This week I'm listening to Muse

Last bank holiday weekend I went to see the band Muse perform live at the Emirates Stadium in London, as part of their latest tour, The 2nd Law. I'll be honest I ever-so-slightly balked at the ticket prices when I first saw them in December. I balked slightly more when I saw that Dizzee Rascal was the support act a few months later. Nevertheless, the morning we were due to head off for Highbury, I was excited. Muse are one of my all time favourite bands and this was to be my first time seeing them live. Also, I had been listening to their latest album, 2nd Law, all week and had concluded that, yes, this was absolutely their best album to date.

Muse (L-R) Chris Wolstenholme, Matt Bellamy and Dominic Howard

Image courtesy of bubblews.com

Arriving at the impressive stadium I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were hardly any ques. People just seemed to be milling around the turnstiles, enjoying the sunshine and beer that was aplenty. We nipped into Drayton Park, the official Arsenal supporters pub, which had been temporarily transformed into the official Muse groupie hang-out for the weekend. The staff were wearing Muse tour t-shirts and the 2nd Law album was humming away in the background; Great British hospitality at its best.

Image courtesy of therockrevival.com

It was time for the show to start before we knew it and what a show it was! I would honestly recommend seeing Muse live to anybody, no matter what their personal taste in music is, for their showmanship alone. Matt Bellamy commanded the stage and captivated his audience with the ease of an old pro. Which he is of course, this being the band's eleventh tour in almost twenty years! There was everything from pyroglyphics to a giant floating light bulb, from the bottom of which an acrobat twirled and spun in time to one of the best rock ballads ever written, Blackout.

Muse play Blackout at the Emirates Stadium, London

Video courtesy of youtube.com 

Musically, it was everything I expected from a Muse show, and then a little added extra on top. Bellamy's guitar skills were on top form, as were his band mates- percussionist, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme, whose beautiful harmonica solo, Man With Harmonica, formed the intro to Knights of Cydonia.

Chris Wolstenholme playing Man with Harmonica live at the Emirates

Video courtesy of youtube.com