Herald Express 2007-03-06 – We are not a-Muse-d
WE ARE NOT A-MUSE-D
11:00 - 06 March 2007
Devon rockers Muse have been pipped to the Wembley Stadium post by pop star George Michael.
The trio from Teignmouth were expected to be the first band to play at the newly refurbished £800million Wembley on June 16.Two concerts sold out almost instantly last year thanks to eager fans wanting to see their favourite rockers while sneaking a peek at the revamped stadium.
But the former Wham! singer has just announced that he will play seven days before them as part of his European Tour.
Michael,42, is known for songs Faith, Wake Me Up Before you Go Go and Careless Whisper.
The singer has played at the old Wembley Stadium before, appearing at the historical Live Aid concert in 1985 and Wham!'s farewell concert in 1986.
While Muse are disappointed over losing the kudos of being the first band to fill the new stadium, it comes as a small blow in an otherwise stellar year.
A spokesman for the group said: "The news only broke this morning and obviously there is nothing we can do. It is a shame, but there was always a possibility that someone was going to book in before us, and George has.
"The boys are currently touring in Asia, and we're not sure if they have been told or not. I'm sure they'll be disappointed, but we knew the risks.
"I don't know what George has got planned - it is an odd weekend, because it coincides with the Isle of Wight festival, but I can reassure fans that the Muse Wembley stadium gig will be spectacular."
The spokesman added that Muse had been playing to huge crowds in Australia and Indonesia, and were excited to be touring.
" Absolution went platinum in Indonesia, so they are definitely enjoying healthy support out there. I don't think they knew what to expect but they are definitely enjoying themselves," he said.
Matt Bellamy, Dom Howard and Chris Wolstenholme's latest album, Supermassive Black Hole, [sic] has won rave reviews and thousands of fans across the world. A fourth single, Invincible, will be released on April 9.
The group won an NME award for best British Group last week, hot on the tails of their Brit Award for Best Live Act.
And Matt Bellamy was also named NME's sexiest man in music.
The band will be playing in Seoul, South Korea tomorrow night, before heading to Japan.