Thursday, December 17, 2009
Whatevs But How Popular Are Muse, Really?
Posted by Ashley Spurgeon on Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 2:33 PM
Look, I don't walk around this world pretending to be some kind of genius about music. I'm not Chuck Klosterman. But most days I feel like I have a pretty decent grip on good vs. bad, popular vs. unpopular. Not today! Today all I can think about is the weird truth that Muse is going to play at the Sommet Center next March.
Am I only person confused about this? John Mayer and the Black Eyed Peas playing the Sommet Center, I get. Those acts are so famous, even my mother knows what a will.i.am is. But Muse? Really?
Out of befuddled curiosity, I called up 102.9 The Buzz to see if this guitar-based band gets any love from our local active-rock listeners. The lady said yes, yes they do. This confuses me even more. I have listened to The Buzz. I have listened to Muse. Muse is not Buzzworthy. Trust.
Now, I don't think that there's anything wrong or bad about Muse. They're not in my music collection (it's all vaudeville), but I have been known to listen to them on purpose. But are they so successful they could sell well at an arena in Nashville? Am I underestimating the rat-faced hotness of their singer? Are the Twilight fans clamoring for a group that's like Radiohead, if Radiohead were a band of alcoholics who time-traveled to the '70s and only wrote songs when they needed more money for blow?
I think it's great they're playing in Nashville, really I do, because no on else does. I'm just wondering...are you a fan? Are you going to attend? Am I totally off base in my bewilderment that a band I was sure peaked in Britain 10 years ago can have a successful show at the biggest venue in Nashville?
ANYWAY.
Comments (70)
Showing 1-50 of 70
Come on, the Radiohead comparisons are way outdated. Listen to Newborn, Stockholm Syndrome, Knights of Cydonia, and Hysteria. These songs are distinctive and incredibly catchy. Not to mention, Matt Bellamy is an incredible guitarist and showman. A Muse concert is the ultimate in live entertainment.
like
dislike
From what I understand, they are massive in the UK and Eastern Europe. They play stadiums over there and everything. A few of my friends from London who call music city home now were shocked when the band came through and barely sold out Exit In a few years ago.
Check out the HAARP CD/DVD if you have never seen it- they put on one hell of a live show. If selling out Wembley two nights in a row is popular, then I guess that would make them popular.
Really? Where have you been for like, a real long time. They are huge in most of the world. Hence the magazine covers from both sides of the pond. And the Radiohead comparison is not just outdated, it's stupid. A similair British accent doesn't justify a lazy comparison. And full disclosure, Origin of Symmetry is a fucking great album, the last two, not so much.
I was discussing Muse with Janet Timmons earlier and she also said their live shows are awesome. I saw them at Curiosa years ago, but don't really remember much about it.
And selling out Wembley makes them popular in the UK. Take That can sell out Wembley, but that doesn't mean anyone other than me would show up if they played at The Basement.
(I would love to see Take That at The Basement.)
muse is lame. they will not come close to selling out that arena, certainly not here anyway.
Until this guy stops singing like Thom Yorke, the Radiohead comparison will be valid and current. Matthew Bellamy is to Thom Yorke what Scott Stapp is to Eddie Vedder. MUSE have been headlining arenas in major markets for a few years now, I guess they're gonna give it a try in Nashville. I actually saw this band open for U2 at the Georgia Dome a couple months ago and the crowd seemed VERY familiar with their hits. I'm not surprised at all.
They do leave a bad taste in my mouth though. 2 years ago I spent weeks recovering from a knee surgery and all I was capable of doing was popping handfuls of Vicodin and playing guitar hero. I got stuck on the Muse song "Knights of Cydonia" and heard the dreadful tune like 36 times in a row...It's stuck in my head to this day.
Their shows are a huge concert experience and they've sold millions of albums. Clearly this band is beyond the scope of Ashley and the Cream Scene elite. Please return to your inside jokes and cryptic references usually posted about the next great band playing at an exclusive bar or basement that we're not cool enough to know about. Wanna know why no good shows ever come to Nashville? Go look in the mirror.
My jeans are blue. I can't grow a mustache. I hate Pabst.
My jeans are blue. I grow a mean beard. I prefer Yuengling.
Does this mean we can't hang out strunkles?
I saw Muse at the Curiosa Festival at Starwood several years back. I'll say they put on a captivating show and filled a remarkable amount of space for a three-piece. However, a few years and a couple of records later, I can't bring myself to listen anymore. I personally find it a bit affected, redundant and theatrical for my personal taste.
I think you're reading this wrong, strunkles. Ashley herself admitted to kind of liking Muse. Plus, she's far too classy for Pabst. The PBR/mustache/skinny jeans jokes are old. We all drink liquor and have beards.
If Take That get back together please don't ask me to
have them at The Basement. Want You Back was way better
as done by The Concretes.
And Goldie's right, MUSE wanted to be Radiohead first, now
they want to be Radiohead AND Queen.
What the hell should I care, I guess my band wants to be
the entire 80's!!
this is not hilarious, but smirkworthy anyway. i choose to believe that you are having a quasi-crisis because you like to listen to muse, but now that you know they are popular, your inner hipster is telling you that no, actually, you guess you dont really like them anymore after all.
I am listening to Lady Gaga right now. I prefer Kanye West to JEFF. My crisis is that I'm getting old and have no idea what the kids are listening to nowadays. Muse is popular? News to me! The last song I remember is "Muscle Museum," so get off my lawn.
Hey, I was at that Curiosa show too. I thought they put on a great show (certainly better than Thursday and Auf der Maur at that same show) and I kinda dug that album they did with Knights of Cydonia on it--although not nearly as much as I liked Showbiz. All that considered, I'm mystified about their booking Sommet too. Muse strikes me as one of those bands that's too big for Cannery but a bit of a stretch for Municipal. If City Hall were still around, that's the venue I'd peg them in, certainly not Sommet.
I'm confused because I can't grow a mustache and I do like Pabst, but I am wearing gray jeans. WHERE DO I FIT ON THIS ARBITRARY, DATED HIPSTER SPECTRUM? SAAAAVE ME.
And Muse is alright. They aren't Taking Back Sunday or anything, but they're OK.
Post-Robbie Williams Take That are amazing, by the way. "Shine" from Beautiful World in '06 is one of my favorite songs of the past ten years, much to the chagrin and bemusement of literally everyone I know.
First off, no one who works for Cream fits the true hipster definition. Reason? They live in Nashville. Yes, geographical prejudice is real and justified. Just cuz u read it on the interwebz doesn't mean you're actually cool.
Secondly, the hipster spectrum is incredibly difficult to follow, but rest assured that whatever you think they're into, you're about three to six months late. For instance, those ridiculous Sally Jesse oversized glasses are out, and have been out, and yet every stupid fuck at 3 Crow is still wearing them. (I haven't been to 3 Crow in approximately six months, and yet I don't have to go to know I'm right. Nashville!)
Also, hipster or homeless? Stupid. Homelessness is actually way cooler because homeless people are in unfortunate circumstances, recognize it, and actually desire to change it, whereas every hipster type I've ever known actually thinks they've reached the self-actualized height of cool, even though they could never articulate that sentence.
Finally, Muse? More like Snuse!
Wait - there was a time when people (and not just Nashville people) thought those glasses were cool and/or attractive? Christ.
Patrick was a hipster until he stopped wearing those glasses. Just saying... you're wrong.
Hmm, I'm not sure you're aware of my official hipster-identifying credentials as a person born before 1980.
At least we can all agree that Matt Bellamy is like the pinnacle of rat-faced hotness.
i'm not a HUGE muse fan, but i have seen them three times (not all by choice). once was at the curiosa festival, as well. definitely appreciated them a lot more in their earlier days... however, this was one of the most fun times i've ever had at a show (you know, after a few bowls and a couple of $7 beers)>>>>>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33QEj6jX3Mg
*epic facepalm*
popular enough to have sold millions of albums, to have sold out Wembley Stadium in minutes and to have performed at every major festival on the planet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8WP7aOD_9Q&feature=related
Wembley shwembley, everyone knows that success in the U.K. has nothing to do with success in the U.S. Case in point: U.K. arena headliners Razorlight played at 12th & Porter the last time they were here for Christ's sake. If you want to make the case for Muse, then bring up the fact that they're about to headline Madison Square Garden for the SECOND time. I was unfortunate enough have caught Muse 3 years ago when they sold-out War Memorial. They've had two big records since then. They're one of the biggest modern rock bands.
They just happen to be the kind of band that doesn't even show up as a blip on the "hipster" radar. The reason is because, while they're certainly not that interesting or "cool," they're also not offensively bad either. There just isn't much to pay attention to there. Muse are Radiohead for your 13 year-old little sibling, or maybe they're just an unfunny Smashing Pumpkins for the kids of today. They're drummer is REALLY bad ass, but he plays left-handed, so he's an eyesore to watch. Tevs.
I realize that there is a certain amount of snark and elitism inherent in running a music blog these days, but Jesus H - you guys have been on fire lately.
Maybe it's the Vicodin, maybe it's the Pabst, maybe it's seasonal affective disorder, who knows, but it seems like you're going out of your way (more than usual) to show how edgy you think you are.
And Ashley, if the idea of Muse playing Sommet is a shocker, then this will blow your mind:
When you're watching tv and you decide to change the channel, that show you were just watching is STILL ON.
Crazy, right? ;)
Do you actually write or follow the music industry for a living? Or do you just live under a rock? The amateurness of your piece makes me think you are a preteen hillbilly typing this out while your daddy is passed out drunk on the couch. Just sayin.
I'm not going to make sweeping generalizations about the staff or complain about hipsters (what is the obsession with that word?), and I enjoy reading Nashville Cream on a regular basis, but I have to admit that it's kind of insane that a person who writes about music is completely unaware of how intensely popular this band has become in the U.S.
I agree with Gold: they're not bad enough to make fun of, but they aren't exactly creative/bizarre/original enough to instantly grab the attention of music nerds.
That said, I'm pretty sure these guys are in the same realm as KOL when it comes to their popularity in America, and it seems a little odd that the only tune you can remember is from what is probably , at this point, their least popular album.
2009 is the 10th anniversary of their 1st album, in Britain they can only go up in terms of popularity. The same goes for the States. Matt Bellamy is one of the most gifted musicians I've ever seen, and Muse is one of the best live acts on the planet, in terms of live performances, they're right up there with The Rolling Stones, and U2, maybe not in popularity, but when it comes to execution of songs live, they are the best.
I have never heard this band in my life, and it's becoming apparent that is a fantastic thing.
Muse is on my iPod but I don't really know anyone else in Nashville who likes them. So, yeah, I'm with Ashley -- maybe not surprised they're playing here, but surprised that the venue is Sommet.
Well if the Wembley argument isn't valid then consider the fact that The Resistance debuted at number 1 in 19 countries and 3 in the US (which isn't surprising when you consider how completely saturated American pop culture is with Rap and mediocre mainstream crap). And seriously dude unoriginal? Muse are one of the only current bands out their that are consistently progressive and not afraid to try new things (Eg: Exogenesis Symphony). And I totally agree with Abe; the Radiohead comparisons are VERY outdated- they only really existed at the release of Showbiz in 1999 (10 years ago- and compare Showbiz to their newest stuff)- so now that comparison really only sprouts from ignorance and pre-conceived ideas.
Well I personally love Muse and would KILL to see them live and all you ungrateful bastards are whingeing about it lol *JEALOUS*
i love it when people defend bands by how many records they've sold or what venues they've played, not what the band's influences are or how the band builds on them....
Wait, someone thinks it's "edgy" to question whether Muse can sell out an arena in Nashville? Do these commenters actually live here? If Muse are hugely popular everywhere else, that practically guarantees they'll struggle to sell tickets here.
But yes, since this is a site for music fans written by music historians, musicologists and scholars, I simply can't believe the writer didn't know every detail about Muse, or really, every single band who has ever played or recorded. Shocking. Simply shocking. (And edgy!)
There's a practical point that's being missed here. The Sommet Center can be adjusted to accommodate various size audiences. If a band is too big to play the Ryman, or Municipal or the Grand Ole Opry House, etc, or wouldn't necessarily be appropriate for those venues, have scheduling conflicts, etc. the Sommet can be converted theatre style and almost cut in half, 2/3 etc. I don't know if Muse can sell out Sommet Center at its capacity (not my argument to have, I know nothing) but they can certainly play there. I think they can seat 10,000 or so when adjusted to half house. So maybe the band it playing there in a set-up other than end-stage. Good for them. If it's adjusted to half-house, good for them, too.
Hell, Springsteen didn't sell out the Sommet! If I am going to see Muse, I would rather see them in a venue where they can do their whole arena show than somewhere like The Ryman. Just my opinion.
Okay, I've been a big Muse fan for several years now. I say that not to flash my credentials as a fan, but to say that for those of us who have only heard about their supposedly amazing arena shows, this is very welcome news.
I've seen Muse three times in Nashville. Once in a gravel parking lot at Starwood (Curiosa), once at freaking Mercy Lounge and again at War Memorial. Even in those small to nearly non-existent venues, they tried to bring an arena experience with big lights, big sound and big show. But it's just not the same.
Their arena and stadium shows in Europe are the stuff of legend on fan sites and it's been a loooooong wait for those of us here in Small City, U.S.A.
Hipster or no, music snob or no, Muse fan or no, even the most jaded music fan (Gold) can appreciate a fan's long gestating desire to see one of their favorite bands in their true live form and having that wish finally come true.
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