Muse, the futuristic rock band who made the Guitar Hero games nearly impossible to win, ended their Will of the People World Tour Monday in London, smashingly.
Concluding their 55-stop tour that began in LA at iHeartRadio ALTer EGO fest at the Forum, Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme, and Dominic Howard wrapped it all up in London on October 2nd with an epic set that included the destruction of one of Bellamy's custom guitars.
The casualty appears to be the 2019 Manson Matt Black 3.0 Custom which goes for about $1,500 on eBay.
Was that the one? Was that the cost? Only Bellamy and his tech really know what else was in that puppy that could increase its value. But it probably wasn't cheap.
Whatever it is, it is now in a place of honor as after he broke the instrument, the guitarist handed the pieces to a security guard who then gifted it to a fan in the front row who held up a sign claiming he had been to 225 Muse shows.
This is why you should show up early and rush their way to the barrier when the doors open, people!
Muse had just finished performing "Stockholm Syndrome," a cut that was released 20 years ago off their third album Absolution.
The track, coincidentally, also appeared in the Muse three-pack on Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock. It's practically unfair.
Of the 55 gigs Muse performed around the world, only nine featured "Stockholm" with Rage Against The Machine's " Township Rebellion" as the outro riff flair.
Could it be because it's tricky to play IRL too?
Note of clarification: Muse had a short mini-tour that preceded the 55-date run called the Will of the People Theater Tour where the band performed in 8 smaller-than-normal venues in October of 2022 as a warm up. So they have been supporting this album for a year now.
The arena tour was far more, let's say, intense.
"Entering in faceless silver robot masks like a WarhammerDaft Punk, backed by a flaming sign searing recent album Will of the People’s initials into the air, there were bursts of fire, streamer cannons, fake snow and oodles of lasers," London's Evening Standard wrote comparing it to Mad Max, "and that was just the first 30 minutes."
Metro UK concurred: "And when there weren’t masses of paper falling from the sky, there were jets of fire coming from all over the stage in time to the songs, adding to the genuine sense of danger."
Even though the tour is over, there's still something you can ask Santa for this winter. The band is putting out a remastered version of Absolution for its 20th anniversary.
"The XX Anniversary edition features remastered audio, unreleased live versions, demos and photos as well as a new, in depth interview with the band where they discuss the ups and downs of the recording process as well as the social environment they found themselves in which influenced the albums themes. In addition, there is an interview and Q&A with the album’s producer Rich Costey," their website says.
And there will be a 40-page book as part of the package. Pre-order your copy here.
