Muse brought an electrifying display to Merriweather Post Pavilion this week. The British rock group returned to the DMV area for the first time in over 7 years with their summer amphitheater tour. Muse released their tenth studio album, The Wow! Signal in June and embarked on The Wow! Signal Tour earlier this month. The amphitheater tour is divided into two legs, with The Temper Trap and Bloc Party joining Muse on the road for the first half of their tour.
Kicking off the evening was the Australian indie-rock group, The Temper Trap. The quartet recently ended a nearly 10-year hiatus with the recent release of their fourth album, Sungazer. Heavy downpours threatened the group’s set, but they rallied to put on an incredible performance. Perhaps their most-known song, their performance of “Sweet Disposition” was especially notable, with lead singer Dougy Mandagi’s vocals carrying across the Merriweather fields.
British rockers Bloc Party were next on the lineup. Bloc Party are a band from London with a nearly thirty-year discography. With music spanning three decades across seven albums, Bloc Party can hardly be confined to a single genre. Their music incorporates elements of house, punk, Britpop, and more, with lead singer Kele Okereke’s vocal prowess nearly overpowering the rock instrumentals. Following the end of the current leg of The Wow! Signal Tour, Bloc Party will join Interpol for a series of shows across Europe.
DMV-area fans have waited several years for Muse to return to the area, and it showed in the moments leading up to the band’s performance. The pavilion was packed full of fans buzzing and cheering ahead of Muse’s set. By the time the rockers stepped onstage, the roars of the crowd nearly drowned out the music. Kicking the show off with one of their older songs, “Hysteria”, the show’s setlist paid homage to their 32 years of music, while still celebrating their latest album. Muse is known for their guitar-heavy songs, and nearly each track saw frontman Matt Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme showing off with impressive guitar solos. Drummer Dominic Howard rounded out the group, setting the beat for the show.
The DC-area Muse shows of the 2010s were arena productions with dancers, animatronics and drones accompanying the group. The Wow! Signal Tour marks a shift in their production, with the amphitheater show’s set design featuring the trio as the main focal points. Despite the scaled-back production, Muse delivered yet another jaw-dropping performance that focused on the band rather than a story. The 23-track setlist featured a mix of old and new songs, with lasers and confetti accompanying several tracks. The energy throughout the performance was electrifying, and the group lingered onstage for several moments after the encore taking it all in.
30 years into their career and Muse is still proving just how powerful they are. They made the 7-year wait worth it with an incredible performance on The Wow! Signal Tour. The first leg of The Wow! Signal Tour ended in Philadelphia earlier this week. They will resume touring mid-August with a series of shows across the country, before embarking on a Europe tour this fall.
Final Grade: A+
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