“Just About the Best Live Band on the Planet Right Now”: How Muse Rocked Wembley Stadium to its Very Core
By Asher Kenton
Type of Article: Gig Review
As Muse embark on their 2nd sell-out Wembley Stadium show this summer (their 4th in total), after also headlining Glastonbury Festival this year for the second time, they are, in the U.K.
After excellent support from Biffy Clyro and White Lies, the wait was finally over, and Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme and Dom Howard took to the stage. Preceded by protesters holding up signs declaring lyrics from the recent album such as, “They shall not control us”, “These wars cannot be won” “We will be victorious”, they plunged straight into new hit “Uprising”. While not to everyone’s taste, it set the scene for the politically charged theme of the evening, before moving on to the electric “Supermassive Black Hole”. New instant-hit MK Ultra, with its huge riffs, then began an evening full of moshing, enhanced with a breakdown riff borrowed from “Township Rebellion” by Rage Against the Machine. “Map of the Problematique”’s sensational effect-laden guitar intro drove the show forward, before the joyous, though fundamentally average “Guiding Light” gave the audience just a second to get their breath back. Before long however, they powered back into the huge riffs of “Hysteria”, charging around the stage while seemingly never out of breath. The band then sent the crowd wild with long-time fans’ favourite, the phenomenal “Citizens Erased”; the huge rising fifth guitar intro, soon given full depth by the band before the ecstatic chorus and introspective outro gave way to another hardcore fans favourite, the obscure B-side “Nishe”.
Stunning visuals were supported by the giant stage setup. Masses of giant screens made up adjacent walls above where the band stood. This was a visual treat, especially during songs such as “United States of Eurasia” and their unique take on the Nina Simone hit, “Feeling Good”. A central stage then rose up from the ground high into the air, allowing bassist Chris and drummer Dom to show off their skills, jamming on an “MK Ultra” riff before moving into “Undisclosed Desires”.
Mass sing-a-long then ensued during “Starlight” and the “Time is Running Out”, the latter inspired moshing and singing in equal measure. And just when it seemed as if the gig was coming to a beautiful close during “Exogenesis: Part 1: Overture” accompanied by a giant UFO with an acrobat attached to it as it moved around the stadium, the band inspired an exhausted crowd with more heavy-as-hell riffs during “Stockholm Syndrome”.
The best had been saved for the encore however, as front-man Matt Bellamy, wearing a silver sequin suit (and earlier a suit made entirely from LED lights), rode the rising central platform during the epic “Take A Bow”, controlling the 90,000 strong crowd with only a guitar and a microphone for company. Matt Bellamy then joined his bandmates to launch into guitar classic “Plug in Baby”; as the thunderous, rising riff filled the huge venue, the huge crowd responded in force, worshipping this juggernaut of a live act. Inaugural set-closer “Knights Of Cydonia” then ended the evening as fans were given one last chance to go crazy. Emerging battered and bruised but mostly just awestruck, the crowd filtered slowly filtered home after a 2 hour and 15 minute, 23 song, breath-taking show.
All in all, the stage show and visual effects were a joy to behold. However, it was Muse’s collection of roof-raising, guitar-riff laden super-hits, along with their showmanship that make this band just about the best live band in the business right now; an inspiration to younger generations and a lesson in how to combine an overblown and gigantic stage show fitting for such a large arena, with killer rock tunes. And while some of their new tracks are perhaps a step down from their best work, they allow the audience to catch their breath before it is taken away yet again by these three oh-so talented performers.
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