I mentioned at the start of May that one of my highlights from April was the Muse concert at the TD Garden. This UK-based band has a big reputation for live performances and they did not disappoint – as I noted after attending their show just over three years ago, Muse always puts on great concerts.
I was asked after the show where Muse ranked among the world’s biggest bands. My first instinct was to place them among a wide range of groups that most people know of yet know little about. This instinct grossly underestimated their appeal in Europe, however, and a little research confirmed their ability to consistently sell out stadiums where some of the other groups I might have included in that aforementioned range wouldn't even be able to fill the parking lot.
The fairest method to gauge their popularity might involve comparing Muse’s position against their peers at music festivals. They've headlined festivals ahead of other more well known performers like Jay-Z or Taylor Swift and alongside what I believe Americans consider more well-established performers such as Adele, Coldplay, and, of course, U2. Muse might not hold the same appeal in the USA as they do worldwide but it would be a mistake to consider them in the same strata as certain performers whose popularity doesn’t translate across borders.
One key difference between Muse and other rock bands is that each member of Muse is supremely talented. There is simply no dead weight anywhere on the stage during a performance. The most interesting effect comes from Chris Wolstenhoem on the bass guitar. Most bands make me think I could play the instrument with a little bit of practice, were I interested in playing such a dull instrument – Wolstenhoem makes me want to play the bass even as I recognize that a lifetime of training would wouldn’t leave me half as skilled as him. Like it is with many bands, Muse pours a lot of money into the production of their performances and this investment undoubtedly explains much about their great shows. However, without the underlying talent level in the band it would be impossible for me to describe them as a great act.
I mentioned in the May newsletter that I enjoyed ‘Uprising’ and ‘New Born’ more than I expected. For the former, this may have been due in part to the presentation – I liked how the band brought in extras to pound on additional drums. The latter was part of a medley that addressed the age-old problem of ‘our core fans want us only to play the classics’. The medley also solved a more unusual problem of ‘if we have a giant robot, when should we bring it onto the stage?’ The robot's emergence during the show was spectacular - it essentially 'snuck' onto the stage behind the band during the few seconds of complete darkness before the medley. The utter disbelief in the crowd when the light came on remains difficult to describe – if you imagine stopping to tie your shoe, then standing up moments later to realize a giant billboard had suddenly appeared fifty feet ahead, you might get a sense of the response in the crowd just before the concert’s penultimate performance.
Finally, back in May I noted that Muse skipped a formal encore and just continued to play the setlist right to the end. This observation is somewhat disputed by the setlist summary. I can see why this might be the case because the break between ‘Starlight’ and the second performance of ‘Algorithm’ was probably a little longer than the other breaks during the show. However, I was never tempted to half-heartedly clap and cheer like I’ve done at other concerts. The band also made no attempt to pretend like the show was over at the end of ‘Starlight’ – no comments from the band like ‘good night!’ or ‘thank you Boston!’ – so as far as I’m concerned, Muse skipped the encore on this night.
Endnotes / ENCORE!!!
0a. Wait, what do you REALLY think about encores?
I’m sure longtime readers will not be surprised to hear my disdain for the encore. I know I’m not alone here – no one I talk to ever says ‘hey, my favorite part of the concert was when the band left the stage and then we shouted for more until they came back to get all the shit they’d left on stage and play two more songs’.
I bet the bands probably feel as stupid during the encore break as we do being forced to pretend the concert is ‘over’ even though the house lights remain down. My suspicion is that we are all in a version of ‘the emperor wearing no clothes’ here – someday, we’ll all look back on this odd feature of the concert experience with the same incomprehension we reserve today for outdated concepts like writing letters or talking to the neighbors.
The best part of my dystopian ‘no-encore’ vision is that when a band does play an encore, it will be truly special, just as it is today when I receive a handwritten letter or have a good talk with a neighbor.
0b. The obligatory U2 reference
Speaking of The War Against Encores, this 2001 video provides compelling evidence of what Bono thinks about the concept.
0c. Other videos…
Some follow ups from the above:
The best version I found of ‘Uprising’…
The best version I found of ‘New Born’…
This performance of ‘Dig Down’, although very much a different sound than Muse’s standard, is perhaps my favorite from the new album.
