Concert Review: Muse invades the Wells Fargo Center

The British band deploys the drones to deliver its political message.

Muse at the Wells Fargo Center. (Photo by Tom Beck)

Muse at the Wells Fargo Center. (Photo by Tom Beck)

Muse doesn’t do “subtle.” The British band’s most recent album, Drones, is all about the terrors of modern technological warfare — specifically drones. So, yes, they flew a giant inflatable drone around the Wells Fargo Center during the song “Uprising.”

It was all part of a shock and awe campaign that included balloons, confetti, a pulsing light display and a 360 degree stage in the dead center of the arena.

Despite attempts to engage the audience with the new material, it was the old songs like “Starlight,” “Resistance” and “Time Is Running Out” that drew the best reaction. Throughout the evening, however, frontman Matt Bellamy proved himself to be one of the most talented in his craft, displaying a vocal range the rest of us couldn’t even attempt without a helium tank. His guitar playing shined on a new track called “Reapers” and during a brief cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” early on in the set. And he never stopped moving.

Muse’s elaborate stage setup, which stretched nearly the length of the entire Wells Fargo Center hockey rink, allowed the energetic frontman plenty of room to prowl. If there’s one thing Muse proved last night, it’s that their spacey military rock ’n’ roll makes belongs an arena setting.