Muse performs at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on Oct. 11, 2022.
Some bands prefer a less is more approach when playing an intimate setting like Chicago’s Riviera Theatre. Muse is not that band. When the Grammy-winning English rockers – Matt Bellamy, Dominic Howard and Chris Wolstenholme – took the stage on Oct. 11, they didn’t just go big, they went enormously gigantic bringing epic anthems and a dazzling light show – fit for an arena – to the 2,500 capacity venue.
“We Are Fucking Fucked,” off Muse’s latest album, Will of the People, opened the show setting the tone for a night full of music depicting dystopian scenarios in which psalms of rock are the only hope for a desperate society. “Assassin” and “We Won’t Stand Down” soon followed further amplifying Muse’s message of resistance.
Bellamy shredded his way through the bulk of the show, and he also impressed on the keys. Some delicate piano introduced “Space Dementia” – which also featured another face-melting guitar solo later in the song – while an eerie organ unveiling of Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” perfectly led into “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween” which concluded with dizzying drumming from Howard. Wolstenholme’s commanding bassline led the charge on “Supermassive Black Hole” and the swagger-filled “Foxy Lady” interlude that closed the track.
Muse performs at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on Oct. 11, 2022.
Jimi Hendrix wasn’t the only artist that Muse paid homage to with musical hat tips. Following an extraordinary performance of “Stockholm Syndrome” the group unleashed an instrumental outro of Rage Against the Machine‘s “Calm Like a Bomb.” Earlier in the night, “Know Your Enemy” was tagged onto the end of “Hysteria” further driving home the band’s love of RATM which Bellamy recently discussed during an interview with Zane Lowe.
The sing-along of the night came in the form of a dreamy pre-encore performance of “Starlight” – complete with synchronized clapping from the crowd – and “Kill or Be Killed” kicked off the encore with an urgent rhythm that cut straight to your heart.
Muse performs at the Riviera Theatre in Chicago on Oct. 11, 2022.
The band rarely addressed the crowd between songs, preferring to let the music do the talking, with the exception of Howard informing everyone that they needed to take a few minutes to fix their in-ear monitors that were cutting in-and-out mid-show. Later, after absolutely annihilating the final song of the evening, “Knights of Cydonia,” Bellamy thanked everyone for coming out and encouraged fans to come see them the next time they’re in town.
“We’ll be back here next year at the United Center,” he said, adding, “Come and see us next year. We love you.”
Check out photos of Muse – and the show’s opener Brigitte Calls Me Baby – performing at The Riviera Theatre below and click here to pick-up tickets to see them at the United Center when they return to Chicago on Feb. 25, 2023. More information can be found at Muse.mu.
(Photos by Laurie Fanelli)
