Matt Bellamy is an unapologetic technophile. He’s also a rock star, which is how most people know him. But Muse’s frontman and lead songwriter has a deep and abiding interest in technology, resulting not only in spectacular live shows—featuring things like flocks of drones and searing solos played on a custom guitar with a built-in Kaoss Pad—but also a genuine curiosity around most things high-tech.

“I leaned into VR when I started reading about simulation theory itself and what that means—about how the world we’re living in could be a simulation. We don’t know, and there is a chance,” says Bellamy. “Because the mechanisms behind the universe are very mathematical. You know, the way we understand the universe is through maths, and so that could suggest an element of programming involved.”

Bellamy was full of such contemplations when the band came to tour the main Microsoft Campus in early 2018.

They were in Redmond to learn about the latest in mixed reality offerings, hoping to discover a tool to blow fans’ minds all over again. After the next-level experience provided by their Drones tour, the group had a lot to live up to. So how could the band immerse their fans even deeper into the world of their latest album, Simulation Theory? The answer: virtual reality.