Tony Cordova

Indescribable is an understatement. Immigrant was better than I thought and Juliette and the Licks were entertaining, but the energy, sound, and visual effects that Muse put together made this one unforgettable performance. Every song was epic enough to finish the show with and every transition was seamless. While watching Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard you could tell they were very passionate about what they were doing. Everyone needs to add “See Muse in Concert” to the list of things to do before you die.

They played every song perfectly, and sometimes even better than I remember on the CD. Watching them play my favorite songs was surreal, I could see their smiling faces as they were playing which reminded me of why I love Muse so much. You could tell they were having a good time which allowed me to enjoy the show so much more knowing that they aren’t just down there to make money. I wish they could have played every one of their songs….twice, I could have listened to them all night. Unfortunately the concert did not leave me satisfied, it only whetted my appetite even more Muse. Their next album/concert cannot come soon enough.

The guy in the upper left of that picture is funny.

I’m sorry for the horrible quality of the photos. It was a poor camera.

I’m sorry for the horrible quality of the video. It was a poor camera.

Tonight in LA I will be seeing Muse and Juliette and the Licks with Melanie and my friend, Nathan. I will get to see Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme rock out and play some of the best songs of the decade. Don’t worry, many pictures will follow! Wish us safe travels!

January 22nd, 2007

A friend of mine recently let me listen to some music by a band called Muse, who I had heard of but never sat down and listened to. He saw my review of Thom Yorke: The Eraser and knew I liked Radiohead, so he let me check out all six of Muse’s albums. I must say that Black Holes & Revelations is easily in my top 5 albums of 2006, and I haven’t been able to stop listening to it. Now, the comparison with Radiohead is valid and it is true that on the surface the bands sound similar, but after closer inspection it is obvious to me that Muse definitely has their own style. Muse is not only unique, but they make me forget about Radiohead altogether. I cannot say that one is better than the other, because now I can distinctly hear two separate styles. However, if I were to flat-out compare the two, I would say that a lot of Muse’s early music is like Radiohead’s album Pablo Honey, but much better.

OK, enough comparing them to Radiohead. Let’s talk about the music.

I am only going to talk about Black Holes & Revelations because it is the most recent of their albums. It starts with a song called “Take a Bow.” When I first listened to this song I thought, “It can’t possibly get better then this.” Then the album went on, and, although amazing, the songs weren’t really as good as the first. But then came “Assassin.” This song is an amazing change in the pacing of the album. It is fast and energetic, and Muse pulls it off beautifully.

One of the best things about Black Holes & Revelations is the song that ends the album. It can only be described as epic, like a scene from a movie. That song is called “Knights of Cydonia.”

If you haven’t already, you need to check out Muse. I can’t believe that after all this time, I’ve never heard any of their music. Shame on me, and shame on you if you don’t check them out now!

Muse