PopSyndicate.com

I’ll admit it: I’m a Muse fan, so I’m a little biased. I’ve heard all the arguments about why they can’t be considered a good band (according to Dean Carlson of the All Music Guide, “If you want to sound like Radiohead when even Thom Yorke doesn’t want to sound like Radiohead, you might as well take it to such preposterous, bombastic, over the top levels."), and I’m not convinced. So when Muse announced their live cd\dvd set, I nearly wet myself in anticipation.

I wasn’t disappointed.

From the opening shots of a riled up, overly eye-lined crowd, Romeo and Juliet’s “Dance of the Knights” flitting through London’s Wembley Stadium, it was obvious that Muse’s trademark flair for drama would be the theme of the show. The trio then arrived – Matthew Bellamy (vocals, guitar, piano), Dominic Howard (drums) and Chris Wolsenholme (bass) – lifted up into the stadium and escorted to the stage by men in biohazard suits. They took their places, and Bellamy eased into the theme from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, then immediately ripped into Knights of Cydonia. The crowd, as they say, went wild.

And it didn’t stop. They screamed as Bellamy switched out sparkly guitars for shiny guitars (Bellamy accessorizes with guitars more than Paris Hilton does with small, yappy dogs), they screamed as he gave us a slightly less polished, somewhat edgier version of Knights, they screamed as he belted out his high-pitched vocals. They screamed no matter what Muse did, and my heart fluttered right along with them. Sure, Bellamy looked impressed with himself, and with a robot bringing him every new guitar, who wouldn’t be? Sure Wolsenholme looked like an 80’s, coke fiend clubber. Sure, the massive, slick-looking screen behind the band displayed dancing robots that, stylistically, looked like a cross between a Cylon and Boba Fett. In fact, the theme of science fiction didn’t go very far out of mind, but then, that’s Muse at their core.

The production was obviously designed to show case the band’s so-slick-it’s-almost-glam look, and for the most part, it did its job. Only a few times did the camera work hinder from my enjoyment of the show – switching to a shot of the crowd in the middle of Bellamy sliding across the stage on his knees, for example – but for the most part it mimicked the high-intensity, almost manic feel of Muse’s performance.

The accompanying cd features a solid two-thirds of the show, and all together, the package is phenomenal. Any fan of Muse’s would be insane not to buy it, and for those who’ve heard them on the radio and kind of dug their sound, strap in. You’re in for a ride.

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