Mu mu mu ma ma mu ma ma mad madness…
I am quite a big fan of MUSE.
Ok, ok, I am a huge fan, I was hooked as soon as I heard Origin of Symmetry, I have bought every album they have produced since on the day of release and I have now seen them live 4 times, but only once in the pouring rain.
So.
New album.
As expected, the sound has evolved again and that now ubiquitous wobbly bass is evident along with some seriously bombastic choral elements and the requisite falsetto wailing and guitar masturbation. I like it, but it had to grow on me for a while.
Now, being the hardcore fans that we are, my sister and I had already acquired tickets for their new tour long in advance of the album, trusting that the new material would be brilliant and knowing that Muse put on one hell of a show. We even managed to get hold of an extra one for chapcalledjules who had never been to a big scale rock n roll show.
We were not disappointed.
We were initially puzzled by the stage, as it seemed to be a 360 degree island type thing with lots of stairs and walkways around a sort of… dish… thing with a lot of overhead… gubbins.
When the show started however, it quickly became clear that almost every surface was a screen, and the curious rig above the stage was made from even more screens arranged on concentric square collars, which could be lowered to make a sort of flexible audio visual sculpture. This was coupled with a huge moving lighting rig and enough lasers to declare war on Mars. The visual effect of all this was stunning, and the technology was brilliantly employed to broadcast pre-recorded video, graphics and augmented live feeds.
Of course, all this counts for nothing without sound and showmanship, and I am pleased to report that this show had both of those things in spades. Musically there was a huge selection and a lot of material from the new album, and I was overjoyed to hear a very subtle, stripped down version of ‘Falling Down’, taken from ‘Showbiz’. This said, the crowd-stirring favourites were given a good airing, and the room nearly exploded when the first bar of ‘Plug in Baby’ screeched from the monitors.
It’s quite remarkable, there are only 3 people in this band, but they can own a stage and utterly possess an audience, taking them from something that’s only a few misplaced air-punches away from an all-out riot, right down to a something that has everyone silently navel-gazing.
I can’t wait for the next tour.
~T
Ok, ok, I am a huge fan, I was hooked as soon as I heard Origin of Symmetry, I have bought every album they have produced since on the day of release and I have now seen them live 4 times, but only once in the pouring rain.
So.
New album.
As expected, the sound has evolved again and that now ubiquitous wobbly bass is evident along with some seriously bombastic choral elements and the requisite falsetto wailing and guitar masturbation. I like it, but it had to grow on me for a while.
Now, being the hardcore fans that we are, my sister and I had already acquired tickets for their new tour long in advance of the album, trusting that the new material would be brilliant and knowing that Muse put on one hell of a show. We even managed to get hold of an extra one for chapcalledjules who had never been to a big scale rock n roll show.
We were not disappointed.
We were initially puzzled by the stage, as it seemed to be a 360 degree island type thing with lots of stairs and walkways around a sort of… dish… thing with a lot of overhead… gubbins.
When the show started however, it quickly became clear that almost every surface was a screen, and the curious rig above the stage was made from even more screens arranged on concentric square collars, which could be lowered to make a sort of flexible audio visual sculpture. This was coupled with a huge moving lighting rig and enough lasers to declare war on Mars. The visual effect of all this was stunning, and the technology was brilliantly employed to broadcast pre-recorded video, graphics and augmented live feeds.
Of course, all this counts for nothing without sound and showmanship, and I am pleased to report that this show had both of those things in spades. Musically there was a huge selection and a lot of material from the new album, and I was overjoyed to hear a very subtle, stripped down version of ‘Falling Down’, taken from ‘Showbiz’. This said, the crowd-stirring favourites were given a good airing, and the room nearly exploded when the first bar of ‘Plug in Baby’ screeched from the monitors.
It’s quite remarkable, there are only 3 people in this band, but they can own a stage and utterly possess an audience, taking them from something that’s only a few misplaced air-punches away from an all-out riot, right down to a something that has everyone silently navel-gazing.
I can’t wait for the next tour.
~T