Live: Muse – The O2, Dublin – 06/11/09

Words: Gareth O’Malley

There was a lot of expectation involved leading up to the moment the lights went down. For instance, I expected that Dublin’s O2 would be absolutely jam-packed by the time I got my place (around 8.05pm, less than 25 minutes before a certain Devon three piece were due on stage). I was rather surprised to find that I could get myself a spot that was five rows back from the barrier (and to the extreme left – wouldn’t have taken my chances in a pit again if I could have). I also expected that tonight was going to be something truly special. It’s not every day that a band that so many have claimed to be the best live act on the planet drop in, after all.

The first thing that told me that this was going to be something different to any other gig I’d been to was the elaborate stage set-up. I didn’t know what exactly the two (super)massive structures on stage were, so I’ll just refer to them as oh, video towers or something.

(I’ll try not to use that pun too much.)

The crowd seemed very expectant too. Every time a track playing over the PA finished, there would be a cheer from those on the balcony. A cheer that would die down as the next song started up. For the record, one of the tracks played over the PA was a remix of ‘Never Miss A Beat’ from Kaiser Chiefs’ god-awful third record ‘Off With Their Heads’ – and what’s more, it actually sounded half-decent (and a major improvement on the original song, I might add).

But yes, that moment did soon arrive. The lights dimmed, and the band took to the stage. When I say ‘took to the stage’, I mean ‘were elevated from inside the video towers’. Yes. They gradually opened to reveal Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard. Nice subtle opening then?

It could only have started with one song, and that song was a breathtaking version of ‘The Resistance’’s lead single ‘Uprising’. Instantly, every single person in the room knew that they are in for something stunning.

‘Resistance’ seemed to get much less of a reaction than I’d been expecting (I knew it would be played as it is most likely the third single from the album), but then things really got going with the epic ‘New Born’ – which has been allocated an eyebrow-raisingly early slot in the set. Granted, it was played at a slightly slower tempo than the studio version, but that made not one bit of difference to us.

Some ‘Black Holes and Revelations’ material followed, namely ‘Map of the Problematique’ (my favourite Muse song from the past three years) and a sublime ‘Supermassive Black Hole’ that actually couldn’t have been more well received.

People often accuse Muse of hiding behind elaborate setups, not having the songs to make them stand up on their own. Bullshit.

Next up was ‘Hysteria’, which got everyone, even the rather annoyingly static and tall person in front of me, moving. Then, as the piano was rolled out, we were treated to a rather nice surprise in the form of a bass-and-drums version of ‘Showbiz’-era b-side ‘Nishe’. It was one of only two tracks from back then that got aired tonight, the other being a stunning version of ‘Unintended’ which went down extremely well considering its relative obscurity.

Between these, ‘United States of Eurasia’ and ‘Feeling Good’ were brought out. The former has really come into its own as a live track – the studio version continues to leave a bit of a sour taste, mind. We were soon back into a more upbeat mood with forthcoming single ‘Undisclosed Desires’.

That’s when things really took off. We got three ‘hits’ in a row: A euphoric ‘Starlight’ (which proves that Muse really do have the crowd, despite the slightly detached atmosphere that can’t really be helped, especially when you consider the elaborateness of the setup); ‘Plug In Baby’; and ‘Time Is Running Out’.

Then, to close off the main set, the band brought out my favourite song on the new record: the seven-minute ‘Unnatural Selection’. I was surprised at how little moshing there was going on in certain songs, but everyone got into it here. The highlight of the night, and that is really saying something.

A short five-minute break, and the band returned for three encores. Part one of the ‘Exogenesis’ symphony was first up. My word, it really does work in a live setting! In fact, last night’s rendition trumped the album version.

Then, to finish, the band got back to rocking out with ‘Stockholm Syndrome’, before the curtain was brought down on a spectacular night with ‘Knights of Cydonia’. Plumes of smoke shot up into the air as the last note was played: a fitting ending to a gig such as this.

People often accuse Muse of hiding behind elaborate setups, not having the songs to make them stand up on their own. Bullshit. Everything was going for them tonight. Great songs, brilliant crowd, and the show? Well, it was something that had to be seen to be believed. Muse were on form last night, and when they are on form, no other band comes close. Best live band in the world? You bet.

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