Set List:
- Uprising
- Resistance
- New Born
- Map of the Problematique
- Supermassive Blackhole
- Guiding Light
- Interlude
- Hysteria
- Nishe
- Feeling Good
- Helsinki Jam
- Undisclosed Desires
- Starlight
- Unnatural Selection
- Time Is Running Out
- Plug In Baby
Encore:
- Exogenisis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture
- Stockholm Syndrome
- Knights of Cydona
Silversun Pickups opening for Muse
“Have you guys noticed these tall sky scraper things behind me? Well we didn’t bring them, but Muse did.” As Brian Aubert, the frontman for the opening band Silversun Pickups, mentioned Muse all of the United Center erupted into cheers. Just by the pure excitment of the crowd you could tell that the show promised to be something special, and it was.
The covers surrounding those sky scrapers dropped to reveal the three members of the band playing the first song of the set “Uprising”. The crowd shouted the lyrics with more intesity than I have ever hear at any concert. From the beggining I was hit with a plethora of audio/visual elements that could put a Pink Floyd laser show to shame. The three structures also revealed themselves to be monitors not only displaying the band, but also abstract visuals in cue with the music. Matt Bellamy, the lead guitar player and singer, hardly adressed the crowd between songs; but he well made up for it with the music. The stage presence was unbeliveable.
Muse on the sky-scraper structures
The most impressive thing about the entire show was the way the music sounded. There was enough on-stage originality to make every song a little different from the record, however the integrity of the music was not lost in the live rendition. One of my personal favorites they did was “Supermassive Blackhole”. If you listen to the song on the record you will be able to hear that it is clearly a very well produced song that would be a bitch to re-create live, but somehow Muse did it.
Another favorite of mine was the song “United States of Eurasia.” The song starts off with a small piano intro but then erupts into a Queen-eqsue build up (falsettos and distored guitar included). I managed to get a quick 30 second video to sort of give you guys the feeling of what it was like to be there.
I believe there are two things that really turn a good concert into a great concert; the first is the stage presence of the band, the second is the grand finale. I’ve seen some concerts where bands have just ended their set with their “greatest hit” and left it at that. No orginality, just playing the song that everyone has listened to hundreds of times on their iPods. Muse was not one of those bands. They added their own flavor to “Knights of Cydonia” (which is my favorite Muse song based purley on the fact that it has such a powerful feeling) by spicing up the intro and making good use of the stage lights. Chris Wolstenhome, the bass player, picked up a harmonica for the live intro to the song. All he played were two notes, but those two notes spoke volumes. They set up the omnious tone for the rest of the band to join in on the rest of the intro. After a 2 minute intro the drums bass and guitar all kick in. Everybody in the entire stadium goes ballistic for Muse’s final song.
Here is a video of their performance of ”Knights of Cydonia” at a different show. The intro was exactly the same as what they played in Chicago.
Overall the show was a huge success. The energy the Muse brought to the United Center made our nose bleed seats feel like we were right on stage with them. If you see only one live band in your life make sure that the band you see is Muse, I promise you will not be disapointed.
