It seem the last year or so any music magazine you flip, movie trailers you watch and even particular vampire movies you despise seem to have something to do with the band Muse. Literally they have been the biggest band of the year and in my opinion, if the 90s had Nirvana and Rage Against the Machine; the “00s” to me is Muse.
I’m a person that likes technicality in music, listening to their songs I can’t help but start dissecting it to figure out what effects they used or how they made that sound. Looking into it they are a very forward thinking band interms of audio engineering, they are not afraid to try new sounds and jam weird and wonderful effects in guitars. but above it all is the simple pop structure, catchy rhythm and mesmerizing lyrics that makes the band who they are.
The Show
Now I’ve been waiting to see this show for quite some time. I missed them the last two times they were here headlining Big Day Out. So when I found out they were coming back with their massive stage and what not I wasn’t going to miss it.
When we finally got there I was a little bit disappointed that I didn’t get a General Admission ticket and one thing I knew about Muse live is that they can pull and wow the crowd. Anyway, our seats were literally behind the stage! We sat down and all we can see is the side platform of the stage, 3 building with screens covered, projecting a camera view of the front and a vague view of Dead Letter Circus opening for the band. We were very disappointed to say the least. Until when the lights went off, the towers screened a creepy animation with a sci-fi esk tone that screamed hopelessness. And in some senses we were, due to where we were sitting. Then in the towers I saw a vague shadow of Matt on a platform rising up, then the screens around the buildings came down, lights on and there they were standing on a platform each on top and below massive led screens that went as high as the ceiling. It was definitely the grandest entrance I’ve seen for a live show! That instant we took back every bit of disappointment we had prior to them opening with ‘Uprising’.
They played mostly fan favourites and from their latest album Resistance. The set list was nice and tight, there wasn’t a point of the show where I felt the need to look at the time, or doze off and watch the lighting guys dangling above the stage twisting the lights around. The led screens made everything so much more interesting, there were cameras everywhere to shoot basically a live music video just for our eyes, cut with animated footage that made you sink within the theme of each song. It wasn’t just a live show, it was a full blown experience that took you through a journey of each song and what it really means to the band.
Overall it was a fantastic show, I reckon even non-Muse fans would have liked it. And I can see how they were able to continually grow their fan base after almost 10 years. Only criticisms on my end is that I was hoping they played some of my other favourites like Bliss, Citizens Erased and Invincible. Can’t have it all I guess. But the other thing that bugged me was watching their live shows on DVD, in it they had a different kind of energy, a much darker and more destructive presence. The band played as much as they could running around between instruments during songs, running and jumping about and inevitably resulted into trashing the stage. Maybe it’s the increasing number of fans who prefer their later more pop stuff, them getting more mature as a band or budget restraints for the Australian tour. I guess I’m not complaining, I was just expecting something different.
All in all an awesome show and I hope they keep up the same integrity and passion they had since Showbiz, because to me it’s comforting to see a band taking over the world that have the spirituality of political and social breakdown. If they ruled the world we’d be doomed!
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