I remember making the same point long ago, back during Glasto 2010, that the famed 2004 was a very standard set for its time. And I've held for some time that selection matters more than variation. Now hold the fuck up.

I could say similar things about this current tour in that while the performances have been literally the same every night it's a good performance. I'd rather go to a ST show than roll the dice on a Drones show (in my area). There was some evolution too. Seeing performances from Le Trabendo and similar still has a bit of the OoS tour looseness and it's a lot more locked in and mature by the time they played the courtyard of Versailles. It's subtle, not as much as the surrounding tours, and the tones are largely the same I admit. The sets did not have hordes of deep cuts and Showbiz did not have high representation, but the sets constructed were strong and rarely, if ever, let up. BH&R has aged superbly with the fanbase but remember at the time it was controversial. The lighter pop songs weren't taken in all that well. The average Abso set was usually powerful from start to finish. That kind of ties into the Absolution era in general. Origin was where the iconic "Muse" sound formed but Absolution is when it began to really infect the world. You get the feeling of a band trying to be as big as they could be but still with that younger energy lingering from the past two tours. Like @Clunge said this was their "making" and it ability they were nailing it with consistency that has been hard to match in other eras. Now, as general historical context, I do think BH&R might be more interesting and I would like to see it get more attention for its importance. It was certainly a lot more varied, the most diverse tour locations to this date, and the transition from Absolution to The Resistance was a lot more dramatic. It was also, in many ways, the last tour where they had major evolution. Songs like Showbiz and Assassin are performed more or less the same as they were back then.

It's all about the performances. Even the Black Holes songs (Assassin and Exo-Politics) are generally favored in that tour. It's also a bunch of fan favorite songs even if they were staples at the time so that influences things looking back.

The post-Reading amphitheatre shows were a lot better performance-wise than the main Drones arena shows I saw, for what it's worth.

It's length bothers me a lot more lately I admit. But I do like how it can get the crowd going. But I don't like it in the US cause the crowd never actually gets going during it.

There's some things I expect. Fuzz factory squealing before Plug In Baby is tradition and unique, and in a way is the fan's notice the song is coming. I expect to be less surprised as a fan too, but that still doesn't mean every little scratch and exclamation needs to lock in that way. It shows in the performance of songs a lot of us find tired. You don't need to play alternate renditions to change that. Follow similar six years from Showbiz to Black Holes tours. There were no alternate versions of songs except maybe Screenager and Sunburn but there's still clear differences. I'm also not taking about set rotations, just the way the staples are played. Of course getting a song they almost never play is gonna be a surprise. That's a given.

One more concert in here's thoughts just coming back. Don't count this as an overall review it's just additional comments (cause I really enjoyed it but will say some negative things here). The stage is still really impressive and looks so from afar, as this time I was seated. It feels like everything has some sort of neon light. Even during The Dark Side there's a little violet light shining on the feet of Matt and Chris and it gives them this glow. Matt also turns to face the stage during Close Encounters and with the top lights moving it really sells it more like a remake of the film's interaction. It's cool. All these little details are cool. Dig Down gospel version is really nice. It acts as a wonderful breather from all the antics. The whole interactions with the b-stage often put Matt far in front of the rest of the band, making the other two feel like backing musicians. This was a complaint for me back when they toured with 30 Seconds to Mars. I saw 30stm in 2009 and they were a typical rock band, playing their theatrical music from This Is War. In 2017 it was like seeing a Leto show and it got tiring. I don't wanna see Muse go down that road (or further down you could say) especially since one of the biggest appeals is just how tight they are as a band. Certainly one of the best I've seen in person. You don't get that chemistry when they're not together. And it really hit me, thinking about it, how much the songs feel unchanged. Time Is Running Out has to have the above-the-nut screech right after "you never dreamed of" in the second verse. It also starts with some noodling on the Am. Starlight starts with "put your hands in the air!". Plug In Baby has the Freddie Mercury crowd chant but with a fuzz factory. Man With a Harmonica + Knights of Cydonia + Dom's drum solo. Matt and Chris stand together for Interlude before Chris takes center to start the riff for Hysteria. These aren't just things I remember from San Diego on Tuesday, but from concerts six years ago. Surely they must either be feeling tired of the redundancy or they're just on autopilot for this songs. Either way I'm not a fan of the result and it would be nice to see them loosen up more for the old staples if they are gonna keep them around.

It was a nice show. After last tour that's all I asked for.

Hearing the Psycho riff for the first time (this one's generation specific I suppose).

It's a fun set. I enjoyed it a lot more than the Drones arena shows and they finally went with the lots of lights and a big screen stage like I wanted. Even if the dancers all quit it would still be an impressive show. The mid section could still use some work, but it's not as draining as it has been in other tours, so it's not the worst setlist to be touring around. The supposed rotations are bad and I'm glad I did not get them.

They've done some sort of second go around the US for the past several tours so I can see it continuing.

Should we contact support then or something? It sure feels scummy to tell people to disable adblocking just to re-sign in to the Muse board.

I hope you enjoy it!

They're not in Italy yet.

They used to do confetti with Stockholm Syndrome hint hint.

I've said I wasn't complaining about the shows, but that the attitude is still present and more specifically what feels like a growing acceptance among discussion. As in setlist improvements that people want or hope for are usually considered something that'll happen in Europe. Just a general expectation things will improve in Europe. An expectation I share but still don't like because it's always felt like more than just business. Not asking for Futurism. But even for Take A Bow that was a very rare song in the US after BH&R until basically this tour and the end of the last one.

It's more than just the catering. Shorter sets, the snarky comments regularly, the lack of smaller shows to make up for it (the promised one still never materialized). It's a disdain I don't want to accept cause it's rather insulting. I can still enjoy the shows they put on. I enjoyed the last one. These look cool too. But it's still in the back of my mind.

I can (and largely have) accept that they're not the same band I got into, but I still refuse to accept consistently and intentionally less effort just for national boundaries.

Knights.

This quickly went from "this tour's gonna be massive" to "maybe it'll only suck in America again". I've seen positive comments from those who were there though and I'm glad to hear that. It gives me hope.

I'm glad it's actually showing up consistently too as I was afraid its appearance in the last tour leg was just a brief return.

We don't need dancers we already have Dom.

It's not his fault he's so big 🙁 I wish I was shorter. I can sympathize. But he's doing his best!

He's not terrifying he's a gentle soul, here to entertain us.

If the band are ever "embarrassed" of him and keep him off the tour blu-ray I will personally fight Matt.