It's About Fucking Time.

Muse.

After eight years of pent up (musical) frustration - much like the wait I endured for Radiohead and Coldplay - Muse finally gave me the release I waitied so long for: a live show where we made sweet, sweet music together.

The night was not for the faint of hear (nor those prone to epilepsy), with laser shows that drew parallels to acid trips and being trapped in a Frankie Goes to Hollywood music video... plus face melting guitar work. Of course. They peppered the show with homage after homage to those that came before them: AC/DC's back in black and Rage Against the Machine's Bulls on Parade both made sneaky little appearances during the performance, along with a hat tip to to Mr. Freddie Mercury himself. It was everything [this] little girl could have hoped for. The only thing I worried about was that they wouldn't play much old material. Muse wasn't exactly selling out Rexall before Absolution dropped. But no... there were renditions of Time Is Running out, Stockholm Syndrome, Butterflies and Hurricanes, Rule by Secrecy and Hysteria to sate the geezer fans like myself. And yet, enough of the Twilight-soundtracking, Guitar Hero jazz to keep the new guard happy. Frankly, I'm jealous of that latter group: if my first rock show at 11 could have been a Legend like Muse (rather than Christian Rock group Hocus Pick), I might have ditched N'sync and their puppet-dancing ways years sooner.

The stage set-up was a million kinds of cool. Raised and sectioned platforms made to look like high-rise buildings were used to different effect over and over and over throughout the show.  Whoever they paid for set design, well... I hope they were paid a buttload of money: it was totally creative and totally fabulous.

I'll only briefly mention openers Silversun Pickups: they were low-energy and a little boring. I wouldn't have missed out on much if I had shown up late. But I'll admit to my sampling bias: I never really liked them much anyway, and they did nothing to sway me at this show.

If these guys ever come through town, or even near a town I'm kind of close by, it will be like going to see Radiohead: I will sell a limb to the gypsies if I have to. These guys put on a live show worth the money you pay. It's high-energy, fairly lengthly, and a has a perfect mix of older material and the new stuff. I would do it all over again tomorrow if I could.

Check out their latest album, The Resitance, Here and Here. But being the geez that I am, I would recommend Absolution first: quite possibly their finest piece of work to date.