Columbus was the victim of a new British invasion Wednesday as MTVU’s Campus Invasion Tour, featuring British bands Muse and Razorlight, attacked Promowest Pavilion.
Though Muse performed in Columbus last November, fans were ready for more. As soon as the band was announced, the air seemed electrically charged and audience energy exploded.
Razorlight, also from Britain, in 45 minutes nearly extinguished energy that had been building for months. The band had originality and talent, but was mismatched with Muse. The band had as much in common with older punk acts as newer alternative groups, giving it a unique sound, but the audience didn’t care.
The distortion of Muse member Matthew Bellamy’s guitar was audible before the band came on stage. As the band played its first song, the crowd was ready to rock.
When bassist Chris Wolstenholme delivered the bass line for “Hysteria,” the band’s third song and current single, it was an adrenaline overdose for the crowd and excitement lasted for the rest of the night.
Intensity was the theme of the show. The guitars screamed and Bellamy’s falsetto was barely audible. Even when the guitars died between songs, fans’ screams took their place. The light show accompanying the songs was blindingly bright and overloaded the senses.
The ferocity propelling most of the Muse songs made softer moments, such as “Ruled by Secrecy,” more effective and beautiful. The anguish remained, but became more of a peaceful sadness, complimented by the soft, warm glow of red lights.
As Muse crashed through the set, the crowd cheered for the extended piano solo in “Butterflies and Hurricanes,” even as the larger sound of the band died out.
In the show’s climax, Muse played its biggest hit, “Time is Running Out.” Bellamy let the crowd sing the bridge.
As Muse finished up before the encore, Bellamy walked off the stage while Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard jammed. Bellamy returned for “Stockholm Syndrome,” threw his guitar on the ground and said, “Cheers, Columbus.”
Muse came, rocked and left. The band was good entertainment, but next time someone might want to let MTVU know that they missed campus by a few miles.
