The Upstate Life

Tuesday, November 09, 2004

TUL's Take: Muse @ 9:30 Club

Last night as you probably know was the long-awaited Muse concert. I went with my friend C to the show but we didn't get there till about 5 minutes before they hit the stage. She couldn't pick me up until around 9:30 and we both had no particular interest in The Zutons, so there wasn't much regret missing them. We got to the club around 10 and amazingly found a parking space in that lot directly to the left of the venue. Keep in mind it was a sold out show and the paid lot was beyond full, so we definitely lucked out hardcore. Metro wasn't a viable option because I would've had to transfer at Metro Center, and since they close at midnight, I probably would've been stranded in the station like several people last night I'm sure were after the show ended.

Wow. Literally, that's all I can say regarding this show. It was fucking incredible. The entire set was tight, energetic, and flowed very well. They were very professional while on-stage and their musicianship was beyond exceptional. The band opened with "Hysteria", letting loose a faucet of energy from that point on. Hell, even the usually subdued DC crowd was much livelier throughout the majority of the set, particularly towards the end. People on the 9:30 message board were claiming that the mix wasn't the best but I disagree. I thought they sounded great for the exception of the bassist's vocals. They should've been mixed higher, especially during "The Smallprint" when they were trading off vocals which was frickin amazing (I'm pretty sure it was during that song, if not, someone please correct TUL and its fallacies).

I was standing on the floor to the right center, about halfway back from the stage. I only had to deal with a few pushers and shovers that were trying to claw their way to the front, but that's still more than I would want to encounter. This one chick was rocking out to the max like she was in an episode of Headbanger's Ball which was kind of amusing. One highlight was how silent it got during "Ruled by Secrecy", until of course some boner yelled out "I want your babies" or something to Matt. Lame. Muse closed with "Stockholm Syndrome" and literally tore the roof off the place. The crowd, including myself, was insanely into it. Probably ranks up there with one of my favorite shows at the 9:30 Club. You just can't beat the intimacy there compared to other venues. Setlist via the Muse forum:

Hysteria
New Born
The Smallprint
Sing For Absolution
Thoughts Of A Dying Atheist
Citizen Erased
Ruled By Secrecy
Sunburn
Butterflies & Hurricanes
Bliss
Time Is Running Out
Plug In Baby

ENCORE
Apocalypse Please
Stockholm Syndrome
Outro

Posted by Brett at 10:44 AM |