Let's get one important point out of the way before we begin: Muse are
an incredible live band. There is simply no denying the fact that Matt,
Chris and Dom are masters of their craft, perhaps THE masters, expertly
amalgamating extravagance, spectacle, technical wizardry, bone-crunching
guitar riffs and spine-tingling singalongs to produce a heady five
course musical meal that has crowds devouring the palms of their hands
throughout. It almost goes without saying that Muse shows are like no
other, and that the extortionate amount you undoubtedly paid for it will
be repaid tenfold by at least SOME of the 120 minute rollercoaster ride
unfolding before your eyes (and ears).
And so it is tonight at
Glasgow's cavernous SECC, when the ivories tinkle the opening refrain of
'The Resistance'; when Matt launches into a heart-wrenchingly beautiful
- and most unexpected - 'Ruled by Secrecy'; when Dom's thunderous drums
drive a militaristic 'Uprising'; when Chris straps on the ol'
harmonica, signalling the arrival of a brutal, pounding 'Knights of
Cydonia'; and of course, when Matt slays seven shades of the proverbial
out of 'Plug-In Baby' and 'Stockholm Syndrome', perhaps the finest,
messiest, certainly noisiest headfuck of a closing duo you are ever
likely to experience. These are the moments that stick with you, that
send shivers careering down your spine, that thrill, that excite, that
re-affirm your belief in this most colossal of bands.
It's a
shame, then, that these moments are getting fewer and further between,
that Muse seem hell-bent on abandoning the very things that make them
such a delight to watch. Doubtless Matt, Dom and Chris are extremely
proud of their latest effort, 'The 2nd Law', and that they, quite
understandably, want to take any opportunity they can to share their
new-born with the world. It's just unfortunate that it also happens to
be something of a dud; unquestionably their worst record to date and
quite frankly, hopeless in a live setting. Disappointing, then, that
they choose to air no fewer than TEN - count 'em! - songs from it this
evening which leaves a lot less room for those that are far likelier to
elicit a positive reaction.
Muse could be forgiven, perhaps, if
the lazy, almost parodic, sound of the album was given a complete
make-over live, confounding expectations and forcing you to re-evaluate
the record. Sadly, this is not the case: the flat songs still sound flat
and, worse still, they kill the jubilant mood created by anthems like
'Time Is Running Out' and 'Starlight'. Five or six tracks might have
been forgivable; 'Supremacy' does sound mega, 'Survival' was the Olympic
song after all (though there is no way in hell it should close the
show... talk about a Radio 2 ending), 'Madness' IS a single, though God
only knows why, and at least 'Panic Station' makes people dance, but
'Animals'? 'Explorers'? Opening with 'Unsustainable'? Making us wait
through ALL of 'Isolated System' before we return for the encore? Matt
running around like Bono on steroids during 'Follow Me'? 'LIQUID STATE'?
There really is no need for such an excessive amount of new material,
particularly when the songs bleed into one another in the setlist
('Liquid State' into 'Madness' into 'Follow Me' into 'Undisclosed
Desires' has got to be the worst run of Muse tracks EVER). Oh sure,
we're all grateful for a toilet/bar break every now and again but not
when it makes up approximately 50% of the show.
Of course, the
biggest casualty of this over-reliance on new material is the loss of
space for the old. Gone are any tracks from 'Showbiz', with the one
concession, the first verse of 1997's 'Host', welcome but insufficient
to remedy the loss of 'Unintended', 'Muscle Museum' or indeed, anything
else from that record. Unforgivably, 'Hysteria' is nowhere to be found,
despite the baying of the crowd and the fact that it contains the finest
guitar solo to have ever wormed its way out of Matt's fingertips; a
decent but hardly special 'Map of the Problematique' takes its place.
And
then there's the 'New Born'/Stockholm Syndrome' thing. The two finest
songs in their arsenal, both phenomenal live, and they'll only play one
each night. They've even made a thing of it, notifying fans beforehand
and, worse still, using a roulette graphic on-stage just before playing
which of the two has been selected for that night, with the two songs as
the only options; as if, you know, they haven't already decided
beforehand. While this is undoubtedly supposed to manufacture some
excitement, all it does is remind us of what we're NOT going to get.
It's almost insulting, as if Muse are having a good laugh at our
expense; "hah, yeah, we know you love 'em both but you know what,
fucking TOUGH. We're gonna do what we like."
Frankly, we expect
more from the UK's finest live performers. All the extravagant visuals,
elaborate sets (the pyramid IS nifty), ludicrous suits, Star Trek
onesies (Dom, you are a cad) and flash shades in the world cannot make
up for the loss of the very thing that made Muse such a thrilling
experience in the first place: the tunes. Sure, this is by no means a
car crash of a performance; there are plenty astonishing moments, more
than enough to justify the ticket price probably, and to make any
first-time gig-goers think they've probably just witnessed the best show
on Earth. It's just... we expect, no, we NEED, more from Muse. If
they're to retain their reputation, Matt, Dom and Chris need to strip
the '2nd Law' portion of the set to its bare bones, restore the tracks
that got them to this point and cut back heavily on the Mercury and the
Bono. Oh, and quit playing drum and bass jams too, you're too good for
that shit. Disappointingly, then, the verdict is a resounding must try
harder.
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