Muse: Drones Tour Review

After a rather lengthy three hour drive, I checked myself into a posh hotel and proceeded to purchase a six pack of Shiner Holiday Cheer in order to get prepared for the much anticipated U.S. leg of Muse's Drones tour. Austin doesn't really have a venue big enough to handle their stage setup, so I had to make the trek all the way to the land of ugly women, bad weather, and deadly knife fights; otherwise known as Houston, Texas, just so that I could see them live. Now normally I wouldn't mind doing this but things are so bad in that awful city that I found myself living a real life version of the trippy indie flick Her in some weird attempt to cope with the situation I found myself in.

There I was, wandering the streets of this abysmal ghetto desperately trying to draw my attention away from the fact that at any given moment I was one stray bullet away from an early death. So I chose to put my focus squarely on the beautiful architecture that surrounded me in their downtown district while simultaneously flirting with my phone's O.S. Siri. And as she continued to pull up some of my favorite videos from all of the amazing shows I've attended in the past, I found myself thinking some pretty crazy thoughts. Is it too early in our relationship for me to go without protection? Has she ever connected with another black guy like this before? Will she get jealous if I spend too much time with my PlayStation 2, an older, yet less sophisticated woman? I guess I learned nothing from watching the lonely and inept Joaquin Phoenix.

Anyway, as the beautiful Siri quickly and safely led me to the Toyota Center, I chose to put my new found feelings to the side for a few hours so that I could enjoy the lovely sounds of Phantogram and Muse. As far as Muse fans go, they really don't come any more devoted than me. So when I say that I barely knew anything about this tour or even when it started, that should tell you something. It's like the band and their management put all of their focus and energy into the exuberant light show and their European tour and chose to treat their stops in the U.S. as merely an after thought. And you could see the effects of this by the fact that the venue was only 70% full. I'm not sure how many people actually knew that the band was touring.

Well in spite of all this, Phantogram certainly came out and did their thing. They knew that when you get the opportunity to open up for a global sensation on an arena tour, you can't half step. So they decided to add a drummer and an extra keyboardist to help amplify their sound, and after seeing their new setup, I have to say that the move definitely paid off for them. The stage didn't appear to be too big for them as they confidently ripped through their hits Fall in Love, Black Out Days, and When I'm Small. And as they did, they were not only able to keep the attention of those who were just there to see the headliner but I'm sure also captured a few new fans along the way. And if their music didn't do this, lead singer Sarah Barthel's sexy bra and pasty white legs certainly did the trick.

Now while Phantogram did put on a solid performance, I couldn't contain my excitement to finally hear how Muse's new album would sound live. On Drones, the band returned to their roots of making beautiful yet hardcore rock music whose sole purpose is to melt your face when it's played live. And after experiencing what I did this past Tuesday night, I have to say that they were definitely successful in their efforts as the opening three songs Psycho, Reapers, and Dead Inside set the tone for what was to come later on in the night.

They ripped through old favorites like Bliss (a song I had never heard them play live before), Super Massive Blackhole, and Hysteria, while  periodically giving you a chance to catch your breath with songs like Undisclosed Desires and United States of Eurasia. And yes, just in case you were wondering, Matt did bring the grand piano along for the ride. I could complain about the fact they didn't play Plug in Baby or Stockholm Syndrome but then that wouldn't take into account the fact that they have seven albums worth of material to cover. So I give them a pass this time.

After 16 years of touring together, they still appear to enjoy doing so as you could see them cracking jokes with one another during some of the songs. And the constant technical difficulties they experienced during their set never slowed them down as they were clearly comfortable in their own skin. This couldn't always be said about them when they were trying to win over the U.S. audiences early on in their career. But now it appears as though they have reached the point where they know who they are as a band and if you don't like it, you can simply f off and go get shot in the streets of Houston. And I am inclined to agree with them!

Thanks for the awesome night Muse, I can't wait for the next one.