Muse Performs Visually Stimulating Show in Chicago

In support of their latest record 'The Resistance,' U.K. trio Muse have been filling seats in huge arenas across the world. Friday night the band touched down in Chicago and performed their larger-than-life spectacle to tens of thousands at the United Center, the same venue where the Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks usually play.

Before Muse could unleash their sonic assault onto the masses, Silversun Pickups warmed up the crowd with eight of their drenched in feedback songs from 'Swoon' and 'Carnavas.' They opened with the earnest 'Growing Old is Getting Old' that bled into the gnarling 'Well Thought Out Twinkles.'

"Hello, Chicago. I recognize some of you," lead singer Brian Aubert joked to the sea of faces. Halfway through their set, they apologized to the people seated behind them, whose view was obstructed by three skyscraper-like structures set for Muse. Aubert urged two sections of the crowd to participate in a camera flash contest. Simultaneously, concertgoers flashed their cameras and lit up the darkness with a mini light show. During final song 'Lazy Eye,' Aubert thrashed around with his guitar and generated strong vibrations.

Finally, Muse's moment arrived. The triptych of skyscrapers glowed as images of people walking up flights of stairs gave way to each band member playing their instruments on three raised platforms with monitors screening superimposed shots of the live audience and the band above them. 'Uprising' boomed, pulsated and subsequently shook the stadium. The crowd cheered in excitement, incessantly snapped photos and occasionally danced and pummeled the air with their fists.

For the second song, 'The Resistance,' green lasers sprouted and moved around the stadium along with bright eyeballs images that clouded the monitors. The platforms soon lowered and lead singer Matt Bellamy and bassist Christopher Wolstenholme took charge of the rest of the stage. They radiated machismo as they shuffled around and wailed on their instruments. Muse's set focused on their past three albums instead of older nuggets, but 'New Born' and cover 'Feeling Good' from second record 'Origins of Symmetry' managed to slip through.

After playing a series of songs on the ground, Bellamy was hoisted up again (this time sharing his platform with a baby grand piano) and played 'United States of Eurasia' and 'Feeling Good.' Drummer Dominic Howard and Wolstenholme engaged in a prog-rock instrumental with 'Helsinki Jam.' While they played, their platform slowly rotated 360 degrees.

Penultimate song 'Time is Running Out' incited the audience to shout out the lyrics, and set closer 'Plug in Baby' saw a bunch of eyeball balloons float towards the crowd, giving new meaning to eye candy. The pumped up crowd tried to pop the balloons while they waited for Muse to return for a three-song encore. Wolstenholme's harmonica intro to 'Knights of Cydonia' got thousands singing and jumping up and down. As smoke geysers shot into the air and completed the evening, Muse exemplified what it meant to be rock stars.

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