Muse at The Greek Theater last night was one of the best shows I have ever seen. I have a few favorites, which include Bjork @ The Bowl, Radiohead @ The Bowl and every Powder show. This show was as good if not better than Radiohead, but can’t compare to Bjork, but that’s because she’s an alien.
The Greek is one of my favorite venues in Los Angeles, mostly due to its limited capacity. Not to mention the feeling that every seat is a good seat because the stage seems so close no matter where you are. The sound in that place is incredible, as well.
So, the show was an awesome mix of old songs from the first 2 albums, a ton of stuff from Absolution and then all the best from Black Holes. I heard all that I wanted to hear and more. The stage was set with large flowing white curtains that were being used as projector screens, powerful strobe lighting and follow spots and the band in all white and black.
The band left the stage at the end of their set, but they had yet to play 2 important songs. They came back out, to start their encore and played a song from Absolution. Then… the big finale. Matthew started playing Time is Running Out and the crowd went nuts! He got to the first chorus and the crowd was singing so loud that he stopped singing and let us do it for him! Throughout the song, you could clearly hear the crowd singing every word.
Finally, the band thanked the audience and started to play Knights of Cydonia. I was anticipating this song so much leading up to the show and I was completely blown away. Matthew’s voice is unbelieveable, but this song was made for this kind of show. From the projected lyrics on the screens to the roar of the crowd, this song was the high-point of the show. I wanted them to play it twice!
So, all in all, a progressive rock show in the Hollywood hills on a Wednesday night was just what I needed.