AYREON Reveals Live Video For for “The Day That The World Breaks Down” Featuring Damian Wilson, Simone Simons , Anneke van Giersbergen, Marcela Bovio, Irene Jansen and more.

Ayreon reveals the spectacular live video for “The Day The World Breaks Down” which features an enormous singing cast of Damian Wilson, Daniel Gildenlow, Jan Willem Ketelaers, Simone Simons, Maggy Luyten, Jaycee, Hansi Kürsch, Mike Mills, Tom Englund, Anneke van Giersbergen, Marcela Bovio and Irene Jansen.

An Ayreon live event is a monumental occasion where the highest-caliber musicians and an enormous production come together to forge a bombastic spectacle.

Talking about the song, Arjen Lucassen says, “Finally… on my birthday… here is the 2nd video from the Ayreon ‘Live Beneath The Waves’ DVD/BluRay! I picked the song The Day That The World Breaks Down because firstly it’s one of my favorites and secondly it features many of talented singers. We never thought we could pull this complicated song off in a live setting, but seems like we did it! Let me know if you agree… enjoy.”

In September 2023, Arjen Lucassen’s ‘01011001 – Live Beneath the Waves‘ sold out five performances at Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. Today, Ayreon is excited to announce the release of this concert on 3LP, 2CD+DVD, Blu-ray, Earbook, and digital formats on 17 May, through Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group.

You can pre-order ‘01011001 – Live Beneath the Waves‘ here.

This live production, based on the critically acclaimed 2008 concept album ‘01011001,’ was performed in its entirety, followed by a number of encore songs. The stage came alive with an imposing backdrop, LED screens showcasing fantastic visuals, lasers, pyrotechnics, special effects, and a unique live surround sound experience – a setup that would be at home on Broadway or London’s West End.

Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen, alongside keyboardist Joost van den Broek, assembled a remarkable lineup, featuring many original cast members from the 01011001 album and various special guests such as Simone Simons (Epica), Damian Wilson (Threshold), Anneke van Giersbergen, Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Tom Englund (Evergrey), Daniel Gildenlow (Pain of Salvation), Marcela Bovio (MaYan), Brittney Slayes (Unleash the Archers), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian), John Jaycee Cuijpers (Praying Mantis), Maggy Luyten (Beautiful Sin), Michael Mills (Toehider) and Wudstik, among other incredible musicians. 

The band featured top instrumentalists from the genre – Ed Warby (Drums), Johan van Stratum (Bass), Timo Somers (Guitar), Marcel Coenen (Guitar), Joost Van Den Broek (Keyboards) and more. The enigmatic Lucassen himself made an appearance, marking this as the largest cast in Ayreon’s live show history, which is no mean feat. ‘Live Beneath the Waves‘ vividly brings to life the water planet Y, immersing audiences in this technological underwater world.

Track List

01 March Of The Machines

02 Age of Shadows

03 Comatose

04 Liquid Eternity

05 Connect the Dots

06 Beneath the Waves

07 Newborn Race

08 Ride the Comet

09 Web of Lies

10 The Fifth Extinction

11 Waking Dreams

12 The Truth is In Here

13 Unnatural Selection

14 River of Time

15 E = MC2

16 The Sixth Extinction

17 Speech

18 This Human Equation

19 Fate of Man

20 The Day That The World Breaks Down