Muse in Auckland

MARK TAYLOR

Muse's Matt Bellamy performs at the 2007 Big Day Out.

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Muse's reputation as one of the best live acts in the world was left firmly intact after a blistering show to a sellout crowd at Waitakare Trusts Stadium. Reviewer Jeremy Redmore took it all in.

Having won countless awards all over the world for their live performances and having seen them in 2004 when they last played their own show in Auckland, I was expecting a lot. And I got it all.

Lead singer/guitarist/pianist Matt Bellamy opened the set with the opening song off their latest album, Black Holes and Revelations, and the crowd knew immediately they were in for a special night.

The stage slowly revealed itself to be visually one of the best around and the band hit the crowd with perfect renditions of some of their most well-known songs.

Most of the set was comprised of tracks from their latest album which seemed to please the crowd. Recent hits Starlight and Invincible hit a major chord with the fans.

They also kept diehard fans happy by playing perfect moshpit numbers Newborn, Citizen Erased, Time is Running Out and Stockholm Syndrome.

Highlights of the night included epic prog-rock song Butterflies and Hurricanes, from their Absolution album, in which simulated butterflies and hurricanes actually appeared on the stage in the form of confetti and compressed air.

They also played their classic cover of Feeling Good, made famous by Nina Simone - complete with megaphone.

The band made us wait for their encore but Plug in Baby and Knights of Cydonia were worth it - along with their famous giant balloons filled with confetti.

Bellamy is an absolute virtuoso and the three-piece - plus a fourth member on keyboards/percussion/atmosphere - ticked all the boxes you could dream of filling for a concert.

The Trusts Stadium was a great venue as well - the only let down being the traffic after the show.

Muse have been touring non-stop for more than a year, with their Christchurch show on Sunday night being the final stop on their world tour. Get along if you can - you won't be disappointed.

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- © Fairfax NZ News