Band: Muse
DVD: Live at Zénith de Paris les 28 et 29
Discs: 2
Released: 01/07/2002
Muse have risen to become one of the most influental and progressive rock bands in the UK, and have recently made their presence known in America. They have toured the world, stopping off in Japan, Australia, France, Germany and many more places, to perform their songs for the fans and to give them a true experience of what a live gig should sound like. And now they've put it all on a DVD for the less luckier fans to experience too.
The first disc, the live show, starts out with a very cryptic intro. Lights flashing around the arena, fans screaming for their hosts to come on the stage and give them the show of their lives. The background voice is telling his story, constantly saying "What is he building?" in an eerie accent, darkens the mood. Until Muse make their presence known, the curtains fall and Matt rips the crowd apart, leading instantly into Dead Star.
The audience scream and bounce to the sound of his guitar, while Chris jams away on Bass and Dom hammers the drums. The band soar through the likes of Citizen Erased, Sunburn and Uno, and when they play, you know that they want to do it. You can feel the energy they are giving off while playing to the crowd.
They play a few filler tracks in the middle, and a couple of lesser liked songs, but considering they made this when they only had 2 albums out, I think it's extraordinary for them to pull off a 91 minute gig.
At the end of the show, we get to hear them play the classics in all their glory. As Matt is moving his fingers across the piano, while singing the intro to New Born, the whole of the pit are singing along with him. And then the guitars pounce in full throttle, and we see Matt moving across the stage in true madness!
To finish off the gig, the lighters were raised and the couples kissed while Matt picked his way through Unintended, announcing at the start that he hadn't played the song in ages and might get it wrong a bit. After the chilled out song, we move to the finale that is Bliss, which is pure happiness when played live.
Overall, the performance left me speechless. Muse are most certainly a live band, and even though their latest release, Absolution, was somewhat of a letdown to me, they still have the capability to please a crowd chanting to be entertained.
Disc 2: 41 minute documentary, audio, photo gallery and more
Not really a necessary part of the DVD, but it's nice that they wanted to give a little extra for the fans who paid for it.
The documentary is great to watch, but it does get a bit tiresome. It's very artistic, and in one scene, we see Matt moving around to the backing music (piano and singing) drunk in a hotel reception. It does look funny, but it's made out to be quite serious.
I must admit though, seeing Dom slip on the Corey Taylor mask and do countless impressions of the Slipknot frontman (one being with a sombrero on as well) is hilarious. Just seeing Dom shouting in his moody voice "SHUT THE
FUCK UP!!" and Matt literally pissing himself on the sofa makes the documentary worth watching alone!
The other features are again filler, but DVDs are nothing without them nowadays. You get to listen to clips of the 2 albums (as if the live show wasn't enough!), flick through the photo gallery for Hullabaloo promos and view their complete discography (Did I say complete? Clearly their record label haven't dug deep enough!)
The second DVD wasn't exactly breath-taking, but it's the live show people are paying to see. The film of them on the extra DVD isn't bad though if you are a hardcore fan or if you want some sleep.
Overall, I highly suggest you pick this up. Trust me, speaking as someone who has seen this magnificant band live, if you haven't experienced Muse in the flesh, you haven't experienced Muse :thumb:
Rating: 4/5
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