alternative Muse [V] - Page 14

Yeah, it pissed me off because I'd recorded it to watch it very late. My plan was to watch Origin of Symmetry and go up to bed. I ended up skipping about 80% of what was shown, but the Chris and Dom jam was pretty cool. The only thing I enjoyed that was shown.

They cut it out. >> *bleep*ing BBC3.

Ugh, what could have been:





Also, how to be a jealous prick.

Yeah, I always wanted it too. If they'd done it at their own headline show instead of a festival, I'd have been there, but it wasn't worth the money and hassle for a festival ticket in my opinion. I've just accepted now that I'm never going to hear those songs live. It's a terrible waste, but what can you do?

Used to build tension with the silhouette screen.

So I saw them at Reading, and while I was hyped to hear Origin in its entirety (and although I thoroughly enjoyed it), I feel it was a poor call on a couple of counts.

Firstly, playing it from start to finish divided the crowd a bit from what I could see. Obviously there were a lot of older fans who have been into them since the Showbiz/Origin era, but probably the large majority were from the BH&R/Resistance camp. As a result, other than a couple of the big hitters like Plug in Baby, it seemed like the Origin set didn't get the crowd going much. Had they interspersed it with the new stuff that they played at the end it might have meant the momentum from the newer stuff might have carried over onto some of the less well known Origin tracks. As it was, it was basically two separate sets, and the latter half with all the new stuff is what really brought the crowd to life. Because of that I don't think it really gave Origin the send off it deserved.

Secondly, and probably more importantly, I just don't think it was a good idea for a festival. Festivals obviously have a huge crowd, so it's totally different to selling out your own show where they are all your fans. As a result a lot of the people there will only know your most recent songs and biggest hits that have been on the radio. Playing a ten year old album to such a crowd seemed like a bold decision, and I think it might have worked better had they played a different one-off anniversary show at a smaller venue (well, relatively speaking) like Earl's Court or even the O2 (which seems, apart from Wembley Stadium, to be the only place they play in London anymore). I think this would have drawn out some of the older fans who have been put of by their newer stuff, and it would have given the album a more appropriate anniversary.

It probably sounds like I'm being overwhelmingly negative, but I don't mean to be. I still really enjoyed the Origin set and it was fantastic hearing the old stalwarts like Bliss, Citizen, Newborn and Plug in Baby again. I am also glad I got to be there to see potentially the last ever setlist to include some of those tracks, especially as Origin is the album that got me into the band in the first place. The second half of the set I enjoyed less, but the Absolution and BH&R stuff was still great, and as always Knights of Cydonia was a killer closing track. As far as The Resistance, I did enjoy Undisclosed Desires and Resistance, its just a shame that the better tracks from the album didn't get an outing, although I am glad they didn't play Eurasia.

Will be interesting to see what direction the band take in the future, and I'm sure I'll still buy their albums. But with their concert prices steadily creeping up and my favourite songs slowly trickling out of circulation (I don't know when they last played anything from Showbiz?), I don't know if I'll bother seeing them live again. So perhaps in spite of my scruples, seeing them for the Origin anniversary at Reading was the best possible way I could have seen them for the last time.

I guess it's just one of those inevitable things when a band you love hits the big time: concert prices go up, concert venues increase in size, and haggard old fans become gradually disillusioned with the fanbase/musical direction. Its such a cliché but its true.

Like you said, I'm just glad I was able to see them when my favourite songs were still a major fixture in the setlists, and I count myself fortunate to have heard some real oldies like Sunburn, Muscle Museum, Showbiz, Cave and Dead Star.

All that said, the band do deserve credit for the fact that aside from all the spectacle and grandeur of the stage show, musically they still put on one hell of live performance. It's nice that after however many years, they appear to still really enjoy performing, and still seem to really give it their all. Muse genuinely are one of the few bands that I've yet to see give a duff performance (despite a few occasional setlist gripes).

quote Spectre

Hysteria was voted the best bassline of all time.

Link.

Well-deserving, Hysteria is an amazing song. And the bass is mind-blowing. :3

Also, first time posting in the Muse thread. Guess I should mention I saw them last year in Minnesota - I've seen a lot of bands live, including Metallica, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Coheed, and more... Muse is simply amazing live. The way the stage was set up was phenomenal.