Muse (3/12/2010)

by Paul on March 17th, 2010

About this time last month, I was talking about the role of “spectacle” in concerts, and I said that a band like Wild Beasts put on a great show and didn’t rely on theatrical production, even though their music seems like it would lend itself to it. Muse, on the other hand, have an over-the-top sound and now a performance space to match. Towers that raise, lower, and act as platforms for the band members and as video screens, strobe lights, epilepsy-inducing green lasers, and synchronized smoke are just a part of the experience that I won’t describe for fear of ruining the awe factor for any readers who may still see them on this tour (a picture of the set-up is at the bottom, so avoid if you are worried about spoilers). Despite how hard Muse try to distract you visually, they still bring it musically as well, resulting in an overall show that has everything die-hard and casual fans could ask for.

This includes the opening act, which for the Chicago date was Silversun Pickups. I’ll admit that while I enjoyed their debut Carnavas well enough, I never felt inspired to pick up last year’s follow-up Swoon, and honestly I still don’t. Nevertheless, they were much better than I expected. I had heard less than stellar reviews of their live shows, and from what I heard at Austin City Limits Festival in 2008, I would not have disagreed. Either they have figured something out, or I caught them on their night. I won’t say that I was riveted throughout their set, especially since it was largely filled with material from Swoon, but their sound was always tight, frontman Brian Aubert is a talented guitarist and a good showman (when he wants to be) and leaving the crowd favorites for the end of their 45 minutes did exactly what an opening band is supposed to: get the energy level up for the headliner. The way in which they link the closing combo of ‘Panic Switch’ into ‘Lazy Eye’ is inspired and Aubert goes appropriately bananas at exactly the right moments. By the end of the set, the general admission crowd that was respectfully reserved to start was up and singing along by the end. When Aubert turned and asked the crowd, “Do you know who brought these skyscrapers?” a huge roar erupted throughout the United Center and the masses certainly were excited.

At this point in their career, Muse are a polarizing band. There are quite a few fans that have been with them since the Showbiz and Origin Of Symmetry days. The latter was my first album of theirs, and my interest in them has gradually waned with each passing release, though Absolution and Black Holes And Revelations are solid efforts. The most significant issue I have is with the direction they have been heading in, culminating with the epically overblown The Resistance which they released last year to disappointing reviews. Despite this, they have become one of the biggest bands in the world, headlining festivals on both sides of the pond. As a result, I was not expecting to hear much from those earlier albums and I was mainly interested in the spectacle, but I was pleasantly surprised. The opening video sequence for Muse started just before 9 o’clock, giving them just enough time to fill the 90-minute set that I expected. They began with a couple of tracks off of their most recent album, but in a shocking turn, the crowd was more responsive to the older material and the few deep cuts on the setlist. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that fans of a band that size are familiar with the back catalog, but for an entire arena to respond more to those songs impressed me.

The setlist is available elsewhere, but the highlights for me were ‘New Born’ and ‘Feeling Good’ off of Origins and ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ and ‘Hysteria’ off of Absolution, all accompanied by a mesmerizing array of lasers, video, and Matthew Bellamy’s shredding. The problem with all the discussion of their visual display is that it detracts from the fact that Muse are very capable musicians. The riffs from their early days are as powerful as any and Bellamy does have fantastic vocal chops, even though he now resorts to simple arpeggios in his guitar work too often. Live, these riffs send the crowd into a frenzy, and none more so than first set closer ‘Plug-In Baby’ and encore-capper ‘Knights Of Cydonia’. The latter is by far their most popular song and is a perfect closer for them, but the former is what really made the set for me. For whatever reason, there were no lasers, but that even compared to the outlandishness of the rest of the show, really doesn’t matter when you have a song that good.

The show did have its low points, particularly when Bellamy brought out a keytar for some reason, but overall it was a non-stop barrage of everything arena-rock is supposed to be: huge riffs, anthemic singalong choruses, and mind-bending visuals. If you are at all a fan of the band, at any stage of their career, I recommend you check this one out if it comes near you.

Paul Bulow

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