Up until this point I had managed to completely avoid the buzz surrounding English rock band Muse, but this week I decided to purchase the new H.A.A.R.P. CD/DVD combo; mostly because at under $30 for a CD and a two hour concert DVD it’s a very sweet deal and I knew I’d like some of it.

I wasn’t actually expecting the band to be as impressive as they are, however. The live show is truly something to behold and it reminds me again just how small New Zealand is. The concert was filmed live at Wembley Stadium in London, a venue that holds around 90,000 people, and Muse sold out two nights in a row. The atmosphere and sheer scale must be something that people living in NZ simply cannot comprehend because we have nothing quite like it.

It is however pleasing that more of the big acts are visiting Aotearoa lately. I caught the sold out Chili Peppers concert at the 12,000 capacity Vector Arena last year and despite claims that the sound quality isn’t up to standard, it was certainly a kickass show and the fact that more bands are now including Auckland in their tour schedule is encouraging.