NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
Four years is much too long to not see Muse on tour. Granted, we had a little hiccup with the pandemic but it’s wonderful to have Muse hit North America on the fourth leg of their “Will of the People” tour. Even better, American rock band Evanescence was tagged as a support act. I can’t imagine Amy Lee & Evanescence playing second fiddle to anyone but perhaps going on tour with a band that sells out Wembley Stadium was a great call. I could only imagine the insane energy emanating from these two incredibly theatrical bands when they hit the ScotiaBank Arena in Toronto on March 9th. Joining them as the opener was Japanese rock band One OK Rock, which the media did not get to see.
Evanescence had been touring non-stop since the release of their fifth studio album “The Bitter Truth” in 2021. During that time, guitarist Jen Majura left the band with bassist Tim McCord moving over to guitar and Sick Puppies’ Emma Anzai taking over bassist duties. The Bitter Truth was one of my top three albums of 2021 so I was definitely looking forward to seeing some of these songs performed live! Evanescence kicked off their show with the lead track from their last record “Artifact/The Turn” and received the expected loud welcome from the crowd. Their set was exactly the high energy performance we’ve come to expect from this veteran band. Lead vocalist Amy Lee sounded as good as she ever did as they then went right to the next track on the album “Broken Pieces Shine”. Half of the set ended up comprised of songs from “The Bitter Truth”, with some of their big hits breaking things up. They didn’t end up playing “Far From Heaven”, my personal favorite song on the album but I suppose they can’t play the whole record. The band didn’t use the runway at all but a highlight was when Amy Lee went to the end of the runway to sing the first verse of “End of the Dream”. It was truly beautiful. They closed the set with fan favorites “My Immortal” and “Bring Me to Life” from their debut record “Fallen”. I don’t think we could have asked for more.
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As Muse took the stage with metallic masks and hooded jackets on, a la Guy Fawkes, they immediately got the audience in the right mood with the anthem and title track of their album “Will of the People”. If you weren’t already familiar, Muse takes on political, economic and social issues head on. Their music isn’t just anthemic because it makes for catchy songs. They are a call to arms, for resistance and revolution. That being said, they are catchy and you can’t help but bob your head to every song. On their latest record though, I can hear a bunch of influences from Green Day to Queen to Broadway musicals!! After the lead song, their was a brief guitar interlude, a device they used interspersed throughout the show. They then played “Hysteria”, one of their biggest hits! Muse did play much of their latest record but it didn’t feel that way since the set was a whopping twenty four songs! The setlist was mostly the same as in Columbus the night before with the exception of “Stockholm Syndrome” replacing “Bliss” and “Resistance” replacing “Undisclosed Desired”. Either way, you can’t go wrong!
The stage setup for Muse was top notch as usual, complete with a flames coming from all directions, confetti and streamers, the huge head and hands of a masked figure in the back, rotating mirrors and laser lights! They did not skimp on the details! There was a point when guitarist and lead vocalist Matt Bellamy smashed his guitar against an amp, then threw it in the air! If he does that with one guitar per show, that’s a lot of guitars!! During one of the interludes, Matt Bellamy played “The Dark Side” while sitting on top of what looks like a giant mushroom, like the caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland!! I did say they were theatrical, right?
The regular set ended with rousing performances of “Uprising” and “Starlight” followed by a three song encore finishing the show with “Knights of Cydonia”! What an incredible show! The only caveat I have is that there were a couple of times where I felt Bellamy’s falsetto was a little off or his breath control wasn’t where it needed to be. Perhaps he was a bit under the weather or it could be my imagination. Nevertheless, this was a bill I won’t soon forget, with both Evanescence and Muse giving it their all!
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