Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Be still.

University of Washington campus
Seattle, WA
Spring 2007

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side. 
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;

leave to your God to order and provide;

in every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heavenly friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.


The soul is weary. Desperate for a place to hide and rest in His grace.

Monday, February 8, 2010

muse-zik - the best rock gig ever.

so one week after andrew bird at esplanade, i attended 2 more gigs. prior to gig #1, i've ranked coldplay's viva gig to be at the top of my best live gigs ever attended for rock bands. but muse really blew me away, in the most simple form, without gimmicks, small talk and expensive stage production.

the concert was big night out - headlined by muse and supported by saosin and rise against. saosin was the weaker of the 2. lead singer did not have the presence, voice and banter skills yet. the band wasn't in sync with the (some) of the audience. but rise against was surprisingly good. good lead singer, tight band, great songs.

by the time muse took the stage, it was 10pm and everyone perked up immediately and started getting high. my concert buddies, zeh, special J and i (guest appearances by lester and bangjie) were squashed in the middle of the mosh pit among tall people. sigh. but the feeling you get in the pit is different from the sides of the indoor stadium. though tiring, it was exhilarating to rock it out and headbang and dance with fellow moshers.

we predicted the opening song correctly - uprising. but we thought supermassive black hole is gonna be an encore piece, and it ended up as the second song. props to the band for being unpredictable. and even more unpredictable was the good portion of the songs from the 1st 3 albums - showbiz, origin of symmetry and absolution!

words really fail to describe how good muse is live. matt's pitch-perfect voice and his amazing falsetto range (according to muse wiki, reaches A5, which is my top note as well), his bling guitar with the electronic panel and nimble fingers on the guitar riffs, his pretty white upright piano and his nimble fingers again! dom has rocket science precision on the drums and he is a jaw-droppingly good drummer. chris on the bass and backing vocals harmonizes well with matt and his bass lines makes my heart pound with joy. :) the 3 of them are so in sync and so tight, you would think that some of the parts are recorded.

more highlights
map of the problematique was AMAZING. the energy was peaking with SMBH just before MOTP, and it just popped.
sunburn was played on the piano! (and i only saw what happened on youtube)
undisclosed desires, my favorite from the resistance, where i danced along to the awesome song and under the green lights around the stadium.
the singalongs to SMBH, starlight, and well everything else.
MK ultra, again, AMAZING.
closing the encores with a suprising choice - knights of cydonia. something i never expected, but worked out so well. with the visuals at the backdrop and the deafening singalong.

Muse Live in Singapore!
Big Night Out
3rd February 2010
setlist

Uprising
Supermassive Black Hole
Map of the Problematique
Resistance
Interlude
Hysteria
Stockholm Syndrome
Nishe
United States of Eurasia
Sunburn
Helsinki Jam
Undisclosed Desires
MK Ultra
Starlight
Time is Running Out
Unnatural Selection

***

Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture
Plug In Baby
Knights of Cydonia

J and i had an extensive discussion in the car about what makes muse so amazing. and as i think about the band, it's really about the music. lyrics, not so much - but credit must be given to them too, for socially conscious and politics-infused lyrics and emo songs (without being overbearing and annoying).

but the music. i've expressed appreciation for how some bands strive to better themselves and their music with each subsequent album. i know bands like maroon 5, keane don't do this. album after album, they sound the same. but bands like coldplay and muse evolve as they mature. and that's why i really love muse's latest album, the resistance. who can write, produce and do an album that has songs with middle-eastern motifs, classic rock, jazz rock, electronica AND classical music (my favorite chopin nocturne!) all thrown in, and still come out coherent and sensational?

***

Rise Against Live in Singapore
Big Night Out
3rd February 2010
setlist

Collapse (Post-Amerika)
Re-Education (Through Labor)
The Good Left Undone
Long Forgotten Sons
Savior
The Dirt Whispered
Audience of One
Prayer of the Refugee
Swing Life Away
Hero of War
Give It All
Ready To Fall

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

awaiting to muse.

i've so much work to do, that it'll take me awhile (hopefully not too long, lest i forget the euphoric night) to pen down my thoughts of the muse concert, the best live rock gig EVER.

and i'm still awaiting a time where i can watch the very last season premiere of Lost. and i've been conscientiously avoiding all spoilery youtube clips and reviews and recaps and tweets. heh.

and now, listening to muse at work. how else can you relive the night of spectacular, raw talent and music?