Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Considering Muse is arguably the most gargantuan alternative band of this century, it was unbelievably rare that singer/multi-instrumentalist Matt Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard, plus touring keyboard player/super producer Dan Lancaster, would play a place as small as the historic Riviera Theatre.

And though it resulted in a sell out that was bursting at the seams, there’s at least another chance to catch the guys when the full-fledged “Will Of The People” Tour launches at the United Center on Saturday, February 23.

Though the production will surely be grander then, getting to see musicians of this caliber perform so close was almost a once-a-lifetime experience (had it not been for Los Angeles and New York, as far as the only other few American cities go for the English act).

For exactly 90-minutes, Muse locally debuted a lot from the artfully accessible new album, alongside several towering anthems that were crafted at some point throughout the 2000s.

No matter where the material came from, the trio was downright timeless as it incorporated progressive, electronic, psychedelic and even classical sounds into ambitious selections such as “Assassin,” “Won’t Stand Down” and “Hysteria.”

Outside of a pause for a technical difficultly between “Nishe” and “The Gallery,” it was all systems go with the back to back attack of “Compliance” and “Stockholm Syndrome” only adding to the momentum.

The conceptual nature of the current collection, a commentary on the deteriorating state of global affairs, also resounded throughout the Riviera, which despite its dystopian leanings, found fans pumping their fists in unity to make the exact elixir that’s needed right now.

The seasonally appropriate “You Make Me Feel Like It’s Halloween” also brought a synth-spiked dose of levity to the evening, while “Supermassive Black Hole” sent chills through the air and “Starlight” sparked a massive scream-a-long.

Despite having a heap of hits, Muse focused on the recent and deeper sides of its expanding catalogue, but by no means did that yield any less satisfying results, especially come encores of “Killed Or Be Killed” and “Knights Of Cydonia” as the band darted dramatically in numerous directions to mark an epic end to the exceptional occasion.

For additional information on Muse, visit Muse.mu.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions shows, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Riviera Theatre include Alvvays (Oct. 14); Judah & The Lion (Oct. 21); Chelsea Cutler (Oct. 28); Fletcher (Nov. 2); Noah Kahan (Nov. 3); Dayglow (Nov. 4); Bazzi (Nov. 6); Two Door Cinema Club (Nov. 7); Masie Peters (Nov. 8); The Backseat Lovers (Nov. 10); Umphrey’s McGee (Nov. 11-12); AFI (Nov. 15); Maldita Vecinda (Nov. 18); Mac DeMarco (Nov. 19) and Beabadoobee (Nov. 29). For additional details, visit JamUSA.com/Riviera-Theatre.

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