It’s difficult to know what to make of Muse’s gig at the London Stadium last night. Crowd management issues and a bland setlist might have left a sour taste in the mouth, but the band’s performance and the sheer scale and production value of the Simulation Theory Tour show were the main things I will remember from the evening.
You can’t deny that this show was one hell of a spectacle. Matt, Dom, and Chris were joined by a plethora of dancers, who did everything from firing smoke guns and abseiling up and down the stage’s LED screen in biohazard suits to commandeering giant metal exoskeletons. At one point Bellamy played a Simulation Theory-themed arcade machine, and the rock-heavy finale was invaded by a giant animatronic robot.
The setlist featured most of the Simulation Theory songs you’d expect – Algorithm, The Dark Side, Propaganda, Break It To Me, and the superior acoustic gospel version of Dig Down – alongside a selection of Muse’s greatest hits – Supermassive Black Hole, Starlight, Hysteria – and one or two surprises in the form of Bliss and Take A Bow.
There were a few heavier songs, including Stockholm Syndrome and New Born, but their lengths were significantly cut, and anything more obscure was relegated to the group’s “metal medley” – fans around me seemed just as disappointed when favourites like Assassin and Futurism were cut off just as they were getting going.
But this is the reality of a Muse album tour gig in 2019, I suppose. Fans like me who hope for older rarities are probably better off going to one of their smaller, rarer charity shows (if you can get a ticket). The other bonus to those gigs is that you won’t have to deal with the mess that was the London Stadium’s non-existent queueing system, the clueless stadium island staff, and the hour-long queue for the post-gig Tube home.
Stack Stubs 