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

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?

Do you wonder where the self resides?

photo // wakingupto

the genius-ness of andrew bird has left me quite contemplative after his gig at the esplanade concert hall on tuesday. going to this concert was really a leap of faith - not knowing the existence of this musical genius before the mosaic marketing bombarded my inbox with emails, thinking that maybe his music would be something i'd like, getting hold of his albums, making the decision "just heck it and buy the tix!", having his songs grow on me as i listen to them at work, and realising that andrew bird is someone you MUST hear live. the studio recordings just doesn't do his songs and the man enough justice.

so late to jump on the wagon, but i'm hooked nonetheless. without music, andrew bird is a somewhat awkward, mumbling, self-deprecating guy who shuffles his feet and avoids eye contact. on stage with the loop pedals, his amazing-sounding violin, guitar and glockenspiel, he's a different man.

andrew (ha we're on a first name basis now, considering how much his music has penetrated my life in so short a time) is the guy who has been playing the violin his whole life. i really admire his ability and talent to take his classical training and venture to a path that is so different from other classically-trained musicians. if you ask me to do something like this with my piano training - i would love to, but the talent just isn't there.

the pizzicato on the violin is amazing. how come no one ever substituted the violin for a ukelele? i'd love to have heard more of the glockenspiel, but when i hear him whistle with the glockenspiel, it sounds totally alike. which brings me to the jaw-dropping ability of his to whistle.

andrew's whistle is nothing like us ordinary folk. his whistling is loud, pitch-perfect, rhythm-perfect, great range and crystal clear. the singing is comparable to his contemporaries (whom i'll mention just a few - jeff buckley, damien rice, the mellow-er styles of jason mraz and rufus wainwright). but the multi-tasking is a sight to see.

from an audience member's point of view, andrew does it all, and he does it so effortlessly. pulling the bow on the violin, singing, hopping to the glockenspiel, stepping on the controls of the loop pedals, picking up the guitar, throwing the guitar behind his back and plucking the violin. this myriad of his tasks on stage is executed to (almost) perfection. but i can imagine it takes lots of concentration and focus to be able to pull all that off. remembering the songs, each refrain to be looped, playing them in the correct order, playing them in the correct rhythm.

it's astounding to me, and i spent the entire concert mesmerized and in awe of the music that is resonating through the halls of esplanade. very glad that the concert was held here. i've attested to the awesome acoustics of the concert hall before, and that only the best of the best musicians can sound good in this hall. true enough, andrew bird sounded brilliant for the entire 100+ minute set.

Andrew Bird - live in singapore

mosaic series by esplanade presents

26 january 2010

setlist

Happy Birthday Song

Why?

Sweet matter (Dark matter/sweetbreads)

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left

Natural Disaster

Oh No

Tenuousness

Carrion Suite

Section 8 City

Imitosis

Capital I (inspired by Sesame Street)

Anonanimal

Headsoak

Scythian Empires

***

Oh, Sister (Bob Dylan cover)

Some of These Days I'll Be Gone (Charley Patton cover)

photo // TODAYonlineblogs

the setlist is a good mix of songs. and i particularly enjoyed my favorites from noble beast - natural disaster and oh no. i also loved capital i, dark matter/sweet matter, why? and imitosis (yes the bio geek in me really loves this song). i was particularly captivated with dark/sweet matter (2 versions of the song), and the thought of where the soul/self resides. is it our DNA? our brain (which has white and grey matter, not dark matter)? our heart (which is red)?

but more than that, it was a delight hearing andrew mumble through some banter, including his thoughts on some of his songs. i love to hear songwriters talk about their songs during gigs. andrew is truly a gifted songwriter and musician. his creativity and innovation, so evident as he forms melodies and harmonies that loops through each stanza and chorus, adding a minor tone, embellishing it with different tonalities and sounds. the out-of-the-box use of the violin like a ukelele, the strange mix of instruments, and electronic technology has pushed the boundaries of music, and at the same time, challenged my perspectives of what beautiful music can sound like, rather than what music ought to sound like.

and andrew's songs, to me, are all his thoughts. about the people around him, the gut-wrenching emotions, the social commentary, the philosophy and existentialism, the sights and sounds. his music and lyrics surround him each and every day, and they are one and the same. and i think he becomes so wrapped up in his own music and thoughts, that when he's alone with the music, that's when he's free.

who is this man?

on the day after Christmas, i happened to chance upon a program on discovery channel. a documentary titled 'who was Jesus?'. it was fascinating as 3 academics from universities in the US and Jerusalem went on a discovery around Jerusalem to all the sites. among many things discussed (largely from a scientific point of view), they talked about how Jesus would have looked liked according to physical anthropologists, excavated skulls and skeletons and the genetic pool of the people who lived 2009 years ago. archaeologists were also interviewed as they unearthed sites like Pilate's home where Jesus was sentenced to be crucified etc.

more than that, they also explored the process of the crucifixion, and what the body went through as the process was carried out. no doubt Jesus was the Son of God, but he had a mortal body and he went through pain and suffering too. so scientists now subjected bodies that were donated to science to the crucifixion process, plus a single evidence that was found - a heel bone with a nail driven through it.

MRI imaging shows that the nail is driven into the heel bone as it was the position that would have hurt the most, because of the intricate network of nerves that resides there.

i was greatly moved when i tried to imagine what Jesus must have gone through. the pain, suffering that was upon Him as He died slowly on the cross. tears came. and this christmas season, i'm once again reminded of who Jesus is. and how my wretchedness and sins have been washed away. and how i can be reconciled with God and receive the forgiveness that is so richly undeserved.

You laid aside your majesty

Gave up everything for me

Suffered at the hands

of those You have created

You took all my guilt and shame

When You died and rose again

Now today You reign

In Heaven and earth exalted

I really want to worship You my Lord

You opened up my heart and i am Yours

Forever and ever

I will love You

You are the only One who died for me

Gave Your life to set me free

So i lift my voice to You

In adoration

insidious.

i'm pretty sure the state of drunkenness and what it brings are the manifestation of everything that is wrong with man.

my friends know that i drink alcohol. my house has a big cabinet stocked with most hard liquors - several bottles of vodka, whiskey, rum, gin, martini, brandy, XO etc. and we have a fridge stocked with bottles and bottles of red wine, white wine, rose, champagne and beer.

at home, we have wine with dinners. we pop champagne when there's a special occasion (like my 21st party). and when friends come over, we mix some cocktails and chill. alcohol with the right mixers, alcohol with the right food, alcohol cooked with the right ingredients, can be a great delight and an art form to appreciate.

today i saw in the newspapers, photos of people passing out - dead drunk - on the beaches of sentosa from zouk out. the article reported that even when puke was everywhere, a guy was quoted, saying what's a party without drunk people?

how is randomly making out with some guy, or waking up with puke-stained clothes fun and exciting?

through my stay in hall and elsewhere, i've witnessed just about everything that's wrong with mankind. ok not everything. but i've seen excessive amounts of alcohol breaking up relationships, tarnishing reputations, and causing otherwise-sane-and-nice people to fall into the clutches of the evil one and sinning.

it all becomes real when the worst happens to someone you love - falling down a flight of stairs, a pool of blood around the head, skull cracked, 2-day coma and a life changed forever.

and the more insidious thing about this - is that our society thinks it's ok. it's ok to consume all that alcohol in the name of having fun, relaxing, or drowning one's troubles. all that peer pressure is the devil's way of ensnaring us. his ways are subtle, inconspicuous, and disguised in the name of innocence and fun.

as i grow older (and grow in my faith and knowledge of the Lord's Word), i see the depth of the words of life, i see how it applies to my life, and how uplifting it is. some time ago at ypg, pastor mitch challenged us to memorise 2 verses, out of which 1 is this one below. it really amazes me how the same verse can mean different things to you at different points of your life.

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Hebrews 12:1

and now that this verse is in my heart, i shall resolve to lay aside the sin which so easily ensnares us, and to run the race of life looking to Jesus. and my prayer for all to do the same, and not let these sins rule their lives. excessive alcohol included.