How has your opinion of Muse changed over time

[serpentsatellite]

I came in after the "wild and crazy" live show days were over, really, and didn't get to my first gig, sadly, until '10, when it was more choreographed.

Honestly, I didn't mind. Even during T2L when it was obviously very scripted, the band seemed to still be enjoying it (Bellamy at least,) and that was more than enough to make it fun.

Some of the older, wild stuff isn't really to my taste either, tbh. I like a happy median.

 

It seems like the band always had a few antics that were consistent, too. Noticed during one of those "Psycho riffs through the ages" videos that that riff was very often played on a knocked down amp, for instance.

Even in '10 and '13, a lot of those antics were still fun. The band still cracked a smile or two.

 

Drones the Tour just felt like all that fun and life was sucked out of it. (Obligatory "at least in the US.")

 

The bf and I saw two non-Muse gigs after our last Muse ones. After the first, he told me that Muse didn't feel like it was enjoying itself anymore like the band we saw was, and he was sad about it.

After the second, he told me he thought Muse were a bunch of lazy, pretentious cunts who couldn't be bothered to put on an actual performance, and overcharged their fans while disrespecting them.

So, I guess his views have changed a ton.

I don't want to agree with him...

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

I came in after the "wild and crazy" live show days were over, really, and didn't get to my first gig, sadly, until '10, when it was more choreographed.

Honestly, I didn't mind. Even during T2L when it was obviously very scripted, the band seemed to still be enjoying it (Bellamy at least,) and that was more than enough to make it fun.

Some of the older, wild stuff isn't really to my taste either, tbh. I like a happy median.

 

It seems like the band always had a few antics that were consistent, too. Noticed during one of those "Psycho riffs through the ages" videos that that riff was very often played on a knocked down amp, for instance.

Even in '10 and '13, a lot of those antics were still fun. The band still cracked a smile or two.

 

Even during Absolution days they had their routine antics. For example, during festivals, Matt used to drag and lay down his guitar amp in front of the stage during the ending riffs of Stockholm Syndrome, and he miked it to thicken the sound and create resonance, for then to play and dance to the pre-Psycho riff.

 

I also feel they're going back to the classic stage placement after this tour, and maybe recollect themselves to recognise they shouldn't rely too much on pop hits in US. I mean, I really like the pop side of their music, but I hope they won't end up to bitterly regret being mainly remembered for Madness, UD, Panic Station or Mercy in United States, considering everything else they've done.

[serpentsatellite]

I do dearly hope they realized what a crowd killer that center stage was and it's gone for good, but I won't let my hopes get up for better US treatment. It's always been bad, it just reached an absolute peak this tour when they dropped a slot from the set rather than play something like Bliss or CE.

 

Knowing that the band or people working for them have said that they already do rather regret what they're known for in the US, dislike playing here, and just look at it as "smart business" is pretty tough to get past.

Especially knowing that they blame the fans/crowd for it instead of the fact that they chose to "sell out" to get famous here.

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

I do dearly hope they realized what a crowd killer that center stage was and it's gone for good, but I won't let my hopes get up for better US treatment. It's always been bad, it just reached an absolute peak this tour when they dropped a slot from the set rather than play something like Bliss or CE.

 

Knowing that the band or people working for them have said that they already do rather regret what they're known for in the US, dislike playing here, and just look at it as "smart business" is pretty tough to get past.

Especially knowing that they blame the fans/crowd for it instead of the fact that they chose to "sell out" to get famous here.

 

Maybe the whole thing has gotten out of their hands a bit too much.

Maybe they simply wanted to have fun in integrating more pop elements in their music, but at the same time they assumed, without thinking twice, that everyone should have known their edgier and more obscure production without being alienated by the "pop" one.

They also wanted to sell more, OK, but they should have expected they were going to be remembered for those hits... But maybe even crowds are at fault, somehow: people mostly follow certain artists just because they're proclaimed as the "Act of the Century". To sum up, because they're effing famous, and nothing more. And, you know, who cares about discovering more of their past production if they're famous? Just go to their concert, take a lot of selfies, and boast about the fact you're there because "OMG, itz the trend of da month", "Itz kool1!1", it's fucking cool to follow something potentially mass-trending for the sake of being fucking cool!

And who cares if you disrespect the artist, or disturb the others surrounding you by chatting on your phone, or force them to sit or stand still because you aren't enjoying it, you've paid to attend the whole thing, so the others are due to respect your own rules!

And how could acts like Muse let themselves to be so easily swayed by that!

 

* pants heavily and angrily *

 

Uhm... Sorry... I needed to get this weight out of my chest...

[serpentsatellite]

I was scrolling through my faved vids from my gigs on YT (although the best ones are gone...) and maybe it's hard to see in videos if you weren't also there, but for me it's not about how "wild" the band acted.

It's that there was flair to how Matt performed the songs in the last tours that is sorely lacking from the Drones tour. Or at least the ones I saw and watched.

A sense of the epic that melded well with the ott songs and vibe of the gig.

And made it at least appear like he was enjoying himself possibly. It's pretty important for me to not feel like a band looks at playing a concert like I look at my retail job.

 

It was little stuff, but it made the presentation of the songs seem epic, and the performance lively, even if Matt never interacts with the crowd, or moved around much.

Now it's like watching a guy just stand there and wait for it to be over.

 

This SS was the highlight of every Muse gig I went to; it felt amazing and powerful. Really got to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJkOuvwvSOk

(And I'd forgotten how out of control Matt's hair was. )

 

The little things like that made me actually enjoy a song I hate (particularly the bridge was amazing; this isn't the one I saw, but it is very similar to how mine went down.)

 

Compare that to any song from Philly '16.

This guy has some nice ones.

 

Or look at the difference in Maps.

It's actually hard to reconcile the powerful bits of that song with the presentation/performance Matt is(n't) giving.

Edited June 2, 2016 by SerpentSatellite

[funkadelic]

My story is pretty similar to the others in this thread. I was vaguely aware of them through their singles from '00-'04. Then in 2006 I became properly obsessed. I joined the forum when everyone was hyped for the Wembley Stadium gigs, and it was wonderful. I loved the community here so much even though it was already pretty jaded from BH&R. From there I watched/read every interview I could find, watched every performance on youtube I could find, and they were practically all I listened to. It was during The Resistance tour that the love started to fade, but I always remained optimistic that Muse would someday give me the same feeling they used to. They still manage it whenever they do special gigs like the Psycho Tour or playing all of OoS at R/L. However, I had that same feeling of it finally sinking in that they had lost the unique frantic energy which had initially enchanted me.

 

I see a lot of people on here say they moved on to other modern bands, but that never really happened to me. I ended up getting obsessed with The Beatles. Thing with them is though, it's not like they're still making albums, and you can go see them live. There are many bands I love, but ever since I stopped being emotionally invested in Muse there hasn't been a new band which has been able to fill that void. I think it also has to do with that particular time in my life being over, and fandom being different now with tumblr and twitter. It makes me really sad sometimes tbh.

 

I still keep up with them, and I'll always love them. They played a big part in helping me develop my taste in music. I like to think that one day Matt will reach the point where he's like "fuck it" and the Psycho Tour gigs will be a regular thing because it seems like those are the type of gigs he enjoys most deep down.

Edited June 3, 2016 by funkadelic

[Gemsy]

I was scrolling through my faved vids from my gigs on YT (although the best ones are gone...) and maybe it's hard to see in videos if you weren't also there, but for me it's not about how "wild" the band acted.

It's that there was flair to how Matt performed the songs in the last tours that is sorely lacking from the Drones tour. Or at least the ones I saw and watched.

A sense of the epic that melded well with the ott songs and vibe of the gig.

And made it at least appear like he was enjoying himself possibly. It's pretty important for me to not feel like a band looks at playing a concert like I look at my retail job.

 

It was little stuff, but it made the presentation of the songs seem epic, and the performance lively, even if Matt never interacts with the crowd, or moved around much.

Now it's like watching a guy just stand there and wait for it to be over.

 

This SS was the highlight of every Muse gig I went to; it felt amazing and powerful. Really got to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJkOuvwvSOk

(And I'd forgotten how out of control Matt's hair was. )

 

The little things like that made me actually enjoy a song I hate (particularly the bridge was amazing; this isn't the one I saw, but it is very similar to how mine went down.)

 

Compare that to any song from Philly '16.

This guy has some nice ones.

 

Or look at the difference in Maps.

It's actually hard to reconcile the powerful bits of that song with the presentation/performance Matt is(n't) giving.

dat hair <3

LOL at the Philly Reapers. Play riff and skip de skip de skip

 

so weird. It's not even just an opinion is it, it's plain to seeee

[serpentsatellite]

The Reapers one, and the skipping, actually made me think "what if all the moving around in a circle and rotating is what's killing the band's energy, too?"

I think it's a pretty false hope, though, because I can't imagine why that would make Bellamy suddenly play his guitar like it bores him.

 

It's just so strange because everything seemed fine on the T2L tour. I mean, other than US setlists, but they weren't THIS bad, and I still enjoyed actually watching the band play.

 

I found it really depressing that I loved this album so much, but I hated the tour and it really changed my opinion of the band.

 

I still get all squishy feeling watching those not that old vids...

[MartianSpaghettiRider]

The Reapers one, and the skipping, actually made me think "what if all the moving around in a circle and rotating is what's killing the band's energy, too?"

I think it's a pretty false hope, though, because I can't imagine why that would make Bellamy suddenly play his guitar like it bores him.

 

It's just so strange because everything seemed fine on the T2L tour. I mean, other than US setlists, but they weren't THIS bad, and I still enjoyed actually watching the band play.

 

I found it really depressing that I loved this album so much, but I hated the tour and it really changed my opinion of the band.

 

I still get all squishy feeling watching those not that old vids...

 

I think not only maybe they don't like playing in US anymore, but I get a feeling Matt might have been on a particularly bi***y mood that night, for reasons unknown to us.

Haven't Van Velthoven told, in the latest interview about the new Live DVD, that Matt somehow has quite of a rough mood while turing?

[funkadelic]

Yeah man they were the coolest back then, so much energy, so much sparkle. I preferred them when they didn't have a Thing, even their own tour programmes couldn't describe their music, they were just like, scrappy young fools trying everything and smashing it...

 

I was talking about this with Dave this morning - I watched their Manchester show the other day and MAN was I bored, skipped so much of it. They hardly move anymore (I know Matt's got a dodgy foot and that, but...) And he still sounds knackered too, imo. I was like, 'We were saying online about how they don't have any energy anymore...' and Dave was like, 'Well, they are getting older.' I was all, 'They're only like, our age! When we're onstage we fucking have it every time. And we are more jaded, fatter than them and have dayjobs.'

 

but i still love muse, the end

 

This might sound stupid, but maybe that's exactly why you would have more energy than them. Aside from being older, their lifestyles are completely different to when they started - even compared to the BH&R era. They're different people now, living in LA, and they've pretty much accomplished everything they set out to, so I imagine the thrill they used to have playing live and the escapism it provided isn't quite the same anymore.

[serpentsatellite]

I think not only maybe they don't like playing in US anymore, but I get a feeling Matt might have been on a particularly bi***y mood that night, for reasons unknown to us.

Haven't Van Velthoven told, in the latest interview about the new Live DVD, that Matt somehow has quite of a rough mood while turing?

 

I know they hate us and I'd thought that as well, but there were so many reports of him acting that way on some of the nights in Europe, as well, and that really shocked me.

I've watched a video here and there of songs I didn't get to see, and he just seems more off some nights than others.

 

Philly did seem especially bad, but I remember hearing one of the NJ/NY shows was like that, too, and there was a big contrast.

I guess I'd assumed he was tired from being out until 4am the day of the gig, but don't particularly think that's a good excuse.

 

This is OT a bit, but if people don't enjoy performing anymore, and aren't even willing to fake it... I think it's time to stop taking millions of dollars from doing it.

Anyways, I'm comparing gigs that were really only a couple of years apart, not like Drones to Abso or anything. Just seems weird to me.

 

And that interview just used an example of a time Matt apologized to him for being cranky the previous day; it didn't even specify what year or tour or anything.

Edited June 4, 2016 by SerpentSatellite

[Gemsy]

This might sound stupid, but maybe that's exactly why you would have more energy than them. Aside from being older, their lifestyles are completely different to when they started - even compared to the BH&R era. They're different people now, living in LA, and they've pretty much accomplished everything they set out to, so I imagine the thrill they used to have playing live and the escapism it provided isn't quite the same anymore.

 

Definitely think you could be right there The messageboard has followed suit, lol

Edited June 4, 2016 by Gemsy

[haze015]

LOL how do you play the crutches

 

"How has your opinion of Gemsy changed?" It hasn't, she's still a massive cnut

[Gemsy]

"How has your opinion of Gemsy changed?" It hasn't, she's still a massive cnut

 

[Tesseract]

This thread is depressing but very fascinating to read. I discovered Muse around the time of HAARP (it was actually the first Muse album I bought after hearing a few songs). Didn't get really obsessed until about 2008-2009. I seem to be the odd one here in that I've pretty much remained obsessed to this day. I might go a few months without listening to/following them extensively but I'm always right back into them before long.

 

Don't get me wrong, the current live performances (particularly in the US) are really disappointing to me as well, and I do let myself be more critical of the band now. But overall they are still by far my favorite band, and no others have come close. I have a hard time even explaining what it is about their music that appeals to me so much. It just has that something that I've yet to hear from any other band.

[Gemsy]

Yeah I'm conscious that I'm being negative and unnecessarily harsh, but I think it's only because I still care so much about them, haha. They've given me so much joy over the years and when I'm at the gigs I'm not such a negative nancy, I will dance and cheer and love it, although there are moments of boredom like I say... (and annoyance when they do play older songs and people talk through it [at the Emirates gig I yelled STFU at the top of my voice when people were blabbing through the fucking piano solo in B&H ffs]...) I've been saying they've lacked sparkle for years but even I didn't realise quite how much complacency has crept in - it's so shocking when you watch SS's video comparisons. In just like, two-three years...

[Clunge]

Muse were the soundtrack to puberty, as weird as that sounds.

 

I got into them 2001/2002, I was I guess 12/13. They had a massive influence on my taste in music - and me picking up a bass guitar.

 

I guess my love of Muse is very nostalgia-led these days. I'd be lying if I said I got the same kicks out of any post-BH&R material to pre-BH&R.

 

But those songs on Showbiz, OoS and Absolution take me back to specific times in my life.

 

I remember where and when I got all three - I got Showbiz in a multi-buy with ANThology by Alien Ant Farn and Wheatus's good album in WH Smiths in Stratford-Upon-Avon, my Dad bought me the last battered and bruised digipak copy of OoS when he came back from a two-week work trip, I remember him picking me up from my Nan's after school on a Monday night in September in 2003 and driving me out to Sainsbury's so I could buy Absolution on release day. We listened to it together for the first time doing the washing up.

 

I remember seeing the original Stockholm Syndrome video round at my mate's house on a Sunday morning while his parents were out at church. I remember another friend sending me like 1.5MB compressed videos of Sunburn and Muscle Museum over MSN Messenger (remember, in like 2000, that took about an hour - and you had to tell your parents not to pick up the phone because we were on dial-up internet).

 

I remember joining here around the time Earls Court was announced, although I'd been lurking for a few years before that. I remember downloading New Born after I first heard it round my Nan's on MTV2 over dial-up. A six-minute song even at lowish quality still took like four hours . Cost my parents a bomb.

 

I re-met a childhood friend through this board in early 2005 after we both went to Earls Court (Bread, if anyone remembers him). I remember following the late 2004 and spring 2005 US tours here, the treasure hunts and the new songs appearing (omg Debase, etc).

 

So yeah, Muse are heavily linked to nostalgia for me, approx 2001-2005. Since then, it's been a more habitual fandom than anything else. I'm blinded by my nostalgia at times, I sometimes convince myself TR, T2L and Drones are pretty good albums when, in reality, they're just cheesy nonsense tbh. Also, looking at things with the eyes of a near 27-year-old, I can see how different a band Muse are these days.

 

The spark just isn't quite there. There's no edge. It's all planned, polished and preened. There are flashes of genius still. I do think there is a classic album still in them, but I don't think there's any chance of that coming until they crash and burn.

 

/essay.

[MAurelia]

I discovered Muse with HAARP. I liked it. They sounded very very well live. I became a fan. I started listening to the albums previous to HAARP and I found an amazing sound and amazing songs.

I'm still a big Muse fan. I'm not a teenager so things are quiet now, but I like listening to Muse (specially when I drive) and I'm still think they are amazing live. I was at Madrid gig one month ago and my family and I enjoyed very much. :LOL:

[serpentsatellite]

As a side story, my boyfriend had always argued with me that he really enjoyed the Drones tour gigs - while admitting Matt looked tired or drunk in Philly, and it was only good for the stage show - but after seeing a gig a few weeks ago, where the opening act's opening act had infinitely more charisma, I've been listening to him rant about how Muse is a bunch of lazy, disrespectful assholes who don't give a shit about their fans, and Matt has the charisma and stage presence of a moldy sock.

 

It occurred to me he'd never really been to a small gig, and seeing three bands perform their hearts out to a couple hundred people, next to the kitchen of a bar, really had an impact on him.

 

I'll still check out Muse's music, but I'll likely ignore the tours entirely in the future; not just not go to them, because they'll be far too far away and expensive for a US setlist, but not watch vids, etc.

Maybe I'll be happier. I don't like thinking that they're lazy shits who just want to cash in on their circus act; it takes away from my feelings towards the music, just a little.

[JimmyP117]

I first got into Muse in 2006, just after BHaR was released. A good friend of mine was really into them and sent me their entire catalogue over MSN () and I was hooked. Wembley stadium was the first time I saw them live and I was utterly blown away, it was my first ever gig and I can still remember parts of it clear as day.

 

The peak of my fandom was through the Resistance and 2nd Law era. I saw plenty of gigs on those tours; I'm a little gutted I never got to see them on the Absolution tour but I still saw some incredible shows throughout that time.

 

My opinion on Muse hasn't really changed all that much; they're still my favourite band, but whereas I used to think they could do no wrong, that's certainly not the case anymore. I have to admit their current tour is their weakest for me. It all started so well, the Psycho tour was one of the best things they've ever done and you could tell how much they were enjoying playing those old songs. I thought they'd continue with the energetic sets for the current tour due to them having so much fun in early 2015 and with a 'heavier' album to promote...but it's a shame to see their sets at the moment.

 

The thing with Muse is that they're capable of so much more, and the fact that it would take so little effort from them makes it all the more frustrating. I keep banging on about it on here, but their sets should be 22 songs minimum at every show, regardless of venue. 17 songs a night is very, very poor...you simply don't play less songs than your last album tour on your current, absolutely shocking. It's a shame to see Matt having vocal trouble with songs too, especially after his peak on the T2L tour. I get that ageing comes into play eventually but it's quite a sudden change. I hope he gets himself fully recovered once the tour has ended. There is a lack of energy from him onstage these days too, I mostly blame the 360 stage set up for that but when you look at footage as recent as the Resistance tour you can see he's less lively. Shame really, mixing and livening up the sets would really help with this. Despite all this. and even though it'll be a standard tour set I'm really looking to Glastonbury.

 

TL;DR been a big fan since 2007. They're not perfect by any means, but they're still my favourite band.