For every hundred people excited about U2's impending U.S. tour, I imagine there's a couple of folks like me – absolutely over-the-moon ecstatic that my favorite band snagged the support slot.

From Muse's official website:

We are pleased to confirm that Muse will be touring in the UK, Europe and North America this autumn.  Full details on the UK and European dates will be announced soon, but for now we can confirm that the band will be special guests to U2 at a number of their North American shows this September including New York on September 24th.  The remaining U2 dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Granted, the post is vague on exact details, but my hopes are totally up.  Muse are one of the biggest rock bands in the world – certainly not on U2's level, but popular enough to headline arenas in Europe and Asia.  Large-scale success has eluded Muse in much of America, confining them to clubs and theaters or opening for bigger bands.  I've been fortunate enough to see them three times before, with each performance further cementing them as my all-time favorite live band.  There are a lot of ifs – if people show up early enough to the show, if people give the opener a chance, if stadium sound doesn't suck – but this is a huge opportunity for one of the most criminally underrated bands in the world.  Videos and progress on their new album after the jump.

This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2009.