Walking into the Liacouras Center for Mtvu’s Campus Invasion Tour was an interesting experience to say the least. The place seemed deserted. I overheard someone say that this arena was too big for this type of show and I agree. The Liacouras Center is like any other venue. You have general admission, a first level and a top level. They hadn’t even tried to sell any tickets for the top level. Naturally, opening bands don’t draw nearly as many fans as the headliner, but this was a bit ridiculous. Razorlight, a 4-piece formed in London, took the stage to promote their album “Up All Night.” After a couple songs, the curtain with their name appeared. It was delayed and set the stage for what the rest of the show was like. At first, Razorlight was kind of entertaining with their Brit pop and Strokes mix. What finally got to me were the heavily repetitive choruses. After performing such songs as “In the Morning” and “Keep the Right Profile,” the group took a mid performance powwow in the middle of the stage. This lasted for quite a few minutes before they launched one of their more “poppier” songs. (Of course, they didn’t say the name of this one.)

After Razorlight there was an hour wait until Muse appeared on stage. An attendant walking by said that MTV wanted some sections to appear full so they were moving people around, hence the long wait. Finally, Muse came out playing “Apocalypse Please” from their newest cd “Absolution.” From singer Matthew Bellamy’s amazing piano and guitar playing ability to the way the lights matched Dominic Howard’s drumming, the entire performance was energetic and mesmerizing. If you haven’t heard Muse, they tend to be compared to Radiohead. When I first heard Muse singer Matthew Bellamy, I could have sworn it was Thom Yorke. During the show, the band didn’t say much except for the occasional “cheers” after a song was played. A lot of the set included songs from their other albums. I just recently learned that they have a total of four albums out! Even though I didn’t know every song, I continued to watch their performance in awe. Muse kept the pace up and only played one real slow song which was “Ruled by Secrecy.” I found that different, but in a good way. Most groups tend to switch it up and play a handful of slower songs. One disappointment was that they did not play “Absolution.” However, during the chorus to “Time is Running Out,” the entire arena sang while the band just played on, which is always a lot of fun. From the cd “Absolution,” they played the radio favorite “Hysteria” as well as “The Small Print” and “Butterflies & Hurricanes.” While the concert itself was overall kind of disappointing, I don’t think I have ever enjoyed a performance as much as I did Muse’s. I believe they have the significance of being the best group I have seen perform. I highly recommend everyone to check out Muse.