Did Muse just take us on a time travelling machine or teleport us into another realm? We think it’s both. After what must be one of the most mind-blowing, electrifying rock spectacles of the year, we have reason to believe that Muse belong to another stratosphere of performers. Or from another planet, altogether.

The British stadium rock wizards performed to a 55,000-strong crowd at the Padang Stage at Singapore Grand Prix 2019. The gig lasted 90 minutes, but time zips by quickly when you’re immersed in an out-of-this-world, out-of-body experience as such.

Even before the trio sauntered on stage, the Stranger Things theme song was blaring from speakers, taking us to the realm of the Upside Down, as a foreboding of the otherworldly experience that awaited us. When frontman Matt Bellamy, bassist Chris Wolstenholme and drummer Dom Howard kicked off the show with tunes from their latest release, Simulation Theory, it was as if we were transported on to the set of a sci-fi movie.

Neon flashes of light were everywhere. On Matt’s glowing glasses that he hardly took off the whole night, on the backup dancers’ neon-laced Tron-esque outfits, and later on, Matt’s space age jacket that lit up, and his futuristic/souped-up version of the Infinity Gauntlet.

As they tore through one rousing stadium anthem after another, the rock giants had ignited something in the audience. Everyone singing along with probably with the most gusto we’ve seen in any concert in Singapore. “They will not control us/ We will be victorious,” the crowd thundered during the chorus of ‘Uprising’. Garnering just as much passion from the audience are older hits such as ‘Starlight’, ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, and ‘Hysteria’. Now, who says Singapore gig-goers are a passive bunch? By the time Muse blasted off into its final song, we could hardly believe this was happening in Singapore. The crowd was singing along so loudly, we might've well been on the cusp of a revolution. “You and I must fight for our rights/ You and I must fight to survive,” Matt and 55,000 people roared during 'Knights of Cydonia'.

And with that, Muse played their final notes for the night, the stage lights dimmed, and they were gone, back to their planet. As the house lights came back on, us mere mortals were hurled back to reality with a thud, feeling sated and thirsting for more at the same time.

Photos: Singapore GP/ Reuters