Ok, so Australia didn't actually get
invaded from the UK, but over the last week, two of the biggest bands in the
world landed on our shore to perform their elaborate shows throughout the
country.
Sunday December 5, Muse
kicked of their Australian tour here in Brisbane at the Entertainment Centre. I
was seeing them with Kate-Lyn my girlfriend, and 3 other friends Tim, Tsubasa
and Andy. Dead Letter Circus were supporting them. Before the concert I looked
them up on YouTube to see what they're like and I wouldn't say I like their
songs, but I can tolerate them. In any case, they still put on a pretty good
live show, maybe a band to look out for in the next few years.
The stage setup was amazing. I'd seen
in pictures and heard about the towers that Muse have been using during the
Resistance Tour, but when you actually get there and are standing in front of
them, its pretty awesome.
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Each one
went from the stage to the roof.
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With the
sheets dropped, taken during Feeling Good.
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Muse opened with Uprising, like most of
their other shows from this tour (the second show in Brisbane got a surprise
with Overture as the first song). Each song was accompanied with some
combination of lasers, strobes and mirrors, and the song choice was awesome.
The setlist was a solid combination of old
and new songs, both singles, and non-releases.
I will admit, I'm a bit jealous of the
2nd night's set, which contained MK Ultra and Citizen Erased, plus various
others I would've like to see (and 1 extra song in total), however they did not
get Stockholm Syndrome, so that evens it out a bit. Notable songs include
Interlude and Niche, recently added to the setlist after many years, a nice
snippet of House of the Rising Sun as an intro to Time is Running Out.
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Muse
tradition, the giant balloons dropped during the last
song of the main set, Plug In Baby. |
Overall, the show was one of the best
I've been to. The competition, Red Hot Chili Peppers 2007, my first ever
concert, and my favourite band at the time. It's a bit hard to compare, due to
the massive differences in musical style, and also my slight bias towards RHCP.
Nevertheless, Muse do not disappoint, and I'd recommend to anyone.
Then, there was U2. Whether or not you
agree with my saying that Muse is one of the biggest bands ever (definitely
something coming their way), there's no denying the greatness of U2. And on
December 8, they performed at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
There must be some sort of competition
at the moment as to who can have to most elaborate stage set.
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The 'Space
Station'. The 360 screen at its centre
expanded down to the stage. |
I'm not a big fan of Jay-Z, and I
personally I think it an odd choice on U2's behalf. However if you're in to
that style of music, he did perform pretty well. Having not payed a lot of
attention, and not knowing any of his songs, thats all I really have to say for
Jay-Z.
U2 took the stage and after opening
with Return of the Stingray Guitar, they blasted the stadium with Beautiful
Day. The setlist that followed was an epic
compilation of many of their hit songs, from I Will Follow, through to Vertigo,
with occasional appearances of newer songs. I found it very thoughtful and
humble when they dedicated North Star to John Lennon, who's death was 30 years
ago on that date. The song I'd been waiting for finally came in the encores,
preceded by the Beatles' Dear Prudence, Where the Streets Have No Name. As hard
as it is to pick a favourite song from a band like U2, this is definitely up
there.
The final song was unfortunately a bit
of a let down, Moment of Surrender. It's not a bad song by any means, but
something more lively with a solid rock feel would have been more fitting.
And there you have it. Both bands
continued their tours in Sydney. Possibly one of the best weeks of my
life, have the opportunity to see two AWESOME bands live, and to finish it off,
I celebrated an amazing 2 years with Kate-Lyn on Friday.
Chris
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