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Muse
w/ The
Zutons
The
Rave II
November 14, 2004
I had
been waiting to see these guys for about nine months. Last time they
came through the states the closest they came was
Chicago
, and I had a gig that night. For those of you who don’t know about
Muse, let me explain a few things about them…..
They
are a three-piece band from the
UK
, and to call them a ‘power trio’ would be an understatement. They
are Radiohead meets Queen with a harder edge, along with a side of
Industry, sorta NIN or Garbage, ish. In
Europe
they sell cd’s and sellout arena’s like Bon Jovi or Metallica does
here in the states. Yes, sadly, from Wembly & Earl’s Court
to……..The Rave.
But not
even in The Rave, they had them in the basement of the Rave, called Rave
II. I didn’t even know this place existed. I guess it’s where they
have their DJ/ ecstasy whickety whick parties……oh……….and Brett
Michaels. It reminded me of places I used to play at in
Central Wisconsin
in 1985. Kind of like a mini ballroom style gutted roller rink vibe. Oh
and let me add this; cup of beer= $6, bottled water= $3, Coke= $4,
mixer= $7……gimmie a friggin break……..never again.
The
Zutons came on and pretty much rocked. They’re hard to explain. Raw
like the Black Crowes, but definitely Euro. And a chick sax player. I
know, it sounds weird. I told you they were hard to explain. Killer
drummer though. I thought they were good, and they ended at just the
right time. Their mix was great. Loud n clear with really punchy low
end.
After
about a 30 minute changeover Muse came on. They played and sang great,
but I thought the mix was average if not below. The vocals were too
quiet, and sometimes not even there. The snare was almost all stage
volume. It kinda sucked because the band was killer, the soundman was on
crack. I kept looking back at him and he just sat there eating a
doughnut, seriously. I was waiting for the mix to come around, but it
never really did. So I was torn between being annoyed with the sound,
and being completely geeked at the fact that I was actually seeing &
hearing Muse live. They played tunes from all three of their cd’s, but
most of the setlist was compiled of songs from their latest award
winning release ‘Absolution’. I could see the setlist sitting on the
FOH console and they were skipping tunes, including their curtain call.
They ended abruptly with no encore. (1) 75 minute set then off to
Minneapolis
. I saw the setlist from
Chicago
the night before AND
Minneapolis
the following night. We got the shaft. I can’t blame them though. That
place was embarrassing. My brother saw them in
Boulder
a few weeks ago at the Fox Theater, he said it ruled. He couldn’t
believe it when he heard my review. It’s embarrassing to have a
renowned band whose tour venues range from theaters, to House Of Blues,
oh and then the glorified dungeon known as the Rave II.
If you’ve
never heard of Muse, do yourself a favor and pick up ‘Absolution’.
They’re hard to deny………
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