Here is a list of things that you will find at a Muse gig
that are Not A Big Deal:
- Massive lasers
- An inverted pyramid that moves into different formations during the show and projects businessmen and cartoon men with Pringles-moustaches
- Drummer Dom Howard dressed as a ninja to fight off said businessmen
The band have honed their live show to a fine art, actually
toning it down this time after the vertigo-inducing towers that Bellamy, Howard
and Wolstenholme played on while touring The
Resistance. Running around the back of the stage is a slanted wall of
lights that, when it isn’t projecting thought-provoking and sometimes hilarious
visuals, transforms into a roulette wheel designed to pick the last song of the
main set. This playful suspense has been taken in the right spirit by the fans,
who are no longer surprised by anything that happens during a Muse show.
And what of the music, I hear you ask? As the lights go
down, the first strains of controversial track ‘The 2nd Law: Unsustainable’ blare
out, and as the song reaches its ‘dubstep’ (I use that term very loosely)
climax the band appear and thrash out noises never before heard from guitars.
The track was written with opening live shows in mind, and it works perfectly,
whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The afore-mentioned roulette wheel chooses
Stockholm Syndrome tonight, and it is one of the highlights of the night, along
with the resurrection of fan favourite ‘Sunburn’.
What is most surprising about the show is witnessing Matt
Bellamy, who seems to be a changed man on stage. Gone is the near silence
between songs; Bellamy is extremely chatty and interacting with fans,
commenting on one fan’s flashing hair “I’ll have to get that done next tour”.
For several songs such as ‘Undisclosed Desires’ and ‘Follow Me’ the frontman is
unencumbered by guitars or guitar-shaped instruments and takes this opportunity
to strut around the stage and venture into the crowd.
This is far from a one-man show, however, as bassist Chris
Wolstenholme moves centre-stage to perform ‘Liquid State’, one of two songs
written by Wolstenholme on The 2nd Law.
His shy thanks to the crowd belies the assured performance of a satisfyingly
heavy song, bound to become a live favourite during the course of the tour. Muse have of late monopolised the ‘Best Live
Band’ title at numerous awards shows, but this is not without reason, as even
now the band are evolving their live show and adding more strings to their
bows.
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