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It was likely a coincidence that, on the first anniversary of the Occupy Central protests, British rock group Muse took to the stage at Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo and performed Uprising as part of the Asian leg of their Drones tour.
Perhaps it was because that was one of two songs the band dropped from the set list of their first tour of China earlier this month due to political sensitivities.

Watch: Hong Kong fans rock to uncensored Muse show, songs taken off setlist in Beijing and Shanghai says drummer Dominic Howard
Whatever the reason, it was to the delight of the 10,000-strong crowd gathered for the Devon trio’s first performance in Hong Kong for five years.
But this was a stripped back affair rather than the elaborate light show they put on back in 2010 when they were still going through their kings of grandiose phase, which saw giant installations of TV screens adorn the stage.
Drones, the band’s seventh studio album - and a concept album examining the dehumanisation of modern warfare - is a back to basics affair with a tour to match. This gave singer Matt Bellamy, drummer Dominic Howard and bassist Chris Wolstenholme the perfect excuse to belt out some of the band’s most anthemic and rock-heavy classic hits alongside new material like Psycho, Reapers and The Handler.
But it was, of course, the likes of Hysteria, Time Is Running Out and Apocalypse Please - gems from earlier albums - that really got the crowd going. A rare performance of Citizen Erased won ecstatic cheers.
But, then, the crowd must have sensed the set would be astonishing when the band launched into Plug In Baby - the hit from their second album, Origin Of Symmetry, that really put them on the map - as the third song of the night.
Yes Hong Kong! You rocked tonight!! https://t.co/Fk9NVuBC5y
— Dominic Howard (@Dominic_Howard) September 28, 2015
An encore of Mercy and Knights Of Cydonia was brought to an end with a crescendo of fireworks and confetti.
With their diverse back catalogue and penchant for experimentation, for some, Muse are an acquired taste. But there’s no getting away from the fact that they are almost certainly the best live band in the world, as last night's explosive performance aptly demonstrated.



Set list





Psycho




Reapers




Plug In Baby




The Handler




Unsustainable




Dead Inside




Interlude




Hysteria




Citizen Erased




Apocalypse Please




Madness




Supermassive Black Hole




Time Is Running Out




Starlight




Uprising




Mercy




Knights Of Cydonia






Why Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos loves Hong Kong gigs, plus insight on latest album

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Hong Kong gigs

British rock trio Muse make welcome return to Hong Kong with explosive show

Muse take to the stage at AsiaWorld-Expo on September 28, 2015. Photo: Robin Fall/SCMP

Muse front man and guitar virtuoso Matt Bellamy on stage at AsiaWorld-Expo on September 28, 2015. Photo: Robin Fall/SCMP

No Caption Available.

Muse bringing stripped-back Drones show to Hong Kong 

Muse are Matt Bellamy (left), Dominic Howard and Christopher Wolstenholme. Photo: The Washington Post

Matt Bellamy playing in Germany earlier this year. Photo: Corbis

The band's latest album Drones.

Bellamy (front ) and Wolstenholme performing in Hong Kong in 2010. Photo: SCMP

Muse’s Dominic Howard: We had to change our set list to play China

Muse drummer Dominic Howard spoke to SCMP.com ahead of the band’s sell-out Hong Kong gig. Photo: Robin Fall/SCMP

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Trio from Devon bring back-to-basics show to city after five-year absence


An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


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.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Review | British rock trio Muse make welcome return to Hong Kong with explosive show

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Trio from Devon bring back-to-basics show to city after five-year absence

Review | British rock trio Muse make welcome return to Hong Kong with explosive show

Trio from Devon bring back-to-basics show to city after five-year absence