Cydonia Comes To Wembley
Wembley Stadium may be the new home of English football but it seems that someone forgot to let Muse in on this little detail. Dubbing their two night residence at the stadium as a mini festival, Muse pulled out all the stops to truly welcome rock back onto the hallow turf and to insure that their show would be one remembered throughout rock history, marvellously transforming a section of North West London into a space aged fantasy and bringing a little touch of Cydonia to the Wembley faithful.
With a stage boasting huge satellite dishes, futuristic antennas and thousands of dazzling lights, you'd have been forgiven for thinking that this was a show that could be seen all the way on Mars as the anticipation and excitement began to swell with the stadium. Emerging triumphantly from the middle of the crowd in a fountain of tickertape and glitter, the Devon trio simply stood in wonder at the sheer scale of it all, basking in the crowd's adoration before turning and walking the length of an extended runway, accompanied by a troop of yellow suited scientists come space travellers, adding further to the other worldly vibe ebbing from every pore of Muse's show.
Vibrantly dressed in a red suit, Matt Bellamy stands out like a beacon as he takes the stage, pausing for a few brief seconds before exploding into an energetically charged version of 'Knights Of Cydonia'. As pre-recorded footage is projected on the gigantic screen that backs the stage, Wembley Stadium receives its first taste of a true rock show. A sea of fists punch the air as each member of the audience enthusiastically leads the charge, triumphantly and passionately heralding "no one's going to take me alive", a call of triumph over adversity that invigorates every inch of the stadium and makes for a stunningly awe inspiring opening that simply blows everyone away.
But Muse haven't shown all their tricks just yet and as the songs flow the trio take the audience on a tour of all their greatest hits giving all the favourites a new lease of life. Charging into 'Super Massive Blackhole', Muse receives their very own robotic army that march aggressively across the screens in time to the pounding drum beat before Bellamy sits at his piano for a stirringly spirited rendition of 'Feeling Good' boasting images of flowers and bees that depict the charm and tranquillity of the song.
Having clearly worked hard to engage with the massive audience, Muse somehow managed to still capture a touch of intimacy within the stadium leading the audience in a stunningly moving sing along for 'Invincible' that echoed around the stands, captivatingly capturing the song's haunting beauty. Squinting towards the back, Bellamy took time to ask how those in the distance were doing and if they could actually see anything before dedicating the next track, 'Starlight', to them. Dousing every inch of Wembley in a wash of dazzling lights, 'Starlight' welcomed another excited sing along that added further to the engaging theatrics with a shower of pyrotechnics that flowed from the top of the stage and sparkled throughout each chorus whilst fourteen gigantic balls placed on the seats behind the staging put on their very own light show, changing colour alternately and upping the ante further for the next band to follow Muse at Wembley.
Relying more so on the energy of the songs, 'Time Is Running Out' and 'New Born' brought the first part of the Muse show to a close before the trio returned for a mesmerizingly touching rendition of 'Soldier's Poem' and 'Unintended'. By now the overwhelmed crowd were convinced that they had seen it all but Muse were not done yet. Although without the helicopters or parachute jump that Bellamy may have wanted they still had plenty to offer as 'Blackout' brought some grace to the proceedings. Dangling from two of the giant white balls, gymnasts soared above the crowd, gracefully twirling throughout the song and sweeping above the heads of those stood enthralled before being jolted back to life with a extravagant version of 'Plug In Baby' that saw Wembley shake as every pair of feet jumped in approval. After such theatrics all that was left for the trio to do was close, fittingly so with 'Stockholm Syndrome' and 'Take A Bow' wonderfully closing the night.
Pipped to the post by George Michael a week before, Muse may not have been the first act to play at the new Wembley but as Bellamy so perfectly put it, they were the first to sell it out, fantastically welcoming rock back to North West London with a stage show to match their marvellous back catalogue. For one weekend only the home of football was transformed into a space station, one that sparkled, dazzled and amazed and one that finally brought rock back to Wembley stadium.