Monday night at the Patriot Center in Northern Virginia was just the second show in a long string of North American dates for stadium rock heroes Muse. I’ve seen some crazy crowd footage from the band’s performances in recent years so understandably, I was concerned about an out of control general admission audience. An English friend of mine is a huge fan of the band and has seen them more times than he count on one hand. So I figured he would be the one to ask regarding concert safety, and our discussion went something like this:
Me: Okay, so the Muse gig in March is general admission. Where do I stand, so I don’t get killed by the mosh pit?
Him: Don’t stand in the middle! Stand either to the left or the right, and you’ll be fine.
Me: Really?
Him: Yeah, you’ll be fine.
And he was right. By the time a friend and I arrived at the arena, there was already a long line going around one side of the building, so I figured placing ourselves front and center wouldn’t be possible anyway. As luck would have it, we ended up in “second row” on stage right, squarely in front of the exact spot where Matt Bellamy (lead vocals / guitar / piano) stood for much of the show, so it turned out to be an excellent vantage point.
Opening for Muse was Los Angeles band Silversun Pickups. Frontman/guitarist Brian Aubert had the daunting task of leading his band in front of crazy Muse fans, but I thought they did an admirable job, playing songs familiar to me off 2009′s Grammy-nominated Swoon like the fabulous “Substitution.” Dark-haired bassist Nikki Monninger dazzled in a magenta sleeveless dress, busting out the awesome bass lines to the Silversun Pickups song everyone should know by now, “Panic Switch.” While they had no problem filling the cavernous 10,000-seat arena with their brand of rock, I’m imagining they’d sound even better in a smaller club.
Even before one note was played that night, there was the question of three towers draped in gray cloth, standing on the far end of the stage. We didn’t know what these were for until the lights went down shortly before 9:30 PM, causing everyone in the now-filled venue to hoot and holler in approval as images of shadows started to “walk” up the towers, further building the suspense. Finally, cloth dropped, revealing Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar / backing vocals), and Dom Howard (drums) on their individual towers. What a truly dramatic way to usher in “Uprising.” Turns out these “towers” house fancy hydraulic lifts that allow the band to be raised high above us or when they feel like it, join us mortals back down on the regular stage.
The Resistance was one of my top 10 albums of 2009, even though when I first heard some of the tracks, sprinkled liberally with sweeping orchestral arrangements and Bellamy’s piano tinklings, I wanted to scream, “stop trying to be Queen!” (The band have, in fact, admitted their love for Queen, and Queen guitarist Brian May has indicated his appreciation for Muse’s music, so this shouldn’t have come as a surprise.) Now, having heard many of the tracks from the Resistance live a couple days ago and having it all sink in, all I can say is…wow. This Led Zeppelin fangirl from back in the day was not at all expecting an homage to the gods of hard rock by way of Jimmy Page’s guitar solo at the start of Led Zeppelin II‘s “Heartbreaker.” But if there was any better way Bellamy could intro “Supermassive Black Hole” on his guitar, I’d like to see him try.
It’s hard to pinpoint my highlights of the night, but the superbly sensual “Plug in Baby” (from 2001′s Origin of Symmetry) has to be at the top of the list. Bellamy is the consummate songwriter, and my impression from Monday night is that he is also the consummate performer as well. Whether wailing on his guitar or keytar, singing in his trademark falsetto voice, or banging away on the piano, the man has more talent in his body than should be allowed. Wolstenholme’s thumping bass and Howard’s drumming, along with Bellamy’s contributions, assured that every Muse song was played with deftness and might. The crowning moment was “Knights of Cydonia,” the precision of the commanding guitars and Howard’s drumming making this truly one rocktastic tune. Every single person in the arena sang along with Bellamy on the chorus of “no one’s gonna take me alive / time has come to make things right / you and I must fight for our rights / you and I must fight to survive,” all in one voice. Absolutely brilliant. This band from Devon, England has worked so very hard to get where they are today, and I’m so glad that finally they’re getting the mainstream success they deserve in America.
There’s a wonderful line in Muse’s current love song single, “Resistance”: “I’ll wait a thousand years, just to see you smile again.” Muse is one of those bands that if you love sweeping guitar rock, they’re sure to make you smile. I’m glad I won’t have to wait that long to see them: the wide, Muse-induced smile is going to return to my face this summer. If you want to see what you’re missing, check out the official promo video for the song below. (If you’re seeing them on this tour, you may want to skip it so you’ll be surprised!)
Muse Set List
Uprising
Resistance
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Black Hole (with wicked Led Zeppelin “Heartbreaker”-influenced intro)
Interlude
Guiding Light
Hysteria
United States of Eurasia (no piano outro)
Feelin’ Good (Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse cover)
Helsinki Jam
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Plug in Baby
Time is Running Out
Unnatural Selection
//
Exogenesis
Stockholm Syndrome
Knights of Cydonia
Tour Dates
Mar 05 – Madison Square Garden / New York City
Mar 06 – Banknorth Garden / Boston
Mar 08 – Air Canada Center / Toronto
Mar 10 – Bell Centre / Montreal
Mar 12 – United Center / Chicago
Mar 13 – Palace Of Auburn Hills / Detroit
Mar 15 – Bridgestone Arena/ Nashville
Mar 17 – Fort Worth Convention Center / Dallas
Mar 18 – Toyota Center / Houston
Mar 29 – Rexall Place / Edmonton
Mar 30 – Pengrowth Saddledome / Calgary
Apr 01 – Pacific Coliseum / Vancouver
Apr 02 – Key Arena / Seattle
Apr 03 – Rose Garden Arena / Portland
Apr 05 – E Center / Salt Lake City
Apr 06 – 1stBank Center / Denver
Apr 09 – U.S. Airways Center / Phoenix
Apr 10 – Mandalay Bay Events Center / Las Vegas
Apr 11 – Pima County Fairgrounds / Tucson
Apr 14 – Oracle Arena / San Francisco
Apr 17 – Coachella Music Festival / Indio, CA
Muse: website | myspace | Muse Reveal Tracklisting for New Album | Muse to Play Several U.S. Dates with U2 and MTV VMAs | Various Artists: New Moon Soundtrack | Muse – “Undisclosed Desires” Promo Video | Muse Announce Short Spring American Tour | Muse Announce More Dates for 2010 Spring North American Tour
Silversun Pickups: website | myspace
