Muse (Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 9 April 2007)

The last time I saw Muse, they were playing to a sold out crowd at the Warfield about two years ago. Since then, their popularity has skyrocketed to arena like proportions. Although this new album, Black Holes and Revelations, is not as strong as Absolution or Origin of Symmetry, Muse has proven themselves to be the purveyor of all things rock.

We missed a few songs in the beginning of the set, but Muse played long enough to satisfy the rock and noise I’ve been craving for. Muse’s lead singer acted as if he was Freddy Mercury, cleverly prancing around the stage with that rock star swagger and know-it-all attitude. The guitar riffs were amazing as well. It still bewilders me how just three blokes from England can emit so much noise like that.

"Hysteria" and "Stockholm Syndrome" were my absolute favourites in their nearly 2 hour set. Their big single, "Starlight" was amazingly done. Muse sound like Radiohead at times, but this show set them apart from Radiohead. Muse is nowhere close to being great as Radiohead, but Muse set themselves up as just a rock band with strong tunes and catchy riffs.
Overall, the show was amazing. It was a pleasant surprise and a much needed arena rock show to spark the senses.

Beer Rating: 1/2