Muse caps off Abu Dhabi F1 after-race concerts with blazing rock show

Live updates: Follow the latest on the 2024 Abu Dhabi F1

Being a rock group is a thankless business these days. With the hip-hop genre dominating the charts and a dazzling new wave of female singers leading an exciting phase of pop music, rock's significance on the large stage has largely been relegated to a handful of legacy and veteran artists.

This makes the UK group Muse an intriguing exception. Now well into their third decade, they continue to capture attention with high-concept albums and grandiose concerts brimming with pomp and spectacle.

Even when there isn’t a new album on the horizon, the trio remains ready to deliver a spectacle, as crowds discovered on Sunday at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Park.

Performing the closing concert of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix, the show marked their first of the year and started a jaunt that will see them play at Riyadh’s Soundstorm Festival on Friday.

The time in between shows hasn’t left them rusty, with the group entering to recorded chants and launching into a blazing version of Won’t Stand Down.

It is a shape-shifting highlight. Singer and guitarist Matt Bellamy begins the track with an Eastern-inspired guitar motif before settling into a punchy verse, then launching the song into a wall of crushing guitars and Dominic Howard’s thunderous drumming.

Up next is Hysteria with singer Bellamy’s potent vocal performance matched in intensity by Chris Wolstenholme’s dazzling bass lines. The song is one of their clearest examples of marrying sharp melodies with their signature technical, prog-rock prowess.

It conjures the kind of energy only a committed rock band can deliver. If the Abu Dhabi show is part of their long-awaited return to touring, we can confidently report that Muse shows no signs of losing their will.

The concert capped off another dynamic series of concerts at the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. It began on Thursday with the double bill of DJ Peggy Gou and soul singer Teddy Swims, followed a day later by Maroon 5, before Eminem performed to a capacity crowd of 40,000 people on Saturday.

All tickets were exclusive to Abu Dhabi Grand Prix ticket holders.

The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Bio

Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro

The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet

The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK

Ministry of Interior
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Air Force Intelligence Agency
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