The weather is beautiful, the tour buses line the front of the stadium, fluorescents are being distributed amongst the crowds, while the air fills with anticipation. What is the event? Muse in the Meadowlands.
Hailing from Teignmouth, Devon, England, Muse was started in 1994 by the trio of college students Matthew Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard. Each member had originally belonged to other bands. Then, one day, Matthew Bellamy auditioned to be a part of Dominic Howard’s band in progress. The two hit it off and invited Christopher Wolstenholme to join them, playing bass guitar for the forming band. From that point on, they have been touring the world with their music, which seems to have set a new standard in the business for quality, not catchiness.
The band is often characterized as alternative rock, with hints of space rock and progressive rock; however, they have been known to draw from electronic, classical, rock opera, hard rock, and numerous other influences. For their most recent album, “The 2nd Law,” the band revealed that they have drawn heavily on the influence of famous musicians like Queen, Led Zeppelin, Skrillex, U2, Nero, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and Hans Zimmer. Many personal influences also come to play in the album as well; two songs by bassist Christopher Wolstenholme stem from his battle with alcoholism, while Matthew Bellamy attributes “Follow Me” to his son Bingham, and the song “Madness” to his first big fight with current fiancée Kate Hudson.
Muse won the “Tour of the Year” award in 2007 at the Vodafone Live Music Awards. They have continued to amaze fans with their ever expanding light shows. On April 19th, 2013, they had their final stop on tour at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A long way from home in their final performance of an exhausting tour, a less-than-healthy Matthew Bellamy and band mates could have given a mediocre performance. Instead, however, Muse was true to form, offering up an absolutely phenomenal show.
This show’s effects included a descending pyramidal structure that projected live images of the audience as well as scenes correlated with the music, giving the concert a hyper-realistic feel. It was as though the audience was in a music video where the music never died. Classic songs like “Knights of Cydonia” brought the crowd to life and soon enough, guitars were being thrown through drums. For what seemed the first time in years, Bellamy embraced the audience by crawling down to the barrier and hugging random audience members. Drummer Dominic Howard changed into a red jumpsuit to battle away corruption in the world during the song “Uprising” and was projected on screen comically to exhibit his feat. In the end, it was Christopher Wolstenholme who stole the show as he approached the audience center stage, singing one of his debut songs “Survival.”
The music, the effects, and the synergy of that April evening were beyond compare. Like all good things, the concert came to an end as the trio sprinted into the trap door at the rear of the stage. Smoke clouded the center and the sudden lack of blaring music was remarkable and sobering. In a haze of car lights and pouring rain, concert goers caught a final glimpse of the trinity called Muse as they entered their buses. The pleased look on the band’s faces made it clear to fans that they, too, had had a night well spent.
