Muse and U2 Concerts

If you hadn't already found out, I went to the Muse Concert on Friday night and the U2 concert on Monday night in Sydney. They were great! Actually...MUSE WERE AWESOME....U2 WERE GREAT!

The concert at Acer Arena for Muse was absolutely wonderful. They couldn't have done a better job. Actually, including the song 'Invincible' would have just topped the night off like nothing else. But they played my favourite ('Starlight'), so I suppose there really can't be any complaints whatsoever to be made.
The light show to go with it was just great! A couple of times the green lights went straight into the eyes, but you get that. It's nothing. And having the screens as they were so that you could see them really easily - brilliant idea!!
And I found it just absolutely wonderful overall because I was able to sing along with all the songs. Yes - I'm that much of a fan! And (if you didn't know), I'm that much of a fan in only 7 months...
I'm hoping that they plan another trip out to Australia in the next couple of years. Maybe after the release of another album. Is there another album in the works, guys? Please? Pretty please???

The U2 concert was great. Definitely. It was just wonderful to be able to see the band live, after watching video clips and listening to the CDs that I own of their stuff since my oldest friend gave one to me back in the 90s (All That You Can't Leave Behind). And the setup was great to see after seeing some photos of it friends had taken at other concerts.
The light show for them, too, was great. There were many and varied light displays on the stage, some very pretty. The big '360*' screen was wonderful, as well! What a great way to enjoy the show so that everyone in the stadium can see the band.
The only problem was that I didn't know all the songs. I haven't got their last couple of albums, and so I haven't been able to keep up with their stuff. When they played something new it sounded, at times, just like a bit of noise.
It wouldn't be a U2 concert, though, without a political message. It was good to see them advocating for the release of political prisoners, and having Amnesty International lanterns on the stage. It's good to see high profile people putting their name behind a cause. I just hope that what they do actually gets somewhere, rather than be ignored. Doubt you could ignore them all the time, though.

I've put a couple of pages up on my blog for these concerts. Probably will actually amalgamate them in the end. Will probably only put a couple of pictures up of the Muse concert (cause we were seated quite a distance from the stage, and they're mostly blurry), but will put a few U2 photos up.

Overall, they were great concerts, and you missed out big time if you weren't there. (Then again, if you aren't a fan, I suppose you didn't....but you should be a fan...)

Twilight: Eclipse!

Hey guys and gals! Yes! It's out! Go and buy it if you want. You don't have to wait until tomorrow (well, I suppose you do, now...but you didn't earlier), because it's in the stores now. Bought a copy today (and you can all groan and moan and say 'How sad' if you aren't a fan - I don't mind!) and am planning on watching it when I get the time....hopefully later tonight or tomorrow evening.

And, of course, there is a music video from Muse. I think we can all guess which song that is. Love that one. Got the sheet music for it last week. Couldn't help myself.

So, yes.... BigW have it for $32.86. Don't know what other stores are selling it for, but I was there today, and they are generally one of the better/cheaper places to pick up your DVDs - no matter what movie.

Hope you get yours soon, if you want it, and have fun enjoying the movie again....and again....and again....

And how many times will you see this pic in the next few days???

A cool video, with a very important message!

Muse have put one of their songs to a video brought out by MTV Exit, to help raise awareness about human trafficking and exploitation. This is a very important issue to raise awareness about, and something that all people should know is going on, sometimes right under your very nose.

To view the video, click here.

Thanks, Muse, for adding your name to the campaign.

Muse-ic

So, most of my life I've listened to classical music. Had to learn it for grade piano, and listened to it mostly because of the parents. Weird way to start a post? Yes, I know, but keep reading, and it shall become more clear (hopefully).

When I started reading 'Twilight' I read the acknowledgements and thanks (yes, I'm one of those people who actually reads those pages - anyone else do that, too?) and kept noticing the band Muse being mentioned over and over again as a thanks for inspiring the writer. As I had only noticed in passing that this band had one song in the 'Twilight' movie (which I thought was great until I read the book) I didn't really know much about them. I was like "What is with this band? What is so good about them that she keeps thanking them? Puh-lease?!" That has changed quite a bit...

I started checking them out on YouTube (thank you, you wonderful site!) - finding the songs that Stephenie Meyer put up as her songlists to go with the books. I found 'Starlight' first of their songs, and have loved it as one of my two favourites since. 'Invincible' and 'United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage' are two others that I can easily listen to over and over again for an hour each.

One reason why I love their music so much is because of the piano work, and how well it fits in nicely with the bass and drums - as well as any other instruments they have in that piece. The 'Exogenesis' pieces are terrific for listening to for the piano in them and 'United States of Eurasia/Collateral Damage' has a rendition of Chopin's Nocturne in Eb within it - one of my favourite pieces to play on the piano (and one that I can play really badly at times). Listening to their music seems to relax me more than my usual favourites of MatchBox20 and U2. Maybe because they seem to include a lot of classical structures into their songs, especially in their latest album 'The Resistance'. It isn't obviously classical if you didn't know the composers, but there are instances where Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Gershwin are very prominent in Muse's music, and they are just the ones that I can recognise easily.

That is one reason why I now own five of their albums (none of the live show ones), and am impatiently waiting for them to come to Australia in December when I can finally see them live.

Well, if you hadn't guessed, since first checking them out back in late May (though I had the books of the 'Twilight' series since early-mid April, I thought that I wouldn't get sucked into the blackhole of 'Twilight' insania) I have become quite a big Muse fan. Hence this blog. I am wishing the wait was over already. Oh well - only another three and a bit months until the concert. Woohoo....kind of...

Okay, before I freak you people out anymore, I'll quit there.