NME: T in the Park review

[hipbones]

It'd help if they fucked off for 5 years or something.

 

Pretty much.

[forevermusic]

I may have misunderstood Raiko, but I meant the one in the last pic of the original post About being unique...

 

No that was in an interview at the time of Black Holes and Revelations that surfaced in the NME Icons magazine

[Melania13]

i think he meant (in that quote) that they were different in a way that they didnt ever fit in with the other bands...

 

that they had to try harder because people would say "you're too weird"

 

and that they are unique in the aspect that they change their style every album and try to take new directions

 

oh AND that they had to tour a shitload to get where they are today, instead of getting massively famous from a smash hit

 

or thats what i think i remember reading:$ i dont think he meant it in the way most people would read: "we are different, therefore everything we do is superior"

[mjartrod]

the ones I'm going to find and remember are going to be the ones that are special. If someone looked at clips from Rock in Rio, SDF night 2 and Oxegen, they wouldn't see anything wrong with what the band is doing right now.

 

To be honest, I think it's asking a bit much for every single performance to be groundbreaking and unique and completely different and above everything everyone's seen before. It's sad, but it's true. There are going to be off nights, average nights, and blow-everyone-away nights. Which one of those gigs you go to is the luck of the draw.... I don't see that as being a flaw in the band, but more like reality. I'm not sure I would believe that 95% of the performances that they did prior to the release of TR were amazing and life altering, then suddenly since last Sept 75% have been suckage....

 

I think there are a lot of factors that go into making one show more enjoyable than another, and then of course one person can enjoy a show while another person didn't. So I don't think laying all (or most) of the blame on the band's performance/perceived laziness is right.

 

Don't get me wrong, I've seen valid criticisms, and I have a few myself, but I think that people are oversimplifying it when they say that mixing up a setlist is all that needs to be done in order to "fix" it so that every show all three of us go to is equally enjoyable for each of us.

yes, yes, YES.

i completely agree with these points - and pretty much everything else you've posted, in fact in particular that everyone is biased and people's enjoyment of the gig and their perception of a performance is influenced by a lot of different things. each one of us puts a different weight in all the aspects that influence our enjoyment of a gig and sometimes there are external factors that end up being very relevant and we dont even realise it.

 

oh and i too have to see these so-called dead performances tbh, and i have said this often, i think one of their biggest strengths as a live band is exactly their consistency. they dont really have bad gigs. they might not always be earth-shattering (who can realistically expect that?) but i have never seen them give a flat out, epically HORRIBLE gig like i've unfortunately witnessed and heard of other bands giving! well, maybe 2005 atlanta...

anyway, people just exageratte stuff. they dont have much to pick on, they overanalyse and then what happens is that trivial and minor details turn OTT and massive when ther really shouldnt. next thing you know, you're going into depression mode, raging irrationally and your entire opinion of the gig affected because a megafone has been spotted on top of a piano

 

i think the only thing i disagree with you is regarding the new album - i love TR. the album im less keen on is 'showbiz' and im glad i didnt know the band back then (i got to know them with OOS and became a proper fan in 2004) because it might have put me off them

 

I just wanted to quote this, some of the criticism is a bit much on here at times.

 

I came away from Glastonbury very happy despite Guiding Light and then coming on here afterwards and seeing all the criticism almost spoils the memory, I think I just need to stop reading the festival/stadium thread.

nawww, dont let it spoil it for you glasto was awesome from what i saw on tv - so wish i had been there!

 

the glasto negativity actually comes from a (very vocal) minority in this board. i've read comments in many different places and ironically, the only complaints i saw from fans were in this board LOL and even those came from a minority as well (i guess it seems like it's more people because they simply post a lot and take over the thread *shrug*). but there were many people who went to glasto or simply watched it on TV who also posted on that thread and loved the gig.

[hoosier_muser]

I can't really have a negative opinion of Muse live seeing as I have yet to see them live--I will in October, but that's several months away. I think if they are getting complacent, that's a disservice to the fans who have paid good money to see them and supported them through the years, and it's a disservice to their own work, which I've seen enough footage of to know can be completely electrifying .

 

The best medicine for complacent, comfortable performances may just be a break from touring.Didn't Chris recently say they've had off about six weeks in the last 12 years? Anything can become routine and boring, even playing in front of thousands of fans. Probably for the best that they may be ducking back into the studio next year--they can get re-energized for another future tour.

[crazydays]

It's almost like a band reaches a certain point, a certain level of success or just age... and NME decides, 'oh, time to start slagging them off because that's what the cool kids do!'

 

 

and about the quote, that's a terrible quote , you know he doesn't mean it in a "we're superior" way, but it's damn well easy to dislike someone with a quote like that.

[Davinq]

It's almost like a band reaches a certain point, a certain level of success or just age... and NME decides, 'oh, time to start slagging them off because that's what the cool kids do!'

 

 

and about the quote, that's a terrible quote , you know he doesn't mean it in a "we're superior" way, but it's damn well easy to dislike someone with a quote like that.

 

I kind of dislike him anyways, the quote hardly helps lol.

 

Domnchris

[CarrieB]

To some extent, it boils down to opinion and perception, and that's why I say that there's only so much the band can do. They're them, I'm me and you're you... all 5 of us could be in the same place, doing the same thing and have very different reactions to it.

 

Totally agree.

 

 

yes, yes, YES.

the glasto negativity actually comes from a (very vocal) minority in this board. i've read comments in many different places and ironically, the only complaints i saw from fans were in this board LOL and even those came from a minority as well (i guess it seems like it's more people because they simply post a lot and take over the thread *shrug*). but there were many people who went to glasto or simply watched it on TV who also posted on that thread and loved the gig.

 

There has also been an extremely positive reaction to Glastonbury on Muselive I've noticed which contrasts completely with what has been said on here with Glasto being set up as a precedent to which T has been compared negatively, though on T, there were comments that it was fantastic and Matt was having a blast on here, until a comment was lifted from Muselive that said it was dreadful and Matt was pissed off.

 

I don't know how T went after the coverage on the TV, but imo the music of Muse is superior to a lot of the other stuff out there, so it was a relief to watch them after what had preceded. To me seeing them after the other artists simply emphasised how good they are. I'm not expecting everyone to agree with me on that as everyone has different tastes, but that was my perception.

 

i think he meant (in that quote) that they were different in a way that they didnt ever fit in with the other bands...

 

that they had to try harder because people would say "you're too weird"

 

and that they are unique in the aspect that they change their style every album and try to take new directions

 

oh AND that they had to tour a shitload to get where they are today, instead of getting massively famous from a smash hit

 

or thats what i think i remember reading:$ i dont think he meant it in the way most people would read: "we are different, therefore everything we do is superior"

 

Thanks for explaining but on that point, going off topic slightly, I have noticed that Matt does hype. Well he always has I think, it's just his way. Remembering him joking about the craziness that would go on stage from killing Dom to getting naked and...etc. Well obviously no one believed that and knew he was joking, but now I have thought that when he gets that glint in his eye and he's talking about the craziness of the current shows, UFO's appearing, being abducted by an alien etc, some people may sort of believe him. get excited, and then become disappointed when it's not quite as extreme as they expect, so I'm not really sure if he's that wise when he does that, but that's Matt. And for the majority who don't hang on to his every word or follow every performance, it appears to work.

 

Incidentally on that point he said the first shows of the tour were rehearsals, but they weren't really rehearsals. There have been other mentions of the real rehearsals. However Muse are still being criticised for shortchanging their fans by using their first couple of shows as rehearsals when it was really just an off the cuff comment in which he basically meant that they still didn't feel very ready at that point, but they had obviously rehearsed before because they had tried it all out with acrobats and things and he talked about it being like spinal tap! And there are photos of rehearsals.

 

I'm not saying that has anything to do with the musical side, but it's all tied up into perceptions and expectations. Personally when I go and see Muse I am not expecting it to be life changing (an expression used earlier for want of something more appropriate, though I don't think people are expecting it to be that extreme), all I'm expecting is a good evening out seeing Muse perform music of their choosing, well, as they always do. The rest of the time I just enjoy listening to their music, of my choosing, on CDs. If I am completely blown away, and I'm not saying that's not possible, that will be a bonus, not something I will go in expecting, which actually, if it happens makes it so much more special. Incidentally I heard people saying they were blown away, when I was at the O2 first night. I heard someone talking about it excitedly on the phone as I came out and the people we went with who were big Greenday fans were extremely impressed. I say that because that particular performance has received constant criticism from a regular poster!

 

And just to add. People are saying that Muse should take a break. Well I can't really see why Muse should take a break while they continue to do so well, and the majority are loving them. It seems to me that the same few people who comment on setlist threads have clung onto this one review of someone who feels a similar way to them. But that doesn't mean it is going wrong for Muse. It possibly means it is going wrong for those who aren't so keen on the latest music and yet continue to go and see Muse countless times.

[Max]

There has also been an extremely positive reaction to Glastonbury on Muselive I've noticed which contrasts completely with what has been said on here with Glasto being set up as a precedent to which T has been compared negatively, though on T, there were comments that it was fantastic and Matt was having a blast on here, until a comment was lifted from Muselive that said it was dreadful and Matt was pissed off.

 

I don't know how T went after the coverage on the TV, but imo the music of Muse is superior to a lot of the other stuff out there, so it was a relief to watch them after what had preceded. To me seeing them after the other artists simply emphasised how good they are. I'm not expecting everyone to agree with me on that as everyone has different tastes, but that was my perception.

 

To be fair though, it's hardly difficult. This is T In The Park, which is a festival that caters entirely to the Radio 1 audience and they generally don't have as good a lineup as other festivals.

 

Incidentally on that point he said the first shows of the tour were rehearsals, but they weren't really rehearsals. There have been other mentions of the real rehearsals. However Muse are still being criticised for shortchanging their fans by using their first couple of shows as rehearsals when it was really just an off the cuff comment in which he basically meant that they still didn't feel very ready at that point, but they had obviously rehearsed before because they had tried it all out with acrobats and things and he talked about it being like spinal tap! And there are photos of rehearsals.

 

Of course they're not rehearsals in the overly pedantic sense but the message they're sending out is that both gigs felt like a rehearsal. Now, as someone who paid a lot of money to see them, would I prefer to see a properly rehearsed gig or not-quite-there-yet version of it? I'd want the former. I would have felt massively ripped off had I gone to the gig in Helsinki last year knowing that it was an 'unfinished' version of their show.

 

And just to add. People are saying that Muse should take a break. Well I can't really see why Muse should take a break while they continue to do so well, and the majority are loving them. It seems to me that the same few people who comment on setlist threads have clung onto this one review of someone who feels a similar way to them. But that doesn't mean it is going wrong for Muse. It possibly means it is going wrong for those who aren't so keen on the latest music and yet continue to go and see Muse countless times.

 

People will get bored of Muse though, at some point, and I'm beginning to sense that this is the case. I would be massively surprised if they decided to play sparodic shows next year because, quite frankly, they don't need to play them. The whole world knows what The Resistance is now.

 

I wouldn't say that I'm clinging onto one review, since I've felt underwhelmed far earier than Glastonbury/T In The Park by Muse as a live band. It's also, for me and I'm pretty sure for others too, not because of their latest music. Their latest music is fine. What isn't fine is the quite noticeable laziness that they've acquired, which they can hide behind fancy screens and floating platforms and rising towers.

[Beibi]

Agree with everything dead-duck has said. And I also think they need a break.

[CarrieB]

To be fair though, it's hardly difficult. This is T In The Park, which is a festival that caters entirely to the Radio 1 audience and they generally don't have as good a lineup as other festivals.

 

Perhaps that's why Muse didn't enjoy it, if indeed they didn't. Afterall an audience raving to crap who then doesn't show as much appreciation of your own, much better, music may not be the most enjoyable audience to perform to.

 

People will get bored of Muse though, at some point, and I'm beginning to sense that this is the case. I would be massively surprised if they decided to play sparodic shows next year because, quite frankly, they don't need to play them. The whole world knows what The Resistance is now.

 

Actually there's quite a few countries where they haven't been yet and fans still asking them to come to their countries. There's also been complaints that they haven't toured the UK enough, I've noticed.

(Sorry couldn't quote properly as I edited it in afterwards)

[seregon]

I saw Faithless last night and they were far from crap, infact I enjoyed them more than a few Muse gigs I have been to.

[Max]

LCD Soundsystem were rave-tastic at Glastonbury.

[seregon]

How dare people enjoy another band before the headline act! Absoloute twats!

[seregon]

"Still, it feels more like a run-through of the familiar than a spectacle. And really, with Muse, spectacle was always the point, no?"

 

That comment is spot on to be fair. It seems like they enjoyed the performance or at least wanted to but Muse are not just putting it "out there" like they used to. It's what many of us have been trying to say

[Interzone]

I'd imagine that a lot of people in the audience actually had a reasonably diverse musical taste and were actually capable of enjoying both Faithless and Muse.

[hipbones]

How dare people enjoy another band before the headline act! Absoloute twats!

 

Inorite!

I enjoyed Kasabian before Muse at Oxegen.

I'm a cunt.

[Max]

I enjoyed Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood a whole day before Muse. This makes me as evil as Tony Hayworth.

[seregon]

Not to mention the cunts who enjoyed Scissor Sisters before Muse at Glasto. The audience looked like they were having a blast during that

[bliss.]

People will get bored of Muse though, at some point, and I'm beginning to sense that this is the case. I would be massively surprised if they decided to play sparodic shows next year because, quite frankly, they don't need to play them. The whole world knows what The Resistance is now.

This is not true unless the whole world for you means Europe and North America. Latin Americans just had the first gigs in 2008 and we don't know if they will come back. Russia, Indonesia, Japan, China..a lot of countries.

 

It's easy for people who live in those places that they touring a lot say that they need a break of touring. I really think they need a break too before realease another album, but after go to some of this places in the next year.

 

Maybe in the next tour they should stop doing so many shows in Europe and the United States and do more concerts here We need some Muse love too

[Max]

This is not true unless the whole world for you means Europe and North America. Latin Americans just had the first gigs in 2008 and we don't know if they will come back. Russia, Indonesia, Japan, China..a lot of countries.

 

It's easy for people who live in those places that they touring a lot say that they need a break of touring. I really think they need a break too before realease another album, but after go to some of this places in the next year.

 

Maybe in the next tour they should stop doing so many shows in Europe and the United States and do more concerts here We need some Muse love too

 

Nah not neccessarily. By the end of the year they'll have gone to Australia twice, North America twice, Japan twice, Europe twice, China and Singapore once...it's a lot more territories than most bands go to! It'd be great if they could go everywhere but if they added more dates onto this current tour I get the sense their heart and energy just wouldn't be into it.

 

Also, I'd argue that more money can be made from shows in Europe and America than in other territories.

[seregon]

Muse have played almost everywhere, Israel are the only exception, they have a huge fanbase there yet they have never been. They've even played South Africa and Dubai ffs. How many bands play there? Consider yourself lucky, some bands don't venture much out of their own continent at all

[Max]

If you can give me some time, I can produce some graphs...for no other reason than I'm bloody bored out of my mind.

[Mozza]

Who says you can't enjoy Faithless and Muse? I did at V in 2004. Different styles but both were excellent that day

[Meep]

If you can give me some time, I can produce some graphs...for no other reason than I'm bloody bored out of my mind.

Max, do not make graphs