Muse Concert Review: Friday, March 12

The Muse concert was amazing. Unfortunately, my sister and I did not get to the venue until an hour after the doors opened, and Silversun Pickups had already finished their performance. I was really surprised, because it was at a huge arena and usually bands don't start until about an hour after doors open, but oh well. I would've loved to see them, but Muse made up for it. I've only seen them live once, and it was at Lollapalooza back in '07, so I try to see my favorites live not just at the big festivals.

They opened the set with their new single "Uprising," unsurprisingly, and played their entire new album. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of the new album, The Resistance; I just don't think it really compares to Absolution or Black Holes and Revelations. The band played their big songs, which, if you don't know Muse, check out Guitar Hero. ("Supermassive Black Hole," "Knights of Cydonia" and "Stockholm Syndrome"? It's sad how good music is only learned through video games). My personal favorites, "Time is Running Out" "Starlight" and "Map of the Problematique" were what carried the performance for me. They missed a couple of their better songs, I think, and really, this band has lost some of my love after I waited three years for their newest album and it did not reach my expectations.

They have so many guitar solos and instrumental pieces, which is fine for some bands, but at times I don't think the instrumental talent carries the attention of the audience and it can get repetitive. Their lyrics and riffs just don't cut it in the new album. But the light show, their energy, all that Muse is and has been for 10 years remained intact. The stadium was packed, and my favorite person of the evening was the drunk girl next to me who danced the whole two hours and literally knew every word to the songs the band played. They have a strong following, so although this wasn't my favorite concert of all time, at least some people think Muse can do no wrong.

Download (bottom of page): Muse--Time is Running Out