABABAB;" | '''[[Drones (album) | Drones]]'''
| 2
| Dead Inside, [Drill Sergeant], Psycho, Mercy, Reapers, The Handler, [JFK], Revolt
|-
| '''Other'''
| 1
| Munich Jam
|-
|}
 
== Gigs ==
{| class="gigtable sortable wikitable"
! Date || Venue || Location
|-
| 2016-06-21 || [[Moscow Olimpiyskiy 2016 (gig) | Olimpiyskiy]] || Moscow, Russia
|-
| 2016-06-17 || [[Kaunas Žalgirio Arena 2016 (gig) | Žalgirio Arena]] || Kaunas, Lithuania
|-
| 2016-06-16 || [[Riga Arena Riga 2016 (gig) | Riga Arena]] || Riga, Latvia
|-
| 2016-06-14 || [[Helsinki Hartwall Arena 2016 (gig) | Hartwall Arena]] || Helsinki, Finland
|-
| 2016-06-12 || [[Oslo Telenor Arena 2016 (gig) | Telenor Arena]] || Oslo, Norway
|-
| 2016-06-11 || [[Stockholm Ericsson Globe 2016 (gig) | Ericsson Globe]] || Stockholm, Sweden
|-
| 2016-06-09 || [[Copenhagen Forum 2016 - 9th (gig) | Forum]] || Copenhagen, Denmark
|-
| 2016-06-08 || [[Copenhagen Forum 2016 - 8th (gig) | Forum]] || Copenhagen, Denmark
|-
| 2016-06-06 || [[Hamburg Barclaycard Arena 2016 (gig) | Barclaycard Arena]] || Hamburg, Germany
|-
| 2016-06-04 || [[Prague O2 Arena 2016 (gig) | O2 Arena]] || Prague, Czech Republic
|-
| 2016-06-03 || [[Berlin Mercedes Benz Arena 2016 (gig) | Mercedes Benz Arena]] || Berlin, Germany
|-
| 2016-05-21 || [[Milan Mediolanum Forum 2016 - 21st (gig) | Mediolanum Forum]] || Milan, Italy
|-
| 2016-05-20 || [[Milan Mediolanum Forum 2016 - 20th (gig) | Mediolanum Forum]] || Milan, Italy
|-
| 2016-05-18 || [[Milan Mediolanum Forum 2016 - 18th (gig) | Mediolanum Forum]] || Milan, Italy
|-
| 2016-05-17 || [[Milan Mediolanum Forum 2016 - 17th (gig) | Mediolanum Forum]] || Milan, Italy
|-
| 2016-05-15 || [[Milan Mediolanum Forum 2016 - 15th (gig) | Mediolanum Forum]] || Milan, Italy
|-
| 2016-05-14 || [[Milan Mediolanum Forum 2016 - 14th (gig) | Mediolanum Forum]] || Milan, Italy
|-
| 2016-05-12 || [[Zürich Hallenstadion 2016 - 12th (gig) | Hallenstadion]] || Zurich, Switzerland
|-
| 2016-05-11 || [[Zürich Hallenstadion 2016 - 11th (gig) | Hallenstadion]] || Zurich, Switzerland
|-
| 2016-05-09 || [[Vienna Wiener Stadthalle 2016 (gig) | Wiener Stadthalle]] || Vienna, Austria
|-
| 2016-05-06 || [[Madrid Barclaycard Center 2016 - 6th (gig) | Barclaycard Center]] || Madrid, Spain
|-
| 2016-05-05 || [[Madrid Barclaycard Center 2016 - 5th (gig) | Barclaycard Center]] || Madrid, Spain
|-
| 2016-05-03 || [[Lisbon MEO Arena 2016 - 3rd (gig) | MEO Arena]] || Lisbon, Portugal
|-
| 2016-05-02 || [[Lisbon MEO Arena 2016 - 2nd (gig) | MEO Arena]] || Lisbon, Portugal
|-
| 2016-04-18 || [[Glasgow SSE Hydro 2016 - 18th (gig) | SSE Hydro]] || Glasgow, Scotland
|-
| 2016-04-17 || [[Glasgow SSE Hydro 2016 - 17th (gig) | SSE Hydro]] || Glasgow, Scotland
|-
| 2016-04-15 || [[London O2 Arena 2016 - 15th (gig) | O2 Arena]] || London, England
|-
| 2016-04-14 || [[London O2 Arena 2016 - 14th (gig) | O2 Arena]] || London, England
|-
| 2016-04-12 || [[London O2 Arena 2016 - 12th (gig) | O2 Arena]] || London, England
|-
| 2016-04-11 || [[London O2 Arena 2016 - 11th (gig) | O2 Arena]] || London, England
|-
| 2016-04-09 || [[Manchester Manchester Arena 2016 - 9th (gig) | Manchester Arena]] || Manchester, England
|-
| 2016-04-08 || [[Manchester Manchester Arena 2016 - 8th (gig) | Manchester Arena]] || Manchester, England
|-
| 2016-04-06 || [[Belfast SSE Arena 2016 (gig) | The SSE Arena]] || Belfast, Northern Ireland
|-
| 2016-04-05 || [[Dublin 3Arena 2016 (gig) | 3Arena]] || Dublin, Ireland
|-
| 2016-04-03 || [[London O2 Arena 2016 - 3rd (gig) | O2 Arena]] || London, England
|-
| 2016-04-02 || [[Birmingham Barclaycard Arena 2016 (gig) | Barclayard Arena]] || Birmingham, England
|-
| 2016-03-31 || [[Munich Olympiahalle 2016 (gig) | Olympiahalle]] || Munich, Germany
|-
| 2016-03-16 || [[Brussels Palais 12 2016 - 16th (gig) | Palais 12]] || Brussels, Belgium
|-
| 2016-03-15 || [[Brussels Palais 12 2016 - 15th (gig) | Palais 12]] || Brussels, Belgium
|-
| 2016-03-13 || [[Brussels Palais 12 2016 - 13th (gig) | Palais 12]] || Brussels, Belgium
|-
| 2016-03-12 || [[Brussels Palais 12 2016 - 12th (gig) | Palais 12]] || Brussels, Belgium
|-
| 2016-03-10 || [[Amsterdam Ziggo Dome 2016 - 10th (gig) | Ziggo Dome]] || Amsterdam, Netherlands
|-
| 2016-03-09 || [[Amsterdam Ziggo Dome 2016 - 9th (gig) | Ziggo Dome]] || Amsterdam, Netherlands
|-
| 2016-03-07 || [[Amsterdam Ziggo Dome 2016 - 7th (gig) | Ziggo Dome]] || Amsterdam, Netherlands
|-
| 2016-03-06 || [[Cologne Lanxess Arena 2016 (gig) | Lanxess Arena]] || Cologne, Germany
|-
| 2016-03-04 || [[Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2016 - 4th (gig) | Bercy Arena]] || Paris, France
|-
| 2016-03-03 || [[Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2016 - 3rd (gig) | Bercy Arena]] || Paris, France
|-
| 2016-03-01 || [[Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2016 - 1st (gig) | Bercy Arena]] || Paris, France
|-
| 2016-02-29 || [[Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2016 - 29th (gig) | Bercy Arena]] || Paris, France
|-
| 2016-02-27 || [[Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2016 - 27th (gig) | Bercy Arena]] || Paris, France
|-
| 2016-02-26 || [[Paris Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy 2016 - 26th (gig) | Bercy Arena]] || Paris, France
|-
| 2016-02-01 || [[Washington Verizon Center 2016 (gig) | Verizon Center]] || Washington, DC, USA
|-
| 2016-01-31 || [[Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center 2016 (gig) | Wells Fargo Center]] || Philadelphia, PA, USA
|-
| 2016-01-29 || [[Newark Prudential Center (gig) | Prudential Center]] || Newark, NJ, USA
|-
| 2016-01-27 || [[Brooklyn Barclays Center 2016 (gig) | Barclays Center]] || Brooklyn, NY, USA
|-
| 2016-01-25 || [[Boston TD Garden 2016 (gig) | TD Garden]] || Boston, MA, USA
|-
| 2016-01-23 || [[Quebec City Centre Vidéotron 2016 - 23rd (gig) | Centre Vidéotron]] || Quebec City, QC, Canada
|-
| 2016-01-21 || [[Montréal Centre Bell 2016 - 21st (gig) | Centre Bell]] || Montréal, QC, Canada
|-
| 2016-01-20 || [[Montréal Centre Bell 2016 - 20th (gig) | Centre Bell]] || Montréal, QC, Canada
|-
| 2016-01-18 || [[Quebec City Centre Vidéotron 2016 - 18th (gig) | Centre Vidéotron]] || Quebec City, QC, Canada
|-
| 2016-01-16 || [[Toronto Air Canada Centre 2016 (gig) | Air Canada Centre]] || Toronto, ON, Canada
|-
| 2016-01-14 || [[Detroit Joe Louis Arena 2016 (gig) | Joe Louis Arena]] || Detroit, MI, USA
|-
| 2016-01-13 || [[Chicago United Center 2016 (gig) | United Center]] || Chicago, IL, USA
|-
| 2016-01-09 || [[Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center 2016 (gig) | Mandalay Bay]] || Las Vegas, NV, USA
|-
| 2016-01-07 || [[San Diego Valley View Casino Center 2016 (gig) | Valley View Casino Center]] || San Diego, CA, USA
|-
| 2015-12-19 || [[Los Angeles Staples Center 2015 - 19th (gig) | Staples Center]] || Los Angeles, CA, USA
|-
| 2015-12-18 || [[Los Angeles Staples Center 2015 - 18th (gig) | Staples Center]] || Los Angeles, CA, USA
|-
| <del>2015-12-16</del> || <del>[[San Diego Valley View Casino Center 2015 (gig) | Valley View Casino Center]]</del> || <del>San Diego, CA, USA</del>
|-
| 2015-12-15 || [[Oakland Oracle Arena 2015 (gig) | Oracle Arena]] || Oakland, CA, USA
|-
| 2015-12-13 || [[Portland Moda Center 2015 (gig) | Moda Center]] || Portland, OR, USA
|-
| 2015-12-12 || [[Seattle KeyArena 2015 (gig) | KeyArena]] || Seattle, WA, USA
|-
| 2015-12-10 || [[Vancouver Rogers Arena 2015 (gig) | Rogers Arena]] || Vancouver, BC, Canada
|-
| <del>2015-12-06</del> || <del>[[Las Vegas Mandalay Bay Events Center 2015 (gig) | Mandalay Bay]]</del> || <del>Las Vegas, NV, USA</del>
|-
| 2015-12-05 || [[Phoenix Gila River Arena 2015 (gig) | Gila River Arena]] || Phoenix, AZ, USA
|-
| 2015-12-02 || [[Dallas American Airlines Center 2015 (gig) | American Airlines Center]] || Dallas, TX, USA
|-
| 2015-12-01 || [[Houston Toyota Center 2015 (gig) | Toyota Center]] || Houston, TX, USA
|-
| 2015-11-20 || [[Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes 2015 - 20th (gig) | Palacio de los Deportes - 20th]] || Mexico City, Mexico
|-
| 2015-11-18 || [[Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes 2015 - 18th (gig) | Palacio de los Deportes - 18th]] || Mexico City, Mexico
|-
| 2015-11-17 || [[Mexico City Palacio de los Deportes 2015 - 17th (gig) | Palacio de los Deportes - 17th]] || Mexico City, Mexico
|-
| 2015-11-11 || [[Los Angeles Sports Arena 2015 (gig) | Los Angeles Sports Arena]] (Dress Rehearsal show) || Los Angeles, CA, USA
|-
|}
 
== See Also ==
 
* [https://plsn.com/articles/designer-insights/muse-drones-world-tour/ Article on The Drones World Tour 2015/16 on PLSN (Projection Lights & Staging News) Magazine]
 
* [https://www.tpimagazine.com/muse-drones-tour/ Article on The Drones World Tour 2015/16 on TPi Magazine]
 
* [https://cast-soft.com/blog/2016/03/blacktrax-flies-high-muse-drones-worldwide-arena-concerts/ BlackTrax providing cameras for Interactive Projection Mapping]


The tour will be designed by Moment Factory, which is a Montreal-based new media and entertainment studio that creates multimedia enviroments which combine lights, animation, sound and special effects. They've also been working with various other artists such as Madonna, [[Imagine Dragons]] and [[Nine Inch Nails]].
* [https://momentfactory.com/work/all/all/drones-tour-muse Moment Factory providing video content for the tour]


This is also the first time the band will be performing in the middle of the arena on a 360 stage, with the audience surrounding them. According to muse.mu "The Drones World Tour will see the band perform for the first time “in the round” from the middle of the arena. This stage design and configuration will give fans a true 360 degree audio/visual sensory experience."
* [https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/3d54ak/muse-moment-factory-drones Article on Moment Factory for The Drones World Tour 2015/16 by Vice]


== Tour Dates ==
{{Backto | Tour }}

Latest revision as of 23:57, 18 October 2023

Promotional poster for the first two dates of the tour in Mexico



A headlining tour in support of Drones, The Drones World Tour 2015/16 or the Drones 360 Tour, as it's sometimes reffered to as, officially began on November 17th, 2015 with two sold out gigs at Palacio de Los Deportes in Mexico City. Prior to the tour, Muse have released an official teaser trailer for the it, which can be seen here. The tour ended in 2016.

Information

Stage design
Smaller drones
The big drone
The Revolt Police

This was an indoor arena exclusive headlining tour. This was mainly because of the use of flying drones, the outdoor use of which was forbidden by the health and safety restrictions. The official start of the tour was, as mentioned, on November 17th 2015 in Mexico City. The tour lasted until the summer of 2016. Despite Muse previously "touching" the surround experience of a 360 show during both The Resistance and The 2nd Law tours, during which, on some occassions, audiences were also located on stands behind the stage, with the band giving them some interaction, mainly through a rotating drum riser, this was the first time that the band were actually put in the midle of the arena, on a 360 stage, giving all audiences a proper 360 visual and sonic experience.

According to Matt, this was Muse's version of Pink Floyd's famous The Wall.

Warm Up Gigs

The tour's warm up gigs took place on a short tour across Asia and South America in Autumn of 2015, including their first performance in mainland China. The warm up gigs' setlists had some basis for the main tour sets, with Psycho and Reapers as show openers, and Voodoo Child being the main intro to Supermassive Black Hole. These warm up gigs also included Unsustainable, which wasn't played on the main tour.

The first such gig was in Beijing, China, and the last one was in Bogotá, Columbia. The stage design was the same as with the Drones Festivals Tour 2015. Opening acts included The Ruse for most of Asian shows, Utopians for most of South American shows, and TELEBIT for the last show in Bogotá.

Stage/Production Design

The stage was based around a rotating circle in the middle of the arena, with two runways spreading out from it, spanning length-wise in the arena, each one with a bigger hammerhead B-stage on its end. In terms of stage-height, the stage and the runways were lower than usual, so that band could get intimate with the crowds, while the two elevated B-stages sat at stage-level. The two B-stages housed tech bunkers and cool-down areas for the band underneath them. Each of the hammerheads was also equipped with its own elevating platform (one for Chris and one for Matt and his piano). This was also the first Muse stage to feature no drum riser, and Morgan's equipment was placed in a bunker/hole lowered into the stage, placed behind Dom, facing the opposite direction. In order for the band to arrive inside the venue and to the stage, they blended themselves in by dressing up as "Revolt police", which consisted of several crew-members dressed as riot police from the Revolt music video, standing infront of the barriers, before the start of every show.

Above the main circle was a circular LED screen, displaying most of the visuals. Other visuals were projected on transparent curtains, placed above both the runways and the main stage, which got lowered at certain points during the concert. The visual aspects of the tour were producted by Moment Factory, a Montreal-based media and entertainment arts 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.

One of the most notable aspects of the tour were also 16 custom-made autonomous inflatable drones, or HFOs (High Flying Objects), as the crew called them, made in partnership with a Dutch company Path65. The drones themselves consisted out of an inflatable ball, which was put inside a light propeller-fitted frame. These drones were controlled by a custom written computer program. Sensors, which helped control them, had to be calibrated for each venue, and were located throughout the entire venue. The drones were, when not in use, "parked" on trussing above the stage, where the "brains" of the system sat. Alongside these 16 HFOs was also one bigger inflatable drone, shaped like the famed MQ-9 Reaper military drone (thus adopting the nickname, "Reaper"), travelling above the audience during the middle part of The Globalist, starting with the Seattle gig. On night four in Paris, two such drones were used during the song. This was the only time that they've used two instead of one. The Reaper was sometimes refered to by fans as "The Dildrone". In Brussels, Drone stations had to be placed on the floor due to the height restrictions of the venue.

According to Bellamy, they originally wanted each of the 16 small drones to have it's own projection on it (hence the matte-white drones, which were used during the opening Mexico gigs in 2015), however that turned out to be technically impossible, prompting them to swap and use transparent drones for future shows instead. In the Drones World Tour movie, these projections were simulated using visual-FX.

During Mercy, both streamers, and confetti, shaped like "Drones" stick figures (as seen on the album cover) were released. Unlike previous tours, no CO2 streamers were used during or at the end of the show. The production also didn't allow Matt's feedback amp to be present on the stage, making this the first tour with no amps on stage.

The 'Drones' Enchanced Experience Package

Part of the Drones World Tour MUSEum

The Enchanced Experience Package was a special VIP package containing one premium VIP ticket, early access to the venue, admission to the MUSEum, invitation to the pre-show party at the so called Starlight Lounge, one limited edition tour poster designed exclusively for the Enchanced Experience guests, one souvenir laminate and private merch shopping.

The MUSEum

The MUSEum was a travelling exhibition which was, as mentioned above, available to visit by buying the Enchanced Experience Package. As its name suggests, the exhibition included various memorabilia from Muse's previous tours, such as musical gear, costumes and VIP/crew passes.

The MUSEum was included as part of the experience again at the North American Summer Amphitheatre Tour in 2017, the gallery of which can be seen on the tour's page.

Drones World Tour (Live Film)

The Drones World Tour movie was released on July 12th 2018 in cinemas all around the world. The movie was directed by Tom Kirk and Jan Willem Schram with additional direction and production by Hans-Peter Van Velthoven. It was produced by Corrino Studios. The movie is comprised of footage shot at four European shows in 2016, in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

More on the film here.

Average setlist

Encore

Notes

  • Several minor setlist changes were made during the first couple of gigs (such as Reapers opening and Psycho being the second track) of the tour, allthough the setlist have became consistent throughout the tour.
  • Drill Sergeant sometimes replaced Drones at the beginning at gigs where HFOs weren't used.

Main Tour Stats

Album # of songs Songs played
Showbiz 1 Sunburn
Origin of Symmetry 4 Bliss, Plug in Baby, Citizen Erased, Feeling Good
Absolution 7 Apocalypse Please, Time Is Running Out, Stockholm Syndrome, Interlude, Hysteria, Blackout, Butterflies and Hurricanes
Black Holes and Revelations 6 Take a Bow, Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Assassin, Knights of Cydonia
The Resistance 4 Uprising, Resistance, Undisclosed Desires, United States of Eurasia
The 2nd Law 5 Supremacy, Madness, Panic Station, Prelude, The 2nd Law: Isolated System
Drones 11 Dead Inside, [Drill Sergeant], Psycho, Mercy, Reapers, The Handler, [JFK], Defector, Revolt, The Globalist, Drones
Other 2 Munich Jam, Glasgow Jam

Asia / S. America Warm-Up Tour Stats

Album # of songs Songs played
Showbiz 1 Muscle Museum
Origin of Symmetry 3 Plug in Baby, Citizen Erased, Feeling Good
Absolution 5 Apocalypse Please, Time Is Running Out, Stockholm Syndrome, Interlude, Hysteria
Black Holes and Revelations 4 Starlight, Supermassive Black Hole, Map of the Problematique, Knights of Cydonia
The Resistance 2 Uprising, Resistance
The 2nd Law 1 Madness, Prelude, Animals, The 2nd Law: Unsustainable
Drones 2 Dead Inside, [Drill Sergeant], Psycho, Mercy, Reapers, The Handler, [JFK], Revolt
Other 1 Munich Jam

Gigs

Date Venue Location
2016-06-21 Olimpiyskiy Moscow, Russia
2016-06-17 Žalgirio Arena Kaunas, Lithuania
2016-06-16 Riga Arena Riga, Latvia
2016-06-14 Hartwall Arena Helsinki, Finland
2016-06-12 Telenor Arena Oslo, Norway
2016-06-11 Ericsson Globe Stockholm, Sweden
2016-06-09 Forum Copenhagen, Denmark
2016-06-08 Forum Copenhagen, Denmark
2016-06-06 Barclaycard Arena Hamburg, Germany
2016-06-04 O2 Arena Prague, Czech Republic
2016-06-03 Mercedes Benz Arena Berlin, Germany
2016-05-21 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
2016-05-20 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
2016-05-18 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
2016-05-17 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
2016-05-15 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
2016-05-14 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
2016-05-12 Hallenstadion Zurich, Switzerland
2016-05-11 Hallenstadion Zurich, Switzerland
2016-05-09 Wiener Stadthalle Vienna, Austria
2016-05-06 Barclaycard Center Madrid, Spain
2016-05-05 Barclaycard Center Madrid, Spain
2016-05-03 MEO Arena Lisbon, Portugal
2016-05-02 MEO Arena Lisbon, Portugal
2016-04-18 SSE Hydro Glasgow, Scotland
2016-04-17 SSE Hydro Glasgow, Scotland
2016-04-15 O2 Arena London, England
2016-04-14 O2 Arena London, England
2016-04-12 O2 Arena London, England
2016-04-11 O2 Arena London, England
2016-04-09 Manchester Arena Manchester, England
2016-04-08 Manchester Arena Manchester, England
2016-04-06 The SSE Arena Belfast, Northern Ireland
2016-04-05 3Arena Dublin, Ireland
2016-04-03 O2 Arena London, England
2016-04-02 Barclayard Arena Birmingham, England
2016-03-31 Olympiahalle Munich, Germany
2016-03-16 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium
2016-03-15 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium
2016-03-13 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium
2016-03-12 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium
2016-03-10 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016-03-09 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016-03-07 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands
2016-03-06 Lanxess Arena Cologne, Germany
2016-03-04 Bercy Arena Paris, France
2016-03-03 Bercy Arena Paris, France
2016-03-01 Bercy Arena Paris, France
2016-02-29 Bercy Arena Paris, France
2016-02-27 Bercy Arena Paris, France
2016-02-26 Bercy Arena Paris, France
2016-02-01 Verizon Center Washington, DC, USA
2016-01-31 Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA, USA
2016-01-29 Prudential Center Newark, NJ, USA
2016-01-27 Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY, USA
2016-01-25 TD Garden Boston, MA, USA
2016-01-23 Centre Vidéotron Quebec City, QC, Canada
2016-01-21 Centre Bell Montréal, QC, Canada
2016-01-20 Centre Bell Montréal, QC, Canada
2016-01-18 Centre Vidéotron Quebec City, QC, Canada
2016-01-16 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada
2016-01-14 Joe Louis Arena Detroit, MI, USA
2016-01-13 United Center Chicago, IL, USA
2016-01-09 Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, NV, USA
2016-01-07 Valley View Casino Center San Diego, CA, USA
2015-12-19 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA
2015-12-18 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA
2015-12-16 Valley View Casino Center San Diego, CA, USA
2015-12-15 Oracle Arena Oakland, CA, USA
2015-12-13 Moda Center Portland, OR, USA
2015-12-12 KeyArena Seattle, WA, USA
2015-12-10 Rogers Arena Vancouver, BC, Canada
2015-12-06 Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, NV, USA
2015-12-05 Gila River Arena Phoenix, AZ, USA
2015-12-02 American Airlines Center Dallas, TX, USA
2015-12-01 Toyota Center Houston, TX, USA
2015-11-20 Palacio de los Deportes - 20th Mexico City, Mexico
2015-11-18 Palacio de los Deportes - 18th Mexico City, Mexico
2015-11-17 Palacio de los Deportes - 17th Mexico City, Mexico
2015-11-11 Los Angeles Sports Arena (Dress Rehearsal show) Los Angeles, CA, USA

See Also


Go back to Tour

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