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January 27, 2010
Nicole Pham
Muse headlined the rock concert, Not So Silent Night (NSSN), hosted by radio station Live 105 at the Oakland Oracle Arena Dec. 11. Fans anticipated performances by the band line-up which also featured Metric, Vampire Weekend, 30 Seconds to Mars and AFI. Tickets went on sale over a month in advance, but general admission floor tickets were sold out minutes after their release. Many were disappointed that they wouldn’t be able to see their favorite bands at close range. Prospective buyers could only purchase tickets from scalpers or win them from the radio station.
Unfortunately for the opening band, Metric, much of the audience had not yet arrived when they began their set and the present audience did not meet their energy. Despite their recent rise to fame with the single “Help, I’m Alive,” they cut their performance after twenty minutes because the lack of enthusiasm.
Originally from the Bay Area, AFI returned with a style evolved from previous years . Their single “Medicate” demonstrated their development towards alternative rock. Vocalist Davey Havok looked considerably older and more mature with his short, lightened hair and metro form-fitting clothes. Though stripped of black eyeliner and face-covering hair, the band lost none of its enthusiasm. Newly-released “Crash Love” is the eighth studio album produced in their twelve years together since 1998.
After a 15-minute intermission, Muse opened with their latest single, “The Resistance.” Lead vocalist and guitarist Matthew Bellamy, bassist Christopher Wolstenholme and drummer Dominic Howard played songs from their newest album, “The Resistance”, along with previous hits, “Supermassive Black Hole” and “Knights of Cydonia”. Bellamy alternated between playing piano and guitar to accompany his signature falsetto and vibrato vocals. Fans showed their high energy by crowd-surfing and bopping inflated plastic balls throughout the crowd. Those confined to seated areas were still on their feet, many dancing and jumping to the music.
“All of the bands performed perfectly and sounded impeccable. Altogether, it was a great concert musically and visually,” senior Tara Darland said. “It’s no wonder NSSN sold out this time.”
