Hammerface Smashroom

It could not have gone any better. Muse slayed. Like a conquering viking. They closed out with "Map of the Problematique," "Time Is Running Out," and then a deafening "Knights of Cydonia," complete with horse silhouettes trampling across four screens. The beer won the battle of the bloodstream long before that, circa the blistering rendition of "Stockholm Syndrome," an experience that I cannot quite put into words. It was perhaps, one of the most vicious live songs I have seen all year. The boys from Devon opened with "Take A Bow," the lead track from Black Holes & Revelations. Right about the time I was thinking that it would be completey amazing for them to blaze into "Hysteria" following "Take A Bow," they did. It was a non-stop run through their best tracks from there, touching songs from Origin of Symmetry and Absolution along the way. I could not have been more impressed.

Timing, of course, was of the essence last night. Following the Muse show we hopped in a cab to quickly make our way to Mercury Lounge. Siversun Pickups had just gotten on stage when we got there. They continued where Muse left off, bringing their shoegaze rock assault with a primal power that I didn't see coming. Fucking fantastic. They were simply brilliant.

Fuck. Time to roll. JK caught an early this morning and I didn't make it to bed until around 5 AM. We caught up with Silversun Pickups again at Piano's for their after-party show. They were playing some of the same tracks they ripped through at Mercury Lounge and then the lead singer and bass player wrapped things up with a little duet jam session. For whatever reason the DJ asked them to wrap it up, much to the crowd's dismay, at around 3:30 AM. We then moved up stairs to check out the hipster dance party, and naturally, moved quickly back down stairs. Scary. Myself and Dr. Thomas Beckett are off to a wedding now, I will have a complete and unadulterated post come Sunday, because there are many more stories to tell, including my brief visit to Harlem last night. Until then...