Live at Rome Olympic Stadium [CD/DVD]

Personnel: Morgan Nicholls (guitar, keyboards).
Audio Mixer: Chris Lord-Alge.
Recording information: American Airlines Center, Dallas (03/13/2013); Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas (03/13/2013); Stadio Olimpico, Rome (03/13/2013); American Airlines Center, Dallas (03/17/2013); Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas (03/17/2013); Stadio Olimpico, Rome (03/17/2013); American Airlines Center, Dallas (07/06/2013); Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas (07/06/2013); Stadio Olimpico, Rome (07/06/2013).
Editors: Tim Woolcott; Tommaso Colliva.
Photographer: Hans Peter VanVelthoven.
For years, the easy point of comparison for Muse and their brand of driving rock was Radiohead, but as the trio has grown, it became clearer and clearer that the sound they were really striving for was something akin to the pure spectacle of Queen. To their credit, Muse have done a fine job of growing into their ambitions, and even though studio albums like The Resistance really show off their more theatrical qualities, the enormity of their sound is best captured in the live setting. With Live at Rome Olympic Stadium, the British band does just that, bringing its massive, intricate sound to bear on a crowd of over 60,000 frenzied fans. While their previous live outing, H.A.A.R.P., features a stronger set list, Live at Rome Olympic Stadium wins in terms of grandeur. On the accompanying DVD (or Blu-ray, depending on your preferred format), fans are treated to a feast for the senses with a live extravaganza featuring pyrotechnics, lasers, giant video walls, and even live skits performed on-stage while the band is performing. While the live set is still solid with just the audio, the video portion really pulls the whole thing together, showing off a penchant for the theatrical that simply can't be captured by sound alone. ~ Gregory Heaney