MTV Asia 2007-01-21 – Muse 'Live' in Singapore
Muse 'Live' In Singapore
January 16, 2007 Fort Canning Park Singapore
While Muse might have played impressively at their debut in Singapore, unfortunately, most of the first half of their gig was marred by muddy sound that was screechingly harsh and jarring in the higher registers.
Luckily for the trio of Matt Bellamy (vocals, guitar), Chris Wolstenholme (bass), and Dominic Howard, their Singapore fans were rather forgiving of the technical flaws. The generally appreciative crowd comprising mostly teenage and young adult fans chose instead to revel in the power and passion of their British modern rock heroes, starting with the band’s explosive opener, "Knights Of Cydonia" taken from their 2006 album, Black Holes And Revelations, all through firm favorites like "Butterflies and Hurricanes" and "New Born," and more recent offerings from their last album like "Map of the Problematique" and "Supermassive Black Hole."
For a band widely acclaimed as an amazing live act, Muse did not disappoint with their technical prowess, even though they hardly bantered with their audience, save for Bellamy introducing a handful of songs and Howard exclaiming his thanks to the fans every few songs.
All the same, Bellamy charmed many in the audience with his uplifting, lilting falsettos, his virtuoso metal-inflected fretwork, his sensitive classical style piano playing, and not to mention his manic meanderings and electrifying rock-god posturing all over the stage. Wolstenholme with his intuitive, hook-heavy bass playing, and Howard with his powerful, rock-steady, precision attack on the skins, provided more than exemplary and proficient rhythmic support to Bellamy’s starpower.
Thankfully, by the time the band dove into the highly recognizable opening riffs of "Time Is Running Out," their dedicated sound engineer got the balance right, allowing equal space for Bellamy and Wolstenholme to show off the best qualities of their respective instruments, with clearer definitions of the low, middle and high registers, instead of letting them compete and drown each other out.
After delivering a moving rendition of "Plug In Baby," the lads from Devon then slipped backstage for a brief breather before coming out for an encore comprising the mostly acoustic gem "Soldier's Poem," their recent chart-buster "Starlight," and the blistering closer of one of their Absolution highlights, "Stockholm Syndrome."
Alas for many of the fans, it did seem that their blissful time with Muse had indeed run out too soon, for the entire show lasted no more than 75 minutes.
Nevertheless, for their Singapore fans, it was well worth the years of waiting. What is more, they can take heart that Muse has promised to play again in this island, some time in the near future.
-- Ivan Thomasz