Microsoft Lets You Step Inside Muse's New Album
Today the British rock band Muse kicks off the global Simulation Theory album tour in Houston, Texas, giving fans a first look at their much-anticipated partnership with Microsoft. For the holders of “Enhanced Experience” tickets at each tour stop, a VIP pre-party includes a revolutionary approach to audience inclusion that brings fans into the album’s imagined world through interactive virtual reality.
Muse Continues to Push the Boundaries of Fan Experience on Their New Tour, Now with Microsoft VR Technologies to Create a Unique Fan-Artist Connection.
HOUSTON, TX (February 22, 2019) — Today the British rock band Muse kicks off the global Simulation Theory album tour in Houston, Texas, giving fans a first look at their much-anticipated partnership with Microsoft. For the holders of “Enhanced Experience” tickets at each tour stop, a VIP pre-party includes a revolutionary approach to audience inclusion that brings fans into the album’s imagined world through interactive virtual reality.
As part of their In Culture program that creates visionary initiatives that blur the line between artist and audience, Microsoft has partnered with Muse to develop a totally unique music-video experience through three custom VR games each soundtracked and inspired by a song from the Simulation Theory album. This virtual-reality immersion is initially reserved for dedicated fans purchasing the Enhanced Experience pre-show party package that includes the opportunity to take photos with props and memorabilia from the newest music videos, exclusive album-themed keepsakes, and front-row seats to the show.
The artwork for Muse’s latest studio album is reminiscent of the classic 80’s sci-fi movie Tron, the plot of which loosely aligns with the album title and it’s referenced “simulation hypothesis” that accepts that we’re all actually living within a computer-generated artificial reality. This is also in keeping with the band’s ongoing themes of a futurist technology dominated existence, as well as their visual interpretation that portrays more of a yesteryear’s vision of tomorrow. Complimenting this in contrast, Microsoft has incorporated their technologies to offer an out-of-this-world fan experience for today.
In creating more music videos for Simulation Theory than any previous release, Muse has also created an alternative visual world for the album that establishes a unifying theme for its songs. “The videos are very continuous; that's where the concept can be seen more so than in the music”, informs vocalist/guitarist Matt Bellamy. “So we're going to take that visual world and try to translate it into the live show, with the other performers who will be on stage with us.” The VR games developed with Microsoft take this audience experience far beyond a stunning audio-visual performance, guiding fans deep into the album’s virtual world for a uniquely personal immersion and real connection.
For more information on Muse and their upcoming tour, visit Muse.mu. For information around the Microsoft In Culture program, visit Microsoft.com/InCulture.
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