Following up the phenomenal Neon Indian show was none other than Muse, my favorite British-arena-space-opera rockers of all time. All time. The set they laid down at Coachella 2010 proved to Americans that they are worthy of the adulation they receive overseas for their technical prowess, dazzling lighting effects, and overall passion and consistency. Not to mention Matt Bellamy was rocking some shutter shades. (Fish sticks)
When I realized they were playing in the house that the Cyclones built (that's right Jabronis), Vito, the ancient Hawaiian, and I immediately bought tickets.
The light show Muse used at Coachella was not the full arena experience they used on their non-festival tour stops, and based on the goodies they used during their incredible run at Wembley Stadium, I expected more of the same theatrical madness.
The show was excellent musically, but the largest point to take away from the Muse show in Cincinnati was that the environment is EVERYTHING when it comes to enjoying a concert. For example, a main drawback of US Bank Arena is the lack of General Admission seating for concerts. This rule was put in place as fallout from the tragic Who concert in the 70's that resulted in the deaths of several fans, but the lack of an area for fans to stand freely and enjoy the concert is sorely lacking with all of the floor seats being normal seats.
Also, this show was the first time I really noticed the effects of marketing on the Muse fan base. The crowd was entirely dominated by the Twilight crowd, which speaks to the wide appeal of their songwriting abilities. At the same time, it made me feel like I was watching a Justin Bieber show. Not okay. I hated to see Muse seem almost like a parody of the show I saw at Coachella. The best aspect of the arena tour was certainly the light show, which managed to exceed anything I have ever seen from the band and from other arena bands for that matter.
Despite the less-than-ideal viewing setup and crowd mixture/energy, Muse refused to mail in their performance and thrilled the seemingly inexperienced Cincinnati crowd, and commented that they had not been in town for 6 years. I am truly jealous of those who witnessed a Muse show, on the Absolution tour, at Bogarts. Craziness.
Overall, it was always a treat to see the talents of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dom Howard on display, and the new songs fit well into their already stellar live repertoire.
ROCKTOBER (B)ROLLS ON: PART II : LOCAL NATIVES IN NASHVILLE
Stay tuned, Jabroskis
The show was excellent musically, but the largest point to take away from the Muse show in Cincinnati was that the environment is EVERYTHING when it comes to enjoying a concert. For example, a main drawback of US Bank Arena is the lack of General Admission seating for concerts. This rule was put in place as fallout from the tragic Who concert in the 70's that resulted in the deaths of several fans, but the lack of an area for fans to stand freely and enjoy the concert is sorely lacking with all of the floor seats being normal seats.
Also, this show was the first time I really noticed the effects of marketing on the Muse fan base. The crowd was entirely dominated by the Twilight crowd, which speaks to the wide appeal of their songwriting abilities. At the same time, it made me feel like I was watching a Justin Bieber show. Not okay. I hated to see Muse seem almost like a parody of the show I saw at Coachella. The best aspect of the arena tour was certainly the light show, which managed to exceed anything I have ever seen from the band and from other arena bands for that matter.
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| Amateur sketch |
Despite the less-than-ideal viewing setup and crowd mixture/energy, Muse refused to mail in their performance and thrilled the seemingly inexperienced Cincinnati crowd, and commented that they had not been in town for 6 years. I am truly jealous of those who witnessed a Muse show, on the Absolution tour, at Bogarts. Craziness.
Overall, it was always a treat to see the talents of Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dom Howard on display, and the new songs fit well into their already stellar live repertoire.
ROCKTOBER (B)ROLLS ON: PART II : LOCAL NATIVES IN NASHVILLE
Stay tuned, Jabroskis
