I Saw Muse at Axis Boston (4/15/04). Now I can Die Happy Apr 19 '04    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 Mai by Eri Sugai From $4 The Bottom Line Everything about [Muse] is so easy to love I am never ahead of the curve. Usually, I discover bands when they have started to go downhill, broken up, or died. So, I was shocked when I walked into Axis, located on Landsdowne Street behind Fenway Park, on Thursday night and saw that it was a tiny venue. As I stood ten feet from the stage and screamed at the top of my lungs along with the rest of the wildly enthusiastic crowd, I couldn't figure out why everyone in Boston wasn't beating down the doors to see Muse. In the UK, Muse plays to stadium-sized crowds at outdoor festivals like our Woodstock, so I felt like one of the luckiest people on the planet since I was seeing them from fifteen feet away among a crowd of less than 1200. It was the best concert I have ever seen, and I am convinced that no other show will ever come close to this one in my heart. I was mere feet away from the eclectic power trio that I love so much. As the intense energy that is "Hysteria" kicked in, I felt a wave of pure joy, and my life-long jealousy toward my father for having seen Cream play live twice finally began to fade. And at $12 a ticket, it was one of the best bargains I've ever found, as well. Muse was formed by Devon schoolmates Matthew Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard when they were just 13-years-old. The boys changed the name of their band several times, settling on Muse in 1997. People criticized their first album, Showbiz (1999) for sounding like a knockoff of The Bends, but there are certainly worse fates than sounding like one of the best albums of all time. Muse found continued success with their second album The Origin of Symmetry (2001), but it was their third and latest album Absolution (2003) that finally ended the Radiohead copy-cat accusations. Absolution is complex and immaculately produced, and I wondered how some of the more intricate songs would translate live. I was in awe that Muse could produce that type of sound with just three people. At times, I was sure that there must have been an extra guitarist hiding in the wings. If you ever attend a Muse show (and you really should), the main thing you'll take away from it is that Matthew Bellamy is a musical genius. The pale, petite Brit with spikey hair (hey, he's my ideal man!) is a ball of energy on stage, running back and forth from keyboards to guitar and singing in a gorgeous falsetto. I was a bit worried that Matt would be subdued on stage since he had injured his mouth with a guitar at a show in Atlanta less than a week before, but he jumped around on stage, fell to his knees, and even played the guitar behind his head on the extended version of "Stockholm Syndrome" that ended the phenomenal show. I winced a bit on the funky "Citizen Erased" as Matt bounced around and his guitar jerked dangerously toward his lips, knowing that that was the song during which he bloodied his mouth in Atlanta. Luckily, he made it through it unscathed this time, and I breathed a sigh of relief. If I were planning the setlist, I would have eliminated "The Small Print" and "Ruled By Secrecy" from Absolution in favor of two faster-paced tracks from Origin of Symmetry or Showbiz, but I understand that Muse wanted to promote their latest album. Overall, I thought the song selection was excellent, as they chose the best two songs from Showbiz ("Muscle Museum," which really does sound just like the title track from The Bends, but that's a compliment coming from me, and "Sunburn") and saved two of the hardest rockers for the last portion of the main part of the set ("Time is Running Out" and the utterly brilliant "Plug In Baby"). Everyone sang along to "Time is Running Out," which, as Drew said, "brought down the house." Bassist Wolstenholme, who is tall, beefy, and tan next to Bellamy, stayed nearly still during show but cracked a smile as Bellamy leaned his guitar into the amplifiers for extra distortion. Dominic Howard is one of the finest drummers I've ever seen, playing with intense power and mouth open wide on "Time is Running Out" and the other head-bangers and subtly with padded mallets on the beautiful "Sing for Absolution" and "Ruled By Secrecy." He reminds me of Gareth from The Office with a stylish, spikey haircut. I would have liked to hear Matt speak more because his accent is, of course, adorable, but his stage banter was very limited possibly due to the fact that everyone had to clear out by 10:00 when Axis opens its doors as a dance club. For this reason, the show felt a little bit rushed, and I certainly wasn't ready to leave at 9:50 PM. Drew and I were surprised when the people we thought we roadies turned out to be the opening band, The Exit. They joked a bit about this, but, unfortunately, their song length didn't match their down-to-earth personae. The songs were decently catchy but forgettable, and each of them went on for about two minutes too long. The guitarist of this trio bore a striking resemblance to the late Jimi Hendrix in a certain light and Lionel Richie in others. The singer/bassist of The Exit, which has a song on the American Pie soundtrack, was very cute and gave a shout-out to his family in the audience. The crowd seemed eager for The Exit to make like its name and leave, and the three members of Muse showed what a power trio is really supposed to sound like. I'm not sure I've ever been in such a small space filled with so much excitement. As Matt sings with a hint of desperation in his voice on "Bliss," "Everything about you is so easy to love." That means you, Matthew Bellamy. *Swoon* It's taken me this long to write this review because I've only just recovered from the euphoria. If I had tried to post anything before, it would have been just giddy and incoherent ramblings. Setlist Hysteria New Born The Small Print Sing For Absolution Muscle Museum Citizen Erased Ruled by Secrecy Sunburn Butterflies and Hurricanes Bliss Time is Running Out Plug in Baby Encore: Apocalypse Please Stockholm Syndrome Read my concert date's review here to find out which articles of our clothing didn't make it out of Axis: http://www.epinions.com/content_3871187076 When we left the venue, our ears were ringing, and I could barely make out the sounds of a Bruce Springsteen record playing over Fenway's PA system as we walked in the shadows of the Green Monster. "The ruled so much!" I yelled. "What?" Drew called back. I just raised both thumbs and grinned. "Best. Concert. Ever!" I yelled a couple of minutes later. I think he heard that.

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