Resistance

I finally ran out of it - resistance to see MUSE live.  We were first introduced to this explosive little British band while playing Guitar Hero a couple years ago.   Can't deny the marketing there.  Last year, when I saw U2 in Boston, I found out that the next night, they would be playing in New York with MUSE.  The fine line I drew to force myself not to go down to see the amazing U2 show again along with a band quickly shaping up to be another favorite was extremely thin.  But, I resisted, hoping for a chance to see them another time.

Just after moving to ABQ, I found out that MUSE would be bringing their Resistance tour here!  Woo hoo!  Except, we were going to have a pretty fantastic (and expensive) summer and fall with all our travels and activities.  So, $$ and reason won out and I resisted buying the tickets.

Then, the balance tipped, when David found out that his new biking buddy and awesome wife had tickets to the concert.  Well, there's just no good reason to not go out with new cool friends, right?  We called them and kind of invited ourselves to go with them since there were still tickets available.  Definitely the right decision.  The resistance is over.

Dave and Muffin picked us up in a cherry red Mustang convertible that Muffin had borrowed from her dad's vast car collection.  1000 points to Muffin!  A bike guy and a car gal - they are right up our alley in so many ways.  We had a fantastic evening drive to eat Indian food before the concert and then headed out to Rio Rancho for the music.  Dave, Muffin, and I bought sweet concert t-shirts first thing in the door.  Score again.  Too bad for David, too practical to be a member of the MUSE t-shirt club.

We missed the opening band, Passion Pit, kind of on purpose.  I hate sitting through bands that don't excite me and everyone seemed to agree on it.  So, we got there just in time to find our seats (almost scored sitting together with the Merediths) and sit down, wait, stand up, for the MUSE to come out.

MUSE just might be my new favorite band.  I don't know, U2 and I do go way back and they are the soundtrack to my life, but MUSE is quickly gaining.  The concert definitely ranks in my top 2 or 3 out of about 60 concerts I've seen.   They are amazing live.  Again, I am so mesmerized by watching someone who is THAT into their music and mega-talented to boot.

They had an unbelievable light/laser show, a pretty rad set, and the coolest instruments I've ever seen.  The drum kit, grand piano, guitars, everything all had their own lights that pulsed with the notes.  Their songs and imagery make you feel like you're on a cosmic trip into the depths of outer space sometimes.  About 1/2 way through the show, giant beach balls, wait, no, they're giant eye-balls filled with red confetti, rained down on the crowd.  The red confetti inside made the eyes look all blood-shot.  It was creepy, but seriously fun to watch them bounce around and eventually pop and bleed out the confetti.  This band has recently been called "the best live band in the world."  When I first heard that, I thought, wait - wasn't that U2's title?  I think U2 better watch out for these guys.

Lead singer, Matthew Bellamy, is maybe the most talented musician I've ever seen perform.  His vocals draw you in first, but he plays a screaming lead guitar too, and knows the piano backwards and forwards.  He could just about be a one-man-show, but he's got an amazing bassist and drummer backing him up that you can't overlook either.  I usually don't notice the bass players in bands as much as I do some of the other band members, but this guy doesn't let you forget that without his bass, the songs would be nothing, and doesn't shy away from the vocals either.  It's just crazy to hear how much music can come out of 3 people who let loose.  I was just reading an article that sums it up - imagine Queen, Depeche Mode, and Rage Against The Machine, all smashed together and then exploding with a new sound.  If you have the means, I highly recommend catching this band when they come to town!
All in all - a great show, a great night, with great friends.  Ahhh....