Muse: Will Of The People World Tour 29/09/2023

Where: AO Arena – Manchester, England (UK)

Venue rating: 10/10

Who I went with: Myself

Where I stayed: Britannia Hotel Manchester (for the second night)

How I travelled there: On foot from the hotel

Beverage of choice: Diet coke (which cost a fortune)

SETLIST:

Muse is known for putting on a spectacle and this show was just as stunning as I imagined it would be, even though I was practically seated on the ceiling. They are often referred to as one of the best live acts of all time and I can’t disagree after seeing them for myself. I had originally booked to see them at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow a few months earlier but sold my ticket as the date was a bit too close to my Isle Of Wight Festival trip. I didn’t want to exhaust myself or book too much time off work in one go. It is a miracle I have been allowed to go to as many gigs as I have done already, so I didn’t want to push my luck. I was delighted when they announced they were adding three more UK shows to the end of their Will Of The People World Tour – one night in Manchester and two in London. I was already coming down to Glasgow on the 27th, so managed to link several events together. I saw Wheatus, Lauren Spencer Smith and Muse over the course of three days which was a bizarre experience as they are all very different, musically. The shows gradually got bigger as the nights went on, ending with Muse at The AO Arena, the UK’s largest indoor concert venue. It holds up to 21,000 people and I couldn’t see a single empty seat in the place (for good reason). My pen pal Jade introduced me to the band and encouraged me to listen to more of their songs than just ‘Supermassive Black Hole’! I found many more to dote upon and the songs I ended up looking forward to hearing the most were ‘Plug In Baby’ and ‘Starlight’, which I can admit are cliché choices. I became a fan around the time of their new album, ‘Will Of The People’ (which the tour was named after), so I was very excited when any songs from it were performed.

There were only resale tickets at hiked up prices when I checked but lucked out with one at a reasonable price up in Block 215. I was concerned the view would be obstructed but the position didn’t negatively impact my enjoyment at all. Of course, being on the floor or more central would be ideal but being so high up was thrilling and allowed me to see every part of the arena and properly take in the incredible scale and the amount of people in attendance. The girls beside me said they wouldn’t feel comfortable standing because it was steep but our whole section sprung to their feet for certain beloved songs and the inevitable standing ovation without any hesitation. I didn’t find the height to be a problem but there was a distinct lack of handrails, so I wouldn’t recommend sitting there to anybody who is unsteady on their feet. The boy on the other side of me could hardly contain his excitement, which was fun to see. He also helped keep me right, since he was discussing each song with his out of the loop friend in detail as they were about to be performed. This is how I knew ‘Space Dementia’ was a special song and a deviation from the usual set list, apart from simply not recognising it. Even though I didn’t know it at the time, it was my favourite part of the night because I am a sucker for piano ballads and I adored Matt Bellamy’s smirk before he began playing – knowing Manchester was in for a treat before we did. I tried to make sure the moment wasn’t wasted on me and I have listened to the song a few more times to help preserve the memory.

Nova Twins were the opening act and got everybody’s adrenaline pumping right off the bat. At first I wasn’t sure if they were an appropriate match for Muse as their music is a lot heavier but they soon won me over and I found similarities in their styles by the end of their set. Like Muse, their songs are big and anthemic. Their distinctive sound easily filled the arena. I only knew about them because of their song ‘1×1’ with Bring Me The Horizon (which they didn’t perform) but they had a lot of passionate fans in the crowd, screaming along to every word of their songs. I think these shows, along with the one in Dublin beforehand, were the first ones they opened during. They told us it has been a bucket list item of theirs for a while to open for Muse and perform at The AO Arena so it was nice to get to see them living their wildest dreams. I had originally hoped to see Royal Blood since they usually accompany Muse on tour and when I think of one band I usually think of the other but they seem to be busy doing their own thing at the moment. Glasgow had great opening acts too – The Warning and Twin Atlantic. I am still a little sad I didn’t make it to that show (even though I heard it rained) but will get another opportunity to see those bands, I’m sure. I am very happy I got to see NT as they are quickly gaining popularity and most people arrived in plenty of time to see them, which is rare as the starter bands often get skipped. Their new album, ‘Supernova’, seems to be a huge success and I might jump on Spotify to check it out in full. They were not one hundred percent my cup of tea but you could tell they were having a total blast and I would like to relive the night again by listening to the ten songs they performed, at least.

Muse opened with a long intro video and you could sense everyone was on the edge of their seat and itching to get going. Their first song was ‘Will Of The People’, which I think is the perfect song for them to open with as it is full of energy and sets the mood, promising an exciting night to come. The band burst on to the stage donning creative silver masks, which kick-started the theatrics. The sound quality was outstanding and possibly the best I have come across in any venue. The band were on stage for nearly two hours, which is truly astounding. We got an impressive amount of songs in that time frame and the atmosphere and energy in the room didn’t fade at all throughout the entire night. There were brief intervals between songs for the stage to be expertly rearranged and so the band members Matt Bellamy (lead vocals/guitar/keyboard), Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar/backing vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums) could take a breather but the gaps didn’t detract much from the entertainment. Music still played or themed footage from the new album would show on the screens during this time. ‘Will Of The People’ includes political messages all throughout it and appears to be about gathering people to revolt and stand up for what is right. Near the end of the set, Baph (a new mascot resembling the devil, often referred to as “The Bull” on social media) makes an appearance with glowing red eyes, horns and giant hands which jut out either side of the stage and look like they are going to steal away members of the crowd. He was ultimately defeated when MB hurled his guitar at full force towards his head at the end of ‘Knights of Cydonia’. From the crowd’s reaction, I gathered he does not attack him at the end of every show like that! He appeared to destroy two perfectly good guitars during this show which hurt my soul a bit, even though it was very “rock and roll” of him.

Other highlights of the night included MB playing Bach (or anything, for that matter) on the neon piano, leading into ‘You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween’ (which is also great because it is getting to that time of year, which also happens to be my favourite) and the iconic harmonica at the beginning of ‘Knights of Cydonia’ which lets everybody know it is time for the last song and assures us we won’t be leaving disappointed. Fans seemed generally upset they didn’t perform ‘Kill Or Be Killed’ on this occasion but I don’t think it is a set list you would turn your nose up at, considering the absolute gems we got throughout the night. The songs from ‘Absolution’ were extremely appreciated and welcomed with open arms, which made me realise some of the songs had been neglected for a while. You can never please everybody but the band gave it a good go and were fabulous, in my eyes. They had thousands of people singing loudly alongside them, which was quite a sight to behold. The band members seemed rightfully confident in their abilities and strutted all over the stage and walkway. They put on a very memorable show which is impossible for me to pick fault with. Muse is always technically brilliant and MB’s voice is nothing short of glorious. No song killed the excitement of the crowd and they kept them coming, wowing us all with hit after hit. I always thought Muse were an underrated band as you don’t hear about them as much as I feel you should but they obviously have a gigantic fan base if they are able to sell-out arenas like this. It is difficult to pin down their genre but I like the “space rock” definition I found online. I think it sums up their songs well.

MB didn’t talk much but his actions spoke volumes, smiling and waving to every fan in the arena he could set eyes on, making sure everybody felt appreciated and seen. They seemed to be going the extra mile for Manchester, thanking the city for their love and dedication throughout the years. I know Manchester is considered one of the biggest “music cities”, alongside the likes of Liverpool and Glasgow. It is a great place to attend concerts, surrounded by true music lovers. The whole experience is really something you have to be there to believe. There was even a mosh pit which opened up on the furthest side of the arena from me, which was unexpected. There were strobe lights, smoke machines, giant flames (you could feel the heat even from where I was sitting), confetti, giant props and clever images projected on to them. I left feeling like I had witnessed something special and lots of people were gushing about the show on my way down the steps and back into the city centre. We also passed many jealous onlookers, clearly wishing they had been at the show. I will see Muse again if I get the chance and I look forward to their future albums. I was genuinely sad when the concert came to a close, so hopefully they will announce new dates soon. But first, they deserve some well earned rest!

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Queuing at one of the entrances

Doors

Nova Twins

Posing with their guitars

Muse intro!

Masked

Lots of piano love

Making good use of the walkway 

CONFETTI!

Fans on the screen

The best “band shot” I achieved

Between songs

Thousands of people cheering

It’s huge in there

Matt Bellamy and Baph

Fire!

Applause

Posing for the crowd pic