You would think after so many years of trying to push the boat out Muse would run out of boats to push out.
The giant video screens and risers. The video satellite/blenders and pylons. The humungous array of satellites and antenna later converted into video screens. Three skyscrapers. A pyramid so huge it needed an aircraft warning light. A similarly huge pyramid hung upside down from the roof of the venue.
Somewhere out there Muse must have a warehouse stacked with a shedload of old props. But is that gonna stop them putting on an even huger show? Hell no.
Details about the band's biggest ever tour in terms of dates - 20 shows are planned in May-July across Europe in big stadiums, parks and the like - have been sketchy. However the advance buzz ahead of last week's opening night in Coventry was big after Muse's pyro testing was mistaken for the stadium being on fire.
The pyro is evident straight from the off. Opener "Supremacy" is preceded by a humungous explosion from the middle of the park and bursts of fire from the roof of the stage. It is a tremendous opener to the show, that whips the crowd into a frenzy before - belatedly, after Matt Bellamy confused his songs - "Supermassive Black Hole" tips them into overdrive.
Far from resting on their laurels, band and an exceptionally energetic crowd alike bounce further. The euphoric "Bliss" comes on the back of the funky "Panic Station", and before the surprisingly boisterous "Resistance".
Performance pieces seem to be Muse's new thing, with some success and some not. The success comes when "Animals" concludes with a caricature of a banker throwing custom-notes at the crowd before collapsing. This works a treat as it fits in with the visuals and the song's narrative. However a bizarre interlude during "Feeling Good" of a businesswoman dousing herself in 'petrol' and drinking from the pump is a bit more weird and not as fitting.
Counteracting this are the usual favourites. "Knights of Cydonia", once again with it's harmonica intro, sends the entire stadium into a state of frenzied delirium. It gets so outlandish Matt even feels moved to comment "it's like Fight Club down there" before starting the next song.
Recent singles "Madness" and "Follow Me" also maintain their charm as they work into the live cannon, but in keeping with a die-hard crowd, they are eclipsed in reaction by the heavy rush of 2001 non-album single "Dead Star".
A healthy reaction also accompanies Chris Wolstenholme taking the mic into the crowd for "Liquid State". This is one of many 2nd Law songs to evolve into hugely impressive live numbers - a vast improvement on The Resistance, where a number of songs failed to work live.
The first real mis-step comes in the encore, as the awful "Guiding Light" is dusted off after 2 years out. Quite why this dull cod-U2 nonsense returned when other hits went absent is a tricky one to explain.
This song came in a B-stage encore, which includes returns for "Unintended" and "Blackout" in a rerun of the chill encore from the HAARP tour. There's also an acrobat for the second one, albeit on a giant light-bulb rather than an inflated sphere this time.
The other major prop comes during "Unsustainable", when a giant 10-ft tall robot wheels onto the stage. On YouTube and in images it looks pretty poor but in a stadium, with the lights down low and surrounded by sinister red lights and pyro, it looks spectacular. Plus the song has evolved into a monster, with crunching bass and a crazy guitar riff.
A one two of "Plug in Baby" and "Survival", replete with more pyro, would be the perfect end to any gig. But Muse aren't down, with a final one-two of "Uprising" and "Starlight" ending it off.
"Starlight" isn't really the best choice for a closer, and it is certainly disappointing Bellamy has left it to keyboardist Morgan Nicholls to play guitar. This is a trick he also pulled on "Blackout", where Wolstenholme was handed the six strings.
But these, thankfully, can be overlooked in the wake of a wonderous and delightful show. The musicianship and showmanship is thankfully still here in exceptional abundance, and every song sounds massive.
It's awesome to see that they still have ideas left in the tank and can still captivate stadiums in such a manner. But what's next? Well... who knows?
4/5
Also in support were two more poppy acts than many fans would expect. Dizzee Rascal was the controversial choice for headline support. His brief as being the warm-up for the filling up crowd was more than filled, with a final one-two of "Holiday" and "Bonkers" sending the crowd into hysteria. Rascal and his fellow MC This despite the fact it just sounded way off and just didn't work in the stadium.
The other support is the more recently successful Bastille. They delivered a pleasing set, if not quite as good as
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