LCD Soundsystem @ Malkin Bowl - May 31/10

Setlist:
Us vs Them
Drunk Girls
Get Innocuous
Yr City's a Sucker
Pow Pow
Daft Punk is Playing at My House
All I Want
All My Friends
I Can Change
Tribulations
Movement
Yeah
Encore:
Someone Great
Losing My Edge
New York I Love You/Empire State of Mind

Muse @ Pacific Colliseum - April 1/10

Muse have been on my list to see live for about three years. Just about all the other bands I discovered around the same time along with the British Post-Punk Revival explosion I've now seen: Interpol, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, Editors, The Fratellis, The Kooks and Maximo Park. I knew Muse were massive in Europe and reputed to be an amazing live act, but where were they?





The only time I remember seeing a Muse date near here was Sept/07 in Seattle. I didn't go to Seattle to see them then and I still have yet to travel that far for a gig. I figure everyone eventually ends up in Vancouver. Well, according to their site, the last time Muse were in Vancouver was at the Commodore on September 24, 2004! That's a five and a half year absence. They've played a handful of shows in Toronto, Montreal and Seattle on their tours since then, but we've been waiting a long time. Welcome back, boys.

So, was the wait worth it? Oh, yes. Even with the high expectations I had from their rumoured greatness live, I was not disappointed. The sound quality in the Pacific Colliseum was excellent, and Bellamy is a damn good front man, but the undisputed star of the night was the set design. I'm including some pics that may capture how impressive it was. Three skyscrapers on the stage that are both movable platforms and video displays, and a light show second to none was an admirable backdrop to a great night of music.

I'm not a fan of the increasingly overt influence of Queen on the band, so those moments during the night were lowlights for me (United States of Eurasia, piano solos). The highlights, beyond the phenomenal stage set, were my old faves Starlight, Supermassive Blackhole, Time is Running Out, and the new tracks Uprising and Resistance. I confess to avoid the crowds, we skipped out before Knights of Cydonia, but I bet that rocked too.

I also have to mention one fan who enthusiastically and single-handed got the entire place doing the wave while we were waiting for Muse to take the stage. Thanks man.


Setlist:
Uprising
Resistance
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Blackhole
Hysteria (with Back in Black riff)
Nishe
United States of Eurasia
Feeling Good
(Drum Jam)
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Unnatural Selection
Time is Running Out
Plug In Baby
Encore:
Exogenesis Pt.1
Stockholm Syndrom
Knights of Cydonia