For their debut headline performance at Donington Park's Download Festival on Saturday, Muse teased its latest Drones live show with a 90-minute set.
Bassist Chris Wolstenhome recently stated that the performance would be "scaled back" due to issues with timing, notes NME. Keeping up with the festival's metal concentration, the set was skewed toward Muse's heaviest tracks. The trio graced the stage in all black wardrobes as Drones' "Drill Sergeant" blasted out of the speakers.
Drones single "Psycho" opened up the show while Matt Bellamy slipped up from rocking out a little too hard on the catwalk. He quickly recovered and continued the song without any hesitation, unlike the unfortunate and recent leg break of Dave Grohl during a Foo Fighters set. Muse then performed second track "The Handler" for the first time ever, equipped with fiery blasts near the stage. Bellamy took to the piano to play "New Born," "Hysteria," "Micro Cuts," and non-Drones single, "Dead Star." After the completion of "Citizen Erased," he exclaimed, "F-ck, there's loads of you out there!"
Receiving positive feedback from the crowd, the trio launched into Drones opener "Dead Inside," complete with fighter plane graphics and images of a topless body. Jet black balloons bounced from audience member to audience member before the closing of the set ensued with "Stockholm Syndrome."
Images of whistle blower Ed Snowden appeared on screen while the Drones skit "JFK" carried on. Bellamy voiced a comment, insinuating that the police scan the faces of innocent citizens more often than not. Closing out the headlining show, firework displays commenced along with the finale of "Knights of Cydonia."
Muse Set List:
'[Drill Sergeant]'
'Psycho'
'The Handler'
'New Born'
'Hysteria'
'Micro Cuts'
'Dead Star'
'Agitated'
'Citizen Erased'
'Dead Inside'
'Supermassive Black Hole'
'Mercy'
'Time is Running Out'
'Reapers'
'Stockholm Syndrome'
'[JFK]'
'Uprising'
'Plug in Baby'
'Knights of Cydonia'
