Muse brought their brand of overblown but catchy rock to Madison Square Garden last night. Singer Matt Bellamy even dedicated “The Star-Spangled Banner” to battered Boston. (Jon Hyde)
On a somber Monday evening, just hours after the bombing attack on the Boston Marathon, the thought of seeing a band so proudly overblown and absurd as Muse somehow didn’t feel like appropriate entertainment. But 20 minutes into their show at Madison Square Garden, the British band unexpectedly delivered a tribute which managed to balance their rock theatricality with a moment of much-needed tenderness.
Following a charged version of “The Resistance,” singer Matt Bellamy took (another) leaf out of Jimi Hendrix’s book by arching his back at the front of the stage and shouting “let’s hear some love for Boston” before delivering a spot-lit rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” on his guitar. It was more an act of emotional mercy than misplaced jingoism. With that simple yet dramatic touch, Bellamy (who has an American partner in the shape of Kate Hudson, an American son, and has rarely denied the influence of American rock music on his band) relieved the tension and sadness surrounding the show and cleared a path for the previously pensive crowd to enjoy themselves.
With that elephant in the room addressed, there was indeed plenty to enjoy. Muse’s latest album “The 2nd Law” has stretched their long-held prog-rock proclivities even further and on stage, it comes to life in numerous ways. The band’s stage setting for this tour is based primarily around a giant pyramid of screens which projected anything from pretty colored patterns, to mysterious shots of Barack Obama, and even a sequence in which drummer Dominic Howard is depicted singlehandedly fighting off a small army of ninjas while barely missing a beat to “Uprising.”
But the audio-visual onslaught is of course just eye candy to go with the far more satisfying sound of Muse in full sonic flow. The pulverizing robotic funk of songs such as “Supermassive Black Hole” and “Panic Station” seemed to vibrate through the girders of the Garden and while Bellamy’s knee slides and guitar hero shapes won him no points for originality, they certainly added to entertainment factor.
But the set was at its most impressive when Muse let their inner Queen fantasies run wild, particularly during the final of “Survival.” A dizzying mix of jaunty pianos, operatic breakdowns and titanic guitar riffs, its easily their most outrageous song to date and one that you have to greet with bemused laughter as well as admiring applause. It’s a reaction that Muse would undoubtedly see as the ultimate compliment.
The band play at Madison Square Garden again tonight and repeat customers are strongly advised to get there early to see openers Biffy Clyro. These three shirtless wonders from Glasgow, Scotland are still an unknown quantity on these shores. However, last night’s 45-minute set of sky-scraping rock anthems like “Biblical” and “Many of Horror” suggested this sorry state of ignorance is unlikely to last. Catch them now and put yourself ahead of the curve.