After nearly a year displaying photos, 
Muse in Zurich - Drones Tour - 11 + 12 May 2016
You could never accuse Muse of being subtle. Flying acrobats, robots, giant balloons, fire-spewing displays and towering pillars have all featured on past tours. It's not all showmanship, however: Muse back up the pomp and circumstance with extraordinary songs, multifaceted musicianship and the soaring voice of Matt Bellamy.
The band play two consecutive nights at the Hallenstadion Zurich on a 360° rotating stage and catwalks on either side, with glowing orbs and gossamer video screens thrown in for good measure.
Throughout both shows, Bellamy embodies the mad genius, running across the stage while extracting heavy metal riffs from his guitar and light-as-a-feather arpeggios from his grand piano. His voice is effortlessly operatic as he sings about empty souls (Plug In Baby) and disappearing into nothingness (Citizen Erased) on the first night; about positivity (Bliss) and loneliness (Map Of The Problematique) on the second.
Meanwhile, drummer Dom Howard attacks his kit as if possessed and bassist Chris Wolstenholme is the groove that propels the tracks forward. Touring member Morgan Nicholls remains perpetually tucked away behind the main trio, bless him - yet he adds crucial multi-instrumental support.
Muse begin their concerts with Drones, a goosebumps-inducing choral piece about families killed by remote control, part of Bellamy's dystopian world view that continues with new tracks Psycho, Dead Inside, Reapers and The Handler. But there's more than just doom and gloom: Starlight and Undisclosed Desires speak of love and trust.
In the final stretch of both shows, Muse interrupt the propulsive slam dunk of Time Is Running Out and Uprising with The Globalist, a ten-minute mini-epic that fuses cinematic soundscapes with heavy metal.
The beautiful Mercy is the signal to unleash a ton of confetti and streamers above the audience's heads, and by the time the bonkers Knights of Cydonia closes the concerts, the crowd is jumping as one and the roof gets its proverbial raise.
Does the whole thing border on ridiculousness? Of course. Does it matter? No. The band's over-the-top grandiosity is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and euphoric. Pity that the largely lethargic seating sections didn't get the memo, but that doesn’t stop the standing crowd - and The English Show - from going absolutely mental.
Muse: out to destroy your hearing and blow your mind, one concert at a time.
- Anna Wirz
Psycho
Reapers
Plug In Baby
Dead Inside
Interlude
Hysteria
The 2nd Law: Isolated System
The Handler
Supermassive Black Hole
Prelude
Starlight
Citizen Erased
Munich Jam
Madness
Undisclosed Desires
Revolt
Time Is Running Out
Uprising
The Globalist
Mercy
Knights of Cydonia
Psycho
Reapers
Resistance
Dead Inside
Bliss
The 2nd Law: Isolated System
The Handler
Supermassive Black Hole
Prelude
Starlight
Munich Jam
Madness
Map Of The Problematique
Time Is Running Out
Uprising
The Globalist
Take A Bow
Mercy
Knights of Cydonia
