# Simulation Theory World Tour

The Simulation Theory World Tour 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. Numerous acts appeared as the opening act, including Tom Morello, Walk the Moon, Nothing But Thieves and SWMRS.
The tour grossed $102 million, with more than 1.3 million tickets sold, based on 55 reported dates.
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.

## Background

The 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.

## Staging and Production

The 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

* "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"
* "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

* 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

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, opening act, tickets sold, number of available tickets and amount of gross revenue :
| 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 | United States | American Airlines Center | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 26 February 2019 | Phoenix | United States | Talking Stick Resort Arena | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 28 February 2019 | Salt Lake City | United States | Vivint Smart Home Arena | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 2 March 2019 | Las Vegas | United States | Mandalay Bay Events Center | Walk the Moon | 8,084 / 8,084 | $656,610 |
| 5 March 2019 | San Diego | United States | Pechanga Arena | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 7 March 2019 | Sacramento | United States | Golden 1 Center | Walk the Moon | 5,781 / 14,801 | $468,832 |
| 9 March 2019 | Oakland | United States | Oracle Arena | Walk the Moon | 11,242 / 11,242 | $960,794 |
| 11 March 2019 | Inglewood | United States | The Forum | Walk the Moon | 12,662 / 12,662 | $1,096,514 |
| 23 March 2019 | Austin | United States | Austin 360 Amphitheater | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 24 March 2019 | Sunrise | United States | BB&T Center | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 26 March 2019 | Atlanta | United States | State Farm Arena | Walk the Moon | 6,513 / 6,513 | $551,203 |
| 28 March 2019 | Toronto | Canada | Scotiabank Arena | Walk the Moon | 11,352 / 11,352 | $682,726 |
| 30 March 2019 | Montreal | Canada | Bell Centre | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 31 March 2019 | Quebec City | Canada | Videotron Centre | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 2 April 2019 | Washington, D.C. | United States | Capital One Arena | SWMRS | 13,516 / 13,516 | $1,083,160 |
| 4 April 2019 | Detroit | United States | Little Caesars Arena | Walk the Moon | 9,515 / 12,699 | $623,914 |
| 7 April 2019 | Philadelphia | United States | Wells Fargo Center | SWMRS | 10,557 / 10,557 | $708,322 |
| 8 April 2019 | New York | United States | Madison Square Garden | Walk the Moon | 12,496 / 12,496 | $984,373 |
| 10 April 2019 | Boston | United States | TD Garden | Walk the Moon | 10,067 / 12,036 | $827,792 |
| 12 April 2019 | Chicago | United States | United Center | Walk the Moon | — | — |
| 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 | Dinosaur Pile-Up | 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 | England | Ashton Gate Stadium | Tom Morello Pale Waves | 23,579 / 23,579 | $2,068,648 |
| 8 June 2019 | Manchester | England | Etihad Stadium | Tom Morello Pale Waves | 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 | Kiefer Sutherland | 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 | 14,222 / 14,222 | $1,182,544 |
| 27 June 2019 | Nijmegen | Netherlands | Goffertpark | SWMRS Andy Burrows | 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 | 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 | Saint-Denis | France | Stade de France | SWMRS Mini Mansions | 131,321 / 147,552 | $12,225,296 |
| 9 July 2019 | Marseille | France | Stade Vélodrome | SWMRS Mini Mansions | 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 | Milan | Italy | San Siro | Mini Mansions Nic Cester | 89,619 / 103,010 | $6,158,308 |
| 16 July 2019 | Bordeaux | France | Matmut Atlantique | Mini Mansions Nic Cester | 38,613 / 38,613 | $3,063,978 |
| 20 July 2019 | Rome | Italy | Stadio Olimpico | Mini Mansions Nic Cester | 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 | 12,666 / 18,357 | $937,001 |
| 8 September 2019 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Royal Arena | Des Rocs | — | — |
| 10 September 2019 | Berlin | Germany | Mercedes-Benz Arena | Des Rocs | 12,500 / 13.441 | $1,055,850 |
| 12 September 2019 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Ziggo Dome | Des Rocs | — | — |
| 14 September 2019 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena | Nothing But Thieves | 30,600 / 34,773 | $3,032,640 |
| 15 September 2019 | London | England | The O$_2$ Arena | Nothing But Thieves | 30,600 / 34,773 | $3,032,640 |
| 17 September 2019 | Birmingham | England | Arena Birmingham | Nothing But Thieves | 13,191 / 13,741 | $1,192,030 |
| Leg 3 — Asia |||||||
| 21 September 2019 | Singapore | 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 | Mexico City | Mexico | Foro Sol | The Ruse | 94,400 / 122,597 | $4,968,447 |
| 6 October 2019 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | Barra Olympic Park | — | — | — |
| 9 October 2019 | São Paulo | Brazil | Ginásio do Ibirapuera | 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 | Kaiser Chiefs | 18,154 / 24,868 | $1,447,698 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 1,308,531 | $102,357,939 (55 shows) |