Muse
Live @ Bologna Paladozza 30.10.03

LA RECENSIONE

The Paladozza is packed, not sold out, but the Muse have definitely attracted quite a crowd...

The first to take the stage, however, are the Cave In, excellent, with the drummer who seems possessed and the rest of the band following suit. They engage the audience well (also asking: Who is here for Muse?), who support the band with clapping in time. Well done. But of course, when the Muse come on, everything changes.

It begins with Apocalypse Please, just Dominique, who sets the beat like a march, and then everyone joins, belting out with Bellamy... We get to New Born, and the mosh pit takes over, hopefully without casualties. Everyone participates while some desperately search for an escape route to save themselves. The best moment, however, is Citizen Erased, from the devastating violence of the initial riff to the absolute calm of the concluding part, all accompanied by a backdrop of screens showing the dawn.

After Sunburn and Feeling Good, which send shivers down the spine, we reach the mass suicide of Muscle Museum. I'm even forced to exit the crush, due to the human wave that made it impossible to stand; in any case, for this, surely the Muse are not to blame. I watch from outside some other tracks including Time Is Running Out, but I return inside for Plug In Baby, all beautiful. With the balloons flying and bursting in the air (one right on the leader's microphone), Bellamy and the crew leave the stage.

Are the Muse saying goodbye? No, in fact, called back by popular demand, they return for an encore with Blackout, where the arena accompanies them with lighters for the entire piece (truly spine-tingling), and Stockholm Syndrome, where confetti shower the spectators in complete frenzy. Definitely a great concert, with a few fewer idiots it would have been unforgettable. But what fault is that of theirs? I'd say they gave it their all: the 5 stars are well deserved.