It truely was out of this world, from the moment i woke up on Saturday morning till the moment i went to be on Sunday night. Words can't do it justice but i will do my best. I'm sorry it has taken me till Wednesday to post this but i've needed some time to think about how to post this and what not.
But let's cut to the chase :)
Oh and *LONG POST WARNING* so make yourself a nice cup of hot cocoa before tackling this epic monster, m'luvlies.
As you know, i was going with Steven and his dad (not my first choice of people, but how and ever, my weekend wa not spoiled by their presence) and we departed about quarter past 9 on the Saturday morning. Must have been in London for about... 11/11:30? Yeh, that sounds right.
That was only London though, still had to get to Wembley, and our hotel, via the tube.
Now the London Underground is *scary* It's sooooo busy. Nobody waits for nobody and if you miss your train - tough tits. But coz it's so busy the next one comes like 2 minutes later anyway.
Wembley itself is in north London and we were making our way from Central/slightly West and had to take 3 different lines (if i recall correctly) to get there! The first line was so busy, i got nervous about even getting off the train in time before it moved on, but i did. The next line was less busy, and the line after that less busy too - The further you stray from central, the quieter is gets.
The image in my mind is still clear as it type this; 1 station before Wembley and seeing the huge arch of the stadium rise out of nowhere and fill the sky. It was massively impressive and i still hadn't seen it in full view. That was until we arrived at Wembley station and were treated to this site :
And this when we got closer:
It began to rain not long after that so we grabbed a quick McDonalds (as you do) and made towards our hotel.
Upon arrival, Steven's dad just told us to take what we need and go get in the queue, he would check us in and would go to the gig about 7pm or so. So off we went.
I crammed into my pockets, my ipod, my phone, my camera, some glowsticks, some more glowsticks, some confetti, and an infaltable alien :D (more on that later)
The rain had gone off by the time we got to the stadium although i brought my hoodie anyway and my hat was in its pockets.
We got rather lucky in terms of queuing. We must have got there about half 1 in the afternoon and already the queue was massively long. Feeling a bit disappointed Steven and I headed from the front down to the back but on our way we notcied many people coming and going under the red tape of the barrier o.O
We quickly glanced around for anyone watching and dived into about the 6th section from the front :P
"We've been sitting here since 10am" we heard someone in our section say. We just looked away and smiled at each other mwahahahahaha
And not long after we got in the queue, security were out in force to prevent anyone else pulling off our little manoeuvre. We got rather lucky.
Our 3 hour wait was rather uneventful, we just sat in the corner and kept ourselves to ourselves mainly, listening to the music being played across the PA. (YMCA came on at one point, Steven groaned and i laughed)
And about half an hour before doors opened, i met someone who i'd been talking to on the Muse website for about the past year. His name is Derrick and he text me when he got to Wembley and we found each other although we couldnt have a proper conversation coz there were too many people around. It was a brief meeting but it was still cool, he is the first person i've met on the internet that lead to meeting in real life. One of his friends i could see thought it was pointless coz the conversation was so brief but it couldnt be helped coz security was getting tighter as the doors weren't long from opening. (Derrick was seated btw)
A loud cheer erupted from somewhere ahead and we seen people dashing forward towards the stadium, section by section and we followed suit. 'Bout 5 mintues later we were in.
I was taken aback by the sheer size of the inside, it's a total monster! And Muse's stage! :O
Well, i'll let you see for yourself -
(That last picture is as far forward as i got for the whole thing. Not too shabby for arriving at half past 1 i must say although the picture makes it look further away than it actually was)
So we were in and i already needed to go to the toilet, so i went as quick as possible. It's not advisable to do so once you have your place but luckily i found Steven in exactly the same place as before ^^
And then the glowstick process started. Mine were confiscated upon entry for some reason but Steven got through with his so we handed them out to people. It's a good way to make acquaintance with other people and we did.
We met 3 lovely people by the names of Sam, Andy and Heather. (Andy and Heather were a couple and Sam was hot and not with anyone lol)
So we gave them a glowstick each and we got chatting and found that we liked a lot of the same stuff. I suppose many Musers have the same mentality :P
About 5:30pm (behind schedule) the first support band came on and my legs were already hurting from standing! It was funny beforehand, the sound crew were sorting stuff out and the crowd were cheering them lol "Wooo guitar techy, legend!!!!" etc. etc.
Anyhoo, I Am Arrows (the band in the above picture) played their set and they weren't bad but they weren't anything amazing. At least something to take my mind off my sore legs and back.
White Lies were next and i know of them somewhat, only their song entitled "Death" which was the only real highlight of their set for me. But i did take a video of the song "Farewell to the Fairground"
Sorry for the poor quality, phone was for videos and camera was for photos :P
There's a picture of White Lies to compensate ^^
By the time Biffy took to the stage, it was getting darker. Must have been about 8pm. During the break between White Lies we sat down on the pitch coz our legs and backs were so tired. Also, during this time i was lucky enough to have a cup of... urine splash the top of my head >.>
Well, i think it was urine, there aren't many warm drinks available inside the stadium from my knowledge. All 5 of us got hit. Lovely. But anyway, it did not deter us.
Before Biffy came on i warned that they woulr probably open with "That Golden Rule" and the place would go mental. I was right ^^
And it was freakin' insaaaaane!
Big mosh pit started right where we were and i was disbanded from Steven for the rest of the gig (oh dear, what a shame) but i still managed to stick close to Sam, Andy and Heather.
Take a note of Biffy's setlist, coz i'll be using it as a timeline somewhat:
1.That Golden Rule
2.Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies
3.Glitter And Trauma
4.Bubbles
5.Who's Got A Match?
6.God & Satan
7.Mountains
8.Born On A Horse
9.Shock Shock
10.Many Of Horror
11.The Captain
That Golden Rule was my first ever experience of a mosh pit and let's just say i wasn't hanging around. I got myself out of there as soon as i could :P
Living is a Problem also conjured a mosh-pit, the first two songs being some of Biffy's heaviest work.
I went crazy when i heard the opening bar of Glitter and Trauma coz it's perhaps my favourite Biffy Clyro song and i didn't think they would play it.
Everyone knows Bubbles of course ^^
Who's Got a Match? was pretty good.
God & Satan was a little boring so i videoed it but im afraid i cant find it. Sorry.
Mountains drew a huge response from the crowd.
Born on a Horse wasn't really anything special.
I had never really liked Shock Shock until i heard it played live and its currently one of my favourite songs :)
I called Alan during Many of Horror cause he requested that either i or Steven did and i knew he wouldn't. So i did, and it was a bit of an emotional experience cause Many of Horror is one of their slower songs.
And of course The Captain was excellent.
An excellent setlist by Biffy Clyro and a little taster of what's to come this winter, when i will hopefully be seeing them twice. They play with their shirts off btw :O
Bit blurry so here's another
(looks so far away GRRRRRR)
So after the awesomeness that was Biffy Clyro, there was about a half an hour wait till Muse. I was already so tired and thirsty by this point. During a normal gig, you have the support band then the main act, about 3 or 4 hours in total, i had been standing and went without a drink for about 7 hours before Muse came on. It was quite awful to be honest. But i somehow put it to one side when Muse came on.
It was quite funny actually, we were all just sitting, chatting, U2 playing over the PA when suddenly *darkness* O_O
Everyone was a bit wtf, but then out came what was a staged protest onto the stage. People in heavy clothes, waving banners and flags and setting off smoke it was really atmospheric and quite creepy. Then red lights came on and Muse launched into Uprising.
The crowd went CRAZY! (and luckily the rain came on a little but didnt stay unfortunately, i needed water badly)
I was near the front of about 30/40,000 stading people and the surge of the crowd was unreal. Jumping up and down, getting thrown from side to side. Totally insane is how i would describe it.
And that was just the start of Muse's setlist. The best btw, that they have played in about 3 or 4 years.
1.Uprising Extended Outro
2.Supermassive Black Hole
3.MK Ultra + Township Rebellion riff
4.Map of the Problematique + Who Knows Who riff
5.Bliss (Extended Outro)
6.Guiding Light
7.Hysteria (Interlude Intro) + Back in Black riff outro
8.Citizen Erased
9.Nishe
10.United States Of Eurasia
11.Ruled by Secrecy
12.Feeling Good (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley cover)
13.MK Jam
14.Undisclosed Desires
15.Resistance
16.Starlight
17.Time Is Running Out House of the Rising Sun intro + Voodoo Child riff and Jimmy Jam Outro
18.Unnatural Selection
Encore:
19.Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture
20.Stockholm Syndrome + War within a Breath riff and Ashamed Outro
Encore 2:
21.Take A Bow
22.Plug In Baby
23.Knights of Cydonia
I lost Sam, Andy and Heather during the craziness of Uprising and then they played a really heavy outro and there was a mosh pit.
Supermassive Black Hole followed for all the Twilight fans ^^
Now MK Ultra. Back when i seen Muse in November i was expecting them to play this and they didn't so i was ecstatic when i heard the first few bars of this. I was also reunited with Sam, and only Sam, by the end of this song which involved more moshing. It was a godsend that i found him again (more on that later)
Map of the Problematique is one ive seen before but was always nice to see once more.
Bliss. Another story here. It is one of my all time favourite (Muse) songs. I selected it as one of my theme songs on DJ's post. And i wasn't sure it was Bliss at the very start. the chords sounded similar and i was like, "Is this Bliss?" and sure enough it was!
One of the bounciest Muse songs and i bounced my way right through and over the top of Matt Bellamy's screeching falsetto. I said i could die happy when it ended but i sais that many times that night ^_^
The boring Guiding Light followed but it was ok this time round. It was designed to be played in a stadium and during the cheesy 80's guitar solo streams of paper and confetti were shot into the air. I caught some and its currently pinned on my wall :P
But what followed was maybe the highlight. Of my entire life. Citizen Erased is probably my favourite song of all time and Muse always play a small teaser at the start, whenever they perform it. A "BOOM BOOM" on the drums and as soon as i heard that i knew what it was and screamed "FUCKIN CITIZEN ERASED!!!"
The look on my face was probably priceless i expect but it was soon wiped away by the following mosh and replaced not long after that by tears of happiness during the slow, deep and moving section towards the end of the song. I called Alex so he could hear the end of the song (not me crying) but i was bawling like a baby coz it meant so much to me to see that song live.
I think it goes to show how amazing that song is. From moshing to crying. Only Muse <3
They plan their setlists well coz those opening 7 songs are quite heavy so the piano section calms that down nicely. Let's you catch your breath and so i did for United States of Eurasia. But something else re-took my breath - the opening bars of Ruled By Secrecy, a song i would never have dreamed of seeing performed live. I was aghast. Its a nice slow song so i took out one of my glowsticks, a big 6 inch yellow one (no jokes please) and waved it around, much to the aMUSEment of those around me. I gave Sam one too.
I amused those around me when i handed out confetti during Feeling Good too. Matt Bellamy (lead singer btw) used to throw confetti when he reached the highest note during the song but he has stopped during it now so i carried on the tradition. I did back in November too. People laughed :P
But after the piano was rolled away, i became quite light-headed. The guitar came back out and from Resistance onwards i felt quite dizzy and tired. However MK Jam was worth a laugh, its a kind of techno styled drum and bass jam and Sam started singing "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard" and it fit perfectly with the song lol.
And Muse played it (and Undisclosed Desires) on a moving, revolving stage and the drummer played a glowing electric drumkit while Bellamy played a keytar and the bassist added some slap bass. Again, only Muse <3
But when Starlight came on i knew i'd almost had it. I didn't jump once from then till Unnatural Selection and the crowd around me punished me. It was nice to hear a little Voodoo Child and House of the Rising Sun jam however.
This is where me finding Sam again was life-saving. I knew Unnatural Selection would be crazy and it would finish the main set so i said to Sam "Mate, if i collapse would you please help me out of here?"
He obliged although it wasnt needed.
But after it finished he dragged me out (somehow) and got me some water and a seat and he stayed with me. I was awed, i had only been with the guy for a few hours and he pretty much saved my life by dragging me out the crowd. Without him, i could have been in a lot of trouble. Imagine collapsing at the front of 40,000 standing lunatics O_O
So we sat and watched the first song of the encore - Exogenesis. While a woman dangling from a UFO circled the crowd and i blew up my inflatable alien, along with many other fans as this was all pre-planned.
Thats where we sat during Exogenesis (stage is out of shot, to the right) but after that Stockholm Syndrome came on and we dived back into the crowd getting nearly back to the exact same position as we were before. Quite amazing for a crowd that size.
We didn't get all the atmosphere i hoped for this song however coz the outskirts of the crowd are the ones who play it safe and don't generally jump around. But we were back in place for the 2nd encore of another of my all time favourites Take a Bow. In which Bellamy played the song on the moving stage on his own wearing a flashing LED suit, as you do. I still screamed "BELLAMY YOU'RE A FUCKIN LEGEND!"
:D
Immediately after, Plug in Baby came on and its another very bouncy tune. Lots of jumping and i got a stitch, or a stomach muscle ache but i *ahem* muscled on... *smirks*
This song is quite special too as Muse always release gigantic balloons into the crowd. Here's a short video of after the song:
That was the penultimate song. Knights of Cydonia followed it. But just before it, Sam told me he had to leave and find Andy and Heather who were now in the seats, so reluctantly i said goodbye but we exchanged numbers and i thanked him once again for helping me and i gave him a massive hug and he gave me one in return. It was sweet and I dont care who was looking! He's a legend :) (and he was hot)
So i was on my lonesome for Knights of Cydonia (with Morrio Erricone-esque intro)
It's an absolutely amazing song. And 70,000 in Wembley went wild at the ending part. THE BIGGEST MOSH EVER! Im certain nearly everyone standing was bouncing and thrashing and kicking along to the end riff of this song. (if you havent heard it, i suggest you find it to know what im on about!)
And it ended with Muse thanking "the real fans" for coming to see them. It was their last British gig for a while but they'll be back, they assured us.
And the ligths lit up Wembley stadium once more and the crowd erupted yet again.
I staggered around in awe of what i had just experienced, holding a glowstick in the air so Steven could find me. I just kind wandered aimlessly around for 10 minutes till i heard "Oh there you are, put that thing down"
Then we both staggered in unison back to the hotel to find Steven's dad drinking with two guys from Guernsey, so we sat with them for a bit before going up to get changed and going back out to McDonalds, which was on the other side of the stadium. It was midnight by this point and i was wandering around London with a McDonalds in hand, i found it quite surreal. We passed the stadium once more on our way back, and i'll never forget this moment.
The road our hotel was on, was the West Service Gate of Wembley Stadium. An hour previous to this moment, it was filled with cars heading home from the gig but now it was deserted. Suddenly, a black 4x4 with blacked out windows comes scooting out the service gate. We were both like "No. Way"
We waved at it in case it really was Muse inside but i suppose we'll never know. However, we did discuss it and came to the conclusion that there was a strong chance it was. I mean, it wasn't the cleaners was it?
:)
Anyhoo, we had our chips *haha* and went to bed. Or rather, Steven and his dad did, i just lay there recalling all of the nights events. Surprisingly, it took me a while to drift off but i eventually did. Still awe-struck.
And that wraps up Saturday. Yes, it was a long post, but it was a long day ya see. And im sure you probably didn't read all of it but thats ok, i understand, it's pretty lengthy. I should know, took me long enough to type this out :P
I'll post about the next day later but this was the main article and i'm sure you can gather how amazing it was. Insane. Incredible. Out of this godamn world. and so on and so forth.
It lived upto and surpassed my expectations. And I'm one of the few (or 70,000) people who can say that September 11th was the best day of my life :)
Au revoir for now
Rowan <3
This was taken from the top of west service gate street right after the gig
P.S My next post should be my blogaversary post. 1 year on my blog - 17th September. Just sayin' ;)
I did have something planned for it but its gonna be a bit delayed. More on that soon.
P.P.S Roll on Biffy!
P.P.P.S - MYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZE! <3
