With that band on hiatus after the tragic death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, Muse might be, pound-for-pound, the best rock band in the world. The last time I can remember seeing something like it was the Foo Fighters. It's rare in today's music world to see what essentially amounts to a three-piece band absolutely blowing the doors off of an arena with exceptionally loud rock and roll delivered with insane precision. It's one of the best rhythm sections in music and it was obvious from beat one. But, it was bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard who did most of the musical heavy lifting (along with sideman Dan Lancaster). Guitarist, singer and charismatic frontman Matt Bellamy spent most of the night prowling the stage (including a long gang plank that stretched well out into the crowd on the floor), switching instruments and thoroughly engaging a raucous audience with his full-throated vocals. There were songs from their new record Will of the People like the synth-heavy "Compliance" and just plain heavy "Won't Back Down." But they mixed in plenty of classics like "Hysteria," "Time is Running Out," "Madness" and, of course, "Uprising," "Starlight" and the Twilight soundtrack favorite "Supermassive Black Hole." Ultimately, with all the theatrical touches, this was still a rock show and it remains where Muse absolutely shines. The scale was, dare we say it, supermassive. The videos were supported by a pair of massive constructions - first a moving metallic face and finally, a giant inflated devil - on stage behind the band. Photo by Jennifer Lake It was like Mad Max, The Matrix and what I always imagined might happen if Daft Punk actually played at LCD Soundsystem's house like in that song. Near as I could tell, this giant devil killed a dude dressed like Daft Punk and it pissed off people so much, they all started dressing like Daft Punk and killed off their demon overlords, or tried to? It was a little confusing if I'm being honest. The latter was delivered via a series of videos that played during songs, interludes and breaks. This has always been a group of intensely skilled musicians playing a sort of digitized, guitar-driven hard rock with Radiohead-esque vocal flourishes and Rage Against the Machine messaging, all of which was on full display. At one point I thought to myself, "This is a loyal crowd if the singer can walk around on stage in a Tron outfit playing a tiny digital keyboard strapped to his arm and still keep their rapt attention." But, the degree to which they took license to go well outside the normal fist pounding hard rock was fascinating. Everyone knows their well-crafted brand of arena rock is well suited for.well, arenas. Opening up was Evanescence, fronted by female vocalist Amy Lee, who, at 41, still brings the heat with her voice - broadway pipes belting out angsty, heartworn songs about love and loss including hits like "My Immortal" and "Bring Me to Life," both from their massive first album Fallen. Streamers and confetti rained down on fans inside Toyota Center while Muse spent nearly two hours tearing through an energetic set of balls-out rockers and surprisingly artsy asides. Also present, the jaw-dropping musicianship and magical rock showmanship of English band Muse making it feel like a throwback to when rock shows still ruled the world. Look at the crowd full of music nerds and forty somethings, the same group you might have seen at a Rush show a decade ago. If you didn't know any better, you might think you were at some kind of goth, prog metal show. All the earmarks were there: the pyrotechnics, the soaring vocals, the guitar solos, the Coheed and Cambria T-shirts, the guy-liner.
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