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August 21, 2007

Muse & Cold War Kids: Agganis Arena, Boston MA 8.11.07

Last week, I fostered my British obsession at the Muse concert at Agganis Arena in Boston. And yes, I really took this picture with a camera phone:

I had no idea what to expect from Muse, but I was somewhat familiar with and excited to see the opener – Cold War Kids. The first song of theirs I recognized was “We Used to Vacation,” a piano-heavy, intense song with lyrics dealing with alcoholism ruining a family. The frontman, Nathan, has a voice that sounds like he’s yelling every word at the top of his lungs, which contributes to the intensity of the band’s sound. They added a great a capella ending to their first single, “Hang Me Up to Dry,” and amplified the heavy drum beat in their newest single, “Hospital Beds.” I also really enjoyed Cold War Kids’ performance of “Saint John,” in which Nathan waved his arms like he was wildly conducting a symphony. Overall, I thought the band had a great stage presence and unforgettable sound.

Before Muse even took the stage, I could tell their show was going to be a big production because of their set. Even though Agganis Arena is one of my least favorite Boston venues, I could understand why they needed to play at an indoor arena; it’s been awhile since I’ve seen such an elaborate lighting setup.

Once the lights went down, a JFK speech began scrolling on the large screen in the center of the stage, and when it was over, the lightshow began. Panels of lights suspended from the ceiling, spotlights, and the drumset platform were constantly changing colors and fading in and out throughout the entire show. During “Feeling Good,” they brought out another light spectacle – a Lucite-top piano with lights on it that changed color and moved with each note – and during “Invincible,” fireworks went off on the screen with each drum beat.

I don’t even know where to begin with trying to describe Muse’s sound – it’s something like futuristic, electronic, alternative Brit-rock. Although the music is unique and stands out on its own, there are usually no catchy or definable melodies in it – the real star of their sound is the voice of lead singer Matthew Bellamy. His voice has an incredible range, and he fits the rockstar role perfectly. The setlist included both newer and older songs:

“Take a Bow”
“Map of the Problematique”
“Hysteria”
“Supermassive Black Hole”
“Butterflies and Hurricanes”
“City of Delusion”
“Stockholm Syndrome”
“Feeling Good”
“Sunburn”
“Invincible”
“Starlight”
“New Born”
“Time Is Running Out”
“Bliss”
“Plug In Baby”
“Knights of Cydonia”

The biggest crowd favorite seemed to be the bass-heavy, dirty-guitar-riff-filled “Time Is Running Out,” which is my personal favorite as well. An unforgettable aspect of the show came before the encore, when several enormous white balloons filled with confetti were rolled out into the crowd and popped over everyone’s heads after a few bounces around. It was an amazing show, and Muse could clearly teach some bland US bands a thing or two about how to create a huge spectacle of a rock concert.

Tags: blog, boston, cold war kids, concert, indie rock, muse, music, review, show

Posted on August 21, 2007 Boston , Melissa_Buckley | Permalink

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Comments

hey Melissa - nice writeup and pics. good to meet you @ the show, too bad i missed all but the 1st three songs. have fun w/ yr blog, it looks good.

Posted by: tim bugbee | August 22, 2007 at 07:45 PM

I love the way you describe these concerts, 'cause it makes me feel like I was there too. Amazing pictures for a camera phone!

Posted by: Nancy | August 26, 2007 at 02:09 PM

Sounds like you really needed to be at the Muse concert to appreciate the affects...but thought you did a good job of giving us a visual.

Posted by: Sharon | August 27, 2007 at 02:45 PM

My buddy chris went to this show and said it was awesome!! I Love the way you write!! Keep Going!! Great lunch time read!!

Posted by: Michael | August 27, 2007 at 04:35 PM

Amazing show, thanks for taking me

Posted by: Chris | August 27, 2007 at 11:29 PM

"futuristic, electronic, alternative Brit-rock", i think this was captured PERFECTLY. There is really no other way to describe their unique sound; awesome job. Muse is one of my favorite bands of all time, (if not my favorite) and you captured the essence of their spectacular light shows, and amazing live performances. AND I am really REALLY jelous of you and the amazing pics you took :)

Posted by: Max | August 31, 2007 at 12:46 AM