This show was the ‘Rage Factor Victory Party’ – a free concert that RATM had promised if ‘Killing in the Name’ was Christmas Number One in 2009. The performance would later be released on the Live in Finsbury Park DVD. I was really excited when they succeeded in defeating The X Factor, and unsurprisingly my Mum was peeved that poor Joe McElderry was victimised. I recall being so invested in it that I sneakily had an earphone in so I could hear Scott Mills announce the Number One single while I was eating Sunday dinner. Dad wasn’t best pleased.
This show was particularly special for me, because I got to meet some online friends in person for the first time. At the time, I was an obsessive fan of Muse, and was always on the Muselive forums. Many of us veteran members met up for the day and stayed together in a Travelodge in London.
I had a lot to thank them for that day. In fact, had it not been for one of those friends, I wouldn’t have been able to go at all. There was fierce competition for those tickets, and luckily one of the users had a spare. Thanks Brewster. Had it not been for another, I wouldn’t have been able to eat my spaghetti that I had for lunch (seriously, it was really hard to keep on my fork). Thanks Ffion. I also have another user to thank for somewhere to sleep after the show, having assumed that I would be on the floor, but someone had a spare bed in their room. Thanks Heather.
Needless to say, the show itself was amazing. There was a hilarious moment before they played their Number One, as a montage of quotes from the media, Simon Cowell and Joe McElderry were shown on the screens… set to Joe’s song. Then the sales numbers appeared on the screen and the crowd went nuts.
Just look at how happy Zach de la Rocha looks at 4:40. It really went to show how the attitude was different to usual at a RATM show – they looked as though they were having fun for once (although there was the odd overdramatic “you can change the world!” from Zach).
But if there was one thing that irritated me… they didn’t play ‘Wake Up’! Also, at only 12 songs long, it was disappointingly short. Still, it was free. I can’t really complain!
