Drones General Tour Discussion Thread

[Alexander DeLarge]

Simple answer: Radiohead has a consistent fanbase that will stick with them. Muse partially have that as well, but a big part of their fanbase consists of casuals who will get bored if Muse plays a non-single at a gig, and who certainly won't stick around if Muse disappears for a few years.

 

That's their fault though, at least here because they've done nothing to reward hardcore US fans since 06/07 when seeing them live.

[Spectrum IV]

Simple answer: Radiohead has a consistent fanbase that will stick with them. Muse partially have that as well, but a big part of their fanbase consists of casuals who will get bored if Muse plays a non-single at a gig, and who certainly won't stick around if Muse disappears for a few years.

 

I think it's more that Radiohead's fanbase respects them, because they generally don't pander their music to please anyone. Muse have always kinda done this – OoS was basically a middle-finger to the Radiohead comparisons – but the end result was awesome, so nobody really cared.

 

BH&R was where they started trying to please different crowds at once. Most of the album was fanbase-friendly, but Tits, Invincible and SMBH were a little too blatantly off-canon in their radio friendly ambitions.

 

TR was worse. In the space of 50 minutes, you had formulaic, stadium-hungry anthems; a couple of unmemorable, Muse-by-numbers tracks; a weird detour into electropop; and a bunch of neoclassical symphonic stuff. For me, the best tracks here were the non-rock ones.

 

Drones was their come-crawling-back album after trying to build a larger fanbase and not really hitting the mark. The result is fairly palatable, only now the fanbase has largely come to realise Muse's earlier decision not to market to them, which makes the radio-hungry and pisstaking tracks much harder to swallow. This contributed to a lukewarm reaction and a lack of ticket sales to dedicated fans, necessitating the mediocre setlists we're seeing today.

 

tl;dr Muse had a niche following, threw it away for mass appeal, failed, now a good chunk of their fanbase is tired of their shit which is why their fans are now largely casuals.

[kueller]

It helped that Thom Yorke was basically bitter his entire career. He gets his big hit single on the first record, then hates that and basically names the next album in response to it. Then the band makes one of the most iconic 90s rock albums and decides rock is boring and moves on. The first 3 albums gave them the boost in popularity and enough attention to maintain attention for more divisive phases. That, and Kid A trimmed off a ton of the then casual fans.

 

Sippe even mentioned in the band's thread how many of their albums are rebellious against some aspect of previous albums. Through very fortunate circumstances they were able to get away with it.

[michael8888]

It helped that Thom Yorke was basically bitter his entire career. He gets his big hit single on the first record, then hates that and basically names the next album in response to it. Then the band makes one of the most iconic 90s rock albums and decides rock is boring and moves on. The first 3 albums gave them the boost in popularity and enough attention to maintain attention for more divisive phases. That, and Kid A trimmed off a ton of the then casual fans.

 

Sippe even mentioned in the band's thread how many of their albums are rebellious against some aspect of previous albums. Through very fortunate circumstances they were able to get away with it.

 

What about AMSP? In what ways it is rebellious against their previous work?

[kueller]

Lack of heavy percussion.

[frozenbanana]

Lack of heavy percussion.

 

Yep. Also practically zero distorted guitars and fast tempo songs.

 

Imagine if Muse did a whole album without distorted guitars...

Edited August 28, 2016 by frozenbanana

[michael8888]

Yep. Also practically zero distorted guitars and fast tempo songs.

 

Imagine if Muse did a whole album without distorted guitars...

 

I'm okay with that, but not with lyrics like Drones

[Hat]

Imagine if Muse did a whole album without distorted guitars...

Can't imagine Muse doing a whole album of anything tbh.

[s3ker]

 

tl;dr Muse had a niche following, threw it away for mass appeal, failed,

.

 

How did they fail? By doing stadium tours and selling consecutive nights in some of the venues with the biggest capacity?

 

These boards sometimes

[FabriPav]

and a lack of ticket sales to dedicated fans, necessitating the mediocre setlists we're seeing today.

 

This "lack of ticket sales to dedicated fans", if it even is real, didn't necessitate anything.

[Bohemian-Cygnus-Running-Out]

Of the very few people I've met who are even familiar with Muse (the band, not just Madness or Uprising by "whatstheirname"), none of them have been "casual" fans. Now that doesn't at all mean there aren't casual Muse fans out their, but it seems to me like the kind of person who buys a Muse ticket doesn't do it because they're the band that everyone's going to see when they come to town, or because they heard a couple hits on the radio too many times and offhandedly decided they must be popular enough to go see. If Muse are playing their biggest hits at their concerts, I doubt it's because there's actually a huge portion of the audience that only knows and loves the hits. More likely either Muse love those songs a lot and just enjoy playing them, they're somewhat obligated to play them (very few bands leave out their biggest hits at concerts, many more of them only play the hits; that's a societal expectation), they are pandering to a radio casual audience which I seriously doubt is that great of a presence at Muse concerts, or a combination of the three.

 

But I've never yet been to a Muse concert, so that's just some pointless pontification for you

[White Heat]

There are always going to be more casual fans than hardcore fans in concerts for bands as big as Muse. They could just rotate the hits and make room for deep cuts so in the end everyone gets what they want.

[Hat]

Of the very few people I've met who are even familiar with Muse (the band, not just Madness or Uprising by "whatstheirname"), none of them have been "casual" fans. Now that doesn't at all mean there aren't casual Muse fans out their, but it seems to me like the kind of person who buys a Muse ticket doesn't do it because they're the band that everyone's going to see when they come to town, or because they heard a couple hits on the radio too many times and offhandedly decided they must be popular enough to go see. If Muse are playing their biggest hits at their concerts, I doubt it's because there's actually a huge portion of the audience that only knows and loves the hits. More likely either Muse love those songs a lot and just enjoy playing them, they're somewhat obligated to play them (very few bands leave out their biggest hits at concerts, many more of them only play the hits; that's a societal expectation), they are pandering to a radio casual audience which I seriously doubt is that great of a presence at Muse concerts, or a combination of the three.

 

But I've never yet been to a Muse concert, so that's just some pointless pontification for you

You haven't really been paying attention to Muse's tours, have you? I mean the band has literally said that they play the hits because that's what the audience reacts to, and avoid rarities because Matt doesn't like it when the audience isn't responding well.

[Bs]

Not a recent example, but I'm pretty sure I remember seeing some quotes from audience members outside one of the Wembley shows years back that were along the lines of 'it was alright, but I only know one song so I left before the end anyway'.

[denise3112]

Of the very few people I've met who are even familiar with Muse... none of them have been "casual" fans.

 

it seems to me like the kind of person who buys a Muse ticket...

 

But I've never yet been to a Muse concert

 

 

Thank-you for your input

[Clunge]

Just relistened to a couple of live versions of Take A Bow.

 

Nothing will convince me this isn't Muse's best live closer. Absolutely enormous. Probably right up there as their very best songs live ever. In fact, it's simply one of their best songs.

[frozenbanana]

Just relistened to a couple of live versions of Take A Bow.

 

Nothing will convince me this isn't Muse's best live closer. Absolutely enormous. Probably right up there as their very best songs live ever. In fact, it's simply one of their best songs.

 

[denise3112]

Just relistened to a couple of live versions of Take A Bow.

 

Nothing will convince me this isn't Muse's best live closer. Absolutely enormous. Probably right up there as their very best songs live ever. In fact, it's simply one of their best songs.

 

 

Yes. Yes. Yes.

One of the best songs of all time. Of all bands.

[blubb0r]

it is truly a monster.

 

 

 

especially with the guitar entering the game… enormous!

[Jobby]

I think I've always preferred TAB as an opener of some kind tbh, whether it be encore or main set. That's the only position I've ever seen it in person though so that might have an effect. My favourite Muse closers tend to be big, energetic, cathartic riff-outs like Bliss and Stockholm.

[denise3112]

I think I've always preferred TAB as an opener of some kind tbh, whether it be encore or main set. That's the only position I've ever seen it in person though so that might have an effect. My favourite Muse closers tend to be big, energetic, cathartic riff-outs like Bliss and Stockholm.

 

it was used as closer sometimes in BHAR tour as I recall. I think you're right that energetic closing songs work best as closer, and I think in that tour they sometimes used Stockholm Syndrome to close when they'd used Knights as opener. But these days I'm so pleased to get TAB at all that I am happy wherever they put it. It was highlight of Drones arena tour for me.

[Clunge]

Take A Bow is the perfect closer AFTER the massive riff out.

 

Hence, Dead Star/Micro Cuts > Stockholm > TaB has to be the perfect closing combo.

 

TaB as an encore opener is sound enough, but Mercy just kills it after that.

[Bohemian-Cygnus-Running-Out]

You haven't really been paying attention to Muse's tours, have you? I mean the band has literally said that they play the hits because that's what the audience reacts to, and avoid rarities because Matt doesn't like it when the audience isn't responding well.

 

Welp, that would indeed negate much of what I pontificated about. Thanks for setting me straight!

 

 

I guess it's just the fact that maybe ten percent of people or less actually seem to know Muse by name where I live that makes me question the existence of a large number of casual fans. Of course, most people have heard the really big hits before, but often don't know who they're by so...

[Bohemian-Cygnus-Running-Out]

Thank-you for your input

 

[Hat]

Welp, that would indeed negate much of what I pontificated about. Thanks for setting me straight!

 

 

I guess it's just the fact that maybe ten percent of people or less actually seem to know Muse by name where I live that makes me question the existence of a large number of casual fans. Of course, most people have heard the really big hits before, but often don't know who they're by so...

No worries. This might come as a surprise but I actually kinda like setting people straight

 

Anyway yeah Muse market themselves with pop singles then they're surprised when the masses don't respond well to their rock material. Not their brightest moment.