Moment of Muse

Moment of Muse

The British band gave an inspirational performance at the Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani on Wednesday

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Moment of Muse
Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy.

Among the three international acts that graced the stage of Impact Arena Muang Thong Thani this month, Muse had to be the most low-key performance. From Maroon 5's ticket-hawking drama to Bon Jovi's surprise visit after two decades, Brit rock band Muse slipped quietly under the general public's radar, but not their devoted fans' enthusiasm and keenness. The hall was packed on Wednesday night for the band's first ever concert in Thailand.

The night came with heavy rain and bad traffic, but outside the hall, people were clinking their glasses of beer even before they got in. Another night, another party. Some of the audience members in the standing zone were already inside to get the best spot. But most in the seating area were in no hurry.

At 8.19pm, Muse's opening act -- The Ruse -- came onstage. This is their second tour with Muse, and the LA-based indie rock band was successful in getting the crowd hyped up. At one point, The Ruse's lead singer John Dauer even jumped into the crowd. The four-man band left the stage just a few minutes before 9pm.

It was then a 30-minute wait before we got to see lead singer and guitarist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Christopher Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard -- the three members of Muse -- take the stage. They were also accompanied by Morgan Nicholls, their touring keyboardist.

They began their set with Psycho -- a single from their latest album Drones, which was released in June this year. The LED screen serving as the stage backdrop lit with scenes from their video. The VTR was a mixture of cool graphics interspersed with the actual onstage performance.

"Sawasdee Bangkok!" greeted frontman Bellamy. Well, technically, Impact Arena is in Nonthaburi province. But I guess nobody has ever named their concert "Live in Nonthaburi" before. Go figure.

The band's energy and their alternative, progressive rock music was intense and nobody could really stay still through the 90-minute concert. There was dancing, swaying, headbanging, feet-tapping and almost everybody was on the edge of their seats.

Songs like Resistance, Dead Inside, Hysteria and Feeling Good were some fan favourites that night. But it wasn't until Supermassive Black Hole -- the hit song from the band's 2006 album Black Holes And Revelations -- was performed that the crowd went wild. It was immediately followed by Time Is Running Out, Starlight and Uprising.

During Starlight, giant balloons were released into the hall and they bounced on the crowd. Clearly inspired, some audience members tried to replicate the balloons' buoyancy by doing a spot of crowd surfing themselves. One girl was lifted overhead for a few minutes before a security guard came and shooed the gang with a flashlight. Audience members then waved their lit-up phones, turning the Impact Arena into a starry sea of light befitting the song.

Interestingly, phones were not the only thing members of the crowd were holding up throughout the night. People cheered on the band with their beers, someone waved a crutch, we also spotted a guy flapping a Vietnamese flag.

Crazy? Yes. But what else could be expected from a rock concert, if not a little dose of wildness?

"This is our first time in Thailand. We had a great time here. Thanks for coming!" said Bellamy. Muse ended their concert with the upbeat Knights Of Cydonia, getting the crowd jumping to the last minute before filing out at 11pm.

Muse's performance was powerful from start to finish. The production was very well done. The killer lighting, sound, great editing of the VTR and the use of graphics were all in-sync and spot on and helped bring the entire performance into one vivid experience.

Although the band didn't interact much with the crowd, we didn't feel detached or excluded from their performance. I suppose when the songs are good, you really don't need to do much else. The only complaint I had from the night would be the long set-up in between the two bands. But, by the time the concert was over, everyone pretty much forgot about the lengthy wait.

By then, we were satiated and satisfied, singing along to Starlight once again as it was played inside the Singha beer lounge at the end of the night.

"My life. You electrify my life. Let's conspire to ignite all the souls that would die just to feel alive," sang the crowd outside Impact Arena. That was the final encore we gave ourselves before everyone made their way home.

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