Muse's San Diego-bound 'Simulation Theory Tour' boasts giant inflatable cyborg with lasers

Muse’s San Diego-bound ‘Simulation Theory Tour’ boasts giant inflatable cyborg with lasers

San Diego Union-Tribune

Feb. 27, 2019 9 AM PT

On its previous concert tours, Muse has used drones that flew above the audience, airborne acrobats and hydraulic lifts that raised each band member about 30 feet into the air as they performed.

So what will this hard-rocking English trio feature in its just-launched “Simulation Theory” world tour, which stops here Tuesday for a show at Pechanga Arena San Diego?

A giant inflatable cyborg that shoots lasers out of its head, apparently, along with some “choreographed theatrics” by a troupe of LED-equipped dancers and an edgy vibe inspired in part by such classic films as “Blade Runner” and “Back to the Future II,” if not “This is Spinal Tap.” (At one show during Muse’s aforementioned “Drones” world tour, a drone crashed and landed — mid-song — on the head of bassist Chris Wolstenholme.)

Despite the massive new production for its “Simulation Theory” tour, Muse singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy recently predicted the production for the band’s new concert trek will be somewhat stripped down.

He also cited David Byrne’s game-raising 2018 “American Utopia” tour as a key inspiration. Unlike Bellamy, it should be noted, Byrne does not use LED-equipped glasses on stage to project the lyrics of any of his songs. Nor does Byrne use an inflatable, laser-equipped, giant cyborg, which Muse first featured in its “The Dark Side” video.

Fans who want to splurge can opt for the $399 Enhanced Experience VIP package for Muse’s San Diego show. It includes some extra high-tech options.

Specifically: “The ‘Simulation Theory’ World Tour will feature an exciting new Enhanced Experience Package that allows access to an exclusive Mixed Reality Pre-Show Party, powered by Microsoft, with three original virtual reality games, inspired by tracks from ‘Simulation Theory’. Additional Enhanced Experience perks include a premium concert ticket, show specific poster, interactive photo experience with props and memorabilia from the band’s latest videos and more.”

A drone that crashes on your head? That might cost extra.

Muse, with Walk The Moon: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Pechanga Arena San Diego (formerly Valley View Casino Center), 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway District. $43.50-$98.99; $399 (Enhanced Experience VIP package); $229 (Premium Ticket Bundle). (619) 224-4171. axs.com

Twitter @georgevarga

george.varga@sduniontribune.com

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George Varga

San Diego Union-Tribune music critic George Varga began drumming in rock bands at 12 and writing professionally about music at 15. A Louisiana native who grew up mostly in Germany, Varga has earned three Pulitzer Prize nominations for his writing at the U-T and is a voting member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to providing live coverage of the Grammy Awards and festivals from Coachella and KAABOO to the 1994 edition of Woodstock, he has interviewed everyone from Miles Davis, Britney Spears and (over a game of chess) Ray Charles to Willie Nelson, Kanye West and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis. A triple first prize-winner for criticism and arts writing at the 2022 San Diego Press Club awards and a double first prize-winner at the 2022 San Diego Society of Professional Journalists awards, Varga is also a contributing writer for Jazz Times magazine and has written for Billboard, Spin and other publications. After attending San Diego City College and San Diego State University, he created and taught the 2002 UC San Diego Extension course, “Jazz in a Post-Ken-Burns World.” Varga has written liner notes for more than a dozen albums, including by jazz sax greats James Moody and Michael Brecker, and contributed two chapters to the book, “Dylan: Disc By Disc.”