January 29 was one of the best nights of my life. I attended my second Muse concert at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento. The British rock band wasn’t planning on playing there, but after a petition was created and signed by hundreds of fans, they decided to add the extra date. And I am so glad they did, because I will remember the night forever.
When I went to my first Muse concert two years ago, I was dumbfounded. The sound, the lights and the talent were so overwhelming. I just stood there, mouth hanging open, shocked. I didn’t move around much, nor did I sing. I just stared, intrigued by what I was seeing. It was a spectacular experience I will never forget. This time around, the concert was even better.
I knew it would be a good night when the opening band, Band of Skulls, put on a good show. They were skilled and had excellent songs I had never heard before. I was immediately hooked. When I saw them in concert last time, the supporting act was Passion Pit. In my opinion, Passion Pit and Muse don’t go together because their genres are very different.
Band Of Skulls had a heavier sound and warmed up the crowd for a loud, rock concert. I recommend buying their album to other Muse fans or rockers in general.
Before they left the stage, the guitarist said, “We would like to thank Muse for letting us be here! You guys are in for one hell of a show tonight!” He was right.
“The 2nd Law: Unsustainable” was the opening song and red lights lit up the arena on the heavy orchestra hits. My heart was pumping. I saw three men step out onto the stage and the crowd roared. Matthew Bellamy, the short, skinny, fluffy-haired frontman had his trusty guitar in hand and microphone ready. Chris Wolstenholme, the tall, quiet, serious bassist took place on the opposite side of the stage. Lastly, Dominic Howard, the blonde, silly, Converse enthusiast sat at his drum kit. The trio was ready, and they began to play.
I couldn’t grasp the fact that I was seeing the actual human figures of my rock inspirations. They were in the flesh. They weren’t a picture. I was seeing them with my own eyes. I was in the same room as them!
Who cares if there were 6,500 other people? Who cares if they were far away? It was them.
The energy was amazing. “Unsustainable” has dubstep, which I have never been a fan of, but seeing it performed live with a light show made it impossible for me to dislike it in that moment. Muse makes dubstep sound purposeful, not just a filler like it is in most songs these days.
Next was “Supremacy,” another epic from “The 2nd Law.”The energy from “Unsustainable” flowed right into “Supremacy.”I don’t think the music even stopped. A huge pyramid of screens descended from the ceiling, showing live video of the band, along with some crowd shots. Muse has a thing for screens being the focal point of their gigs. The ideas they come up with for the concerts come from the minds of geniuses.
The night continued to be energetic and intense. “Supermassive Black Hole,” “Panic Station,” “Resistance,” “Hysteria” and “Knights of Cydonia” didn’t disappoint me whatsoever. I was jumping around and singing along the entire time.
“Panic Station” is one of my favorite songs off of “The 2nd Law,” and I was thrilled when they played it. It sounded even better live. “Hysteria” had a “Star Spangled Banner” intro, which I loved. I thought it was cool how the British guys played our song for us. “Knights of Cydonia,” a classic, was perfect in every single way. Even my dad was singing; after all, KOC is his favorite Muse tune. The words to the main chorus at the end were displayed on the screens and I screamed them loud and proud.
They mellowed it down for a bit with “Explorers” and “Follow Me.” I was excited about “Follow Me” because I will never get tired of hearing Matt’s baby’s heartbeat at the beginning. The beautiful chorus was filled with passion. I could feel his love for his baby, the one he wrote the song for. I was amazed at Muse’s ability to rock out for several songs, then suddenly tone it down.
Chris came to the front of the stage and I knew one of his songs was next. Sure enough, “Liquid State” started. The crowd was jolted awake by the heavy bass and we were jumping around again, as if no energy had been drained.
Next, “Madness” started. Matt took the camera that was video taping for the pyramid screens and pressed it up to his face while singing. It was so comical seeing this British guitarist stick his face into a camera. The screens had this enormous nose on them. I couldn’t help but laugh. The song following “Madness” was “Undisclosed Desires.” The drummer had a specialized drum set for the song. It lit up depending on which drum he hit. Muse are lovers of the lights. (Yes, I am a Mumford & Sons fan.)
During “Undisclosed Desires,” Matt didn’t have his guitar, he only had a microphone. He took this opportunity to hop off the stage and high five the front row fans. In all my years of being a Muser, I have never seen him do that before. The skinny figure disappeared. I saw security guards protecting him and hundreds of hands hungrily reaching out to touch him as he passed by. In this moment I was slightly jealous knowing my friend, Logan, was down there. Later, I learned Matt touched him. Logan also got Matt’s glasses.
“Time Is Running Out,” “Stockholm Syndrome,”and “Uprising” closed the concert. The frontman messed up a lyric in “Uprising” and laughed about it after the song was done. I loved how the men were joking around and having fun. It made the concert more enjoyable, knowing they were having a great time despite the tiny venue.
“Sacramento wants more!” My dad began screaming for an encore and soon the arena was filled with rumbling from people stomping like they do at football games. Then the entire crowd pulled out cell phones and cigarette lighters. The arena was lit up with thousands of individual tiny lights and yelling. Muse reentered, greeted with whooping and hollering. Their expressions were priceless when they saw the lights; their faces lit up with happiness and they jumped into more music.
The encores were “Starlight” and “Survival.” “Starlight” is my favorite song, so I was singing along the loudest at that point. “Survival” was an epic way to end the perfect night, and the giant smoke pillars brought the concert to a close.
Overall, I have no complaints about Muse’s performance. This concert was better than my first one two years ago. The nonstop energy was incredible and the setlist was great. They were friendly and having fun. They interacted with us and made the night unforgettable. Next time Muse comes to town, I am going to be there in the front row, ready for Matt to hop down and give me a high five.
If you are a rock fan, I strongly urge you to attend a Muse concert. The experience is absolutely incredible. You will not regret it one bit.
To see all of Muse’s albums, click here.
by JENICA DODGE
