Although Austin City Limits 2010 boasts popular headliners such as Phish, the Strokes and M.I.A., this is clearly Muse's weekend. The highly energetic, dramatic British rock band brought all their laser goodness to Zilker Park's masses. There were fist pumps. There were heads banged. And in a moment of solidarity -- or brutal honesty -- Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy said, "This is my favorite American state."
Earlier this year, Muse showed up at SXSW to play an intimate club gig at Stubbs, but playing in front of this many fans had to be one of the more rewarding moments of their already massively successful 2010 U.S. tour.
Muse has pretty much become the British equivalent of Kings of Leon in terms of drawing fans across the Atlantic, and their ACL set seemed to relish in their American success. As a possible nod to Jimi Hendrix's famous Woodstock performance of 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' Bellamy riffed for nearly two minutes on the national anthem before the band launched into a heavy version of 'Hysteria.' Moments later, they also took on the famous folk ballad 'House of the Rising Sun,' sounding a bit like a warped version of what the Animals did back in 1964. For a moment, you got the sense that they were going to tackle the whole thing, vocals and all, but alas opted for 'Time is Running Out.'
Beside those little nuggets, Muse played a set that resembled what they've been doing on their 'Resistance' tour, opening with 'Uprising' and working in 'Undisclosed Desires' and 'MK Ultra' alongside older favorites like 'Stockholm Syndrome' and 'Map of the Problematique.'
Muse's is set to headline the Voodoo Festival later this month in New Orleans. Leading up to this final U.S. gig, they're hitting the East Coast for more arena shows before concluding in Australia this December.
Watch video of the band's performance Saturday night below.
