Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Spin Muse at Bridgestone Arena, 3/15/10
Posted by The Spin on Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 2:51 PM
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For 90-odd minutes Monday night at Bridgestone Arena, Muse gave a crash course in Arena Rock 101, at a time when such education is so direly needed. What started with many asking how Muse became big enough to play a venue that size ended with several thousand people wondering how they ever fit themselves into Mercy Lounge to see the same band years ago. LED walls leftover from the Vertigo tour? Check. Lasers? Check. Tommy Lee's rising, spinning drum riser? Check. Giant confetti-filled balls on loan from the Flaming Lips? Check. Mid-set acoustic/piano break? Check. Audience sing-alongs? Check plus. The only missing elements were an inflatable pig and Freddie Mercury in a leotard, but at least that leaves them somewhere to go next time.
While Muse borrowed liberally from the U2 playbook, right down to Matt Bellamy's Rattle and Hum audience spotlight, they learned their lessons from playing on Bono's spaceship and managed to artfully avoid getting eclipsed by their own stage. This was largely due to the quality of the songs, drawn fairly evenly from their last three uniformly excellent LPs and delivered with the kind of precision not seen since Rush last played Starwood.
A few years ago, it was hard to imagine Muse reaching arena status in the States, but they've solved the dilemma of becoming mainstream in the digital age. By taking a nation of niche audiences and appealing to all of them -- from metalheads waiting for "Stockholm Syndrome" to Radiohead fans who fell for "New Born," they managed to launch a magnificently overblown arena tour playing prog-rock to teenagers and twentysomethings. And that, more than the heat generated from the massive light show, warmed our geeky musical heart.
Comments (13)
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Hell yes they did. I saw them open for U2 in Atlanta....man what joke.
They crushed it last night. The crowd had more energy, the set-list was 10/10, and the visuals were the best I have ever seen.
5 stars. Way to go boys...props--you deserve it.
have you guys ever gotten to a show in time for the opener? i mean SSPU suck so not like it matters in this case but damn. it's not that hard.
The writer of this piece did, in fact, make it there to see SSPU, just like he did when SSPU opened another show he went to in 2007, and like in 2007, found them completely inoffensive yet entirely uninteresting, perhaps a worse sin than just being flat-out terrible. The guitarist did have some killer effects going on, and the drummer had this kind of techno-infused drumming style, but neither of those resulted in a single song I remembered when their set ended.
Muse is not just for teens and twenty somethings, many fans are in the 30-60 age range. They are for anyone who loves really good music. I am 50 myself and was at the Chicago gig bouncing up and down at the barrier!
Muse are definitely the greatest band around right now. I am in the 60 year old age range and absolutely adore Muse. Their concerts are awesome and definitely should be gone to at least once. All their songs are sublime from rock to slow ones, all are equally brilliant.
Nicole, Carol. . .
You guys sound adorable, but when people older than my parents start to champion a band that I like it's a bit of a turn off. No offense to you and or your tastes. . . but the kids will never have them back once your generation embraces them. thanks
I think that you kids forget that the band themselves, are not teens. They are all in their 30's, and Chris has been long married with four children.
I'm only 30 years old today, but I plan on "championing" Muse for years to come.
And as far as a generation embracing them and never having them back? Muse isn't for anyone to have. They make music. Music that doesn't come with a disclaimer "for the teenagers only"....
please don't...
What are you, 12? Thanks in large part to Guitar Hero and Rock Band, I know plenty of young people whom are into classic rock of the 60's, 70's and 80's and call it a hunch, but I have a feeling that people older than our parents are into those bands as well. Should we just deny ever having liked them because our uncool parents do? Give me a break. Muse isn't a band made only for people in their teens and 20's and this is coming from someone in his 20's. I just went to a show of theirs, where I saw people from the age of 6 to 76 (perhaps older). I thought it was quite a beautiful scene to witness such a large range of people coming together with a common love for a band. If it bothers you that much, perhaps you should ask yourself why it is you truly like the band Muse. Because if you truly like them for their music, I have a hard time believing this would be effected much due to "older" people liking them as well.
Great show in Nashville!! Awesome set list. I liked how they played a lot of their older songs!! I've been waiting to hear New Born live for years.
I really enjoy reading these posts, esp. referring to the 'age-group' of Muse fans. I am 44, and love their music; they are exceptional, as the fans all ready are aware. I get a real kick out of the...'younger'.....fans thinking that anyone over 30 starts to slowly slip into a pit of boredom and dullness. I'll tell you this much...I have never felt more appreciative of music, and have a greater awareness than I did when I was....'younger' about life and its complexities. (you know, politics, world dynamics, etc.) There are other things we are better at too, but I really won't go into that one.....So, on this note; music is for everyone, no matter what the style--because it does reflect the heart, and as far as I can tell...........I still have one that works and feels too!
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