On the eve of its 2010 Austin City Limits Festival performance, British rock band Muse made its first-ever stop in Oklahoma City along with opener Passion Pit on Friday at the Ford Center.

By 9 p.m., anticipation ate at the crowd. As the Ford Center filled with a misty fog, the crowd grew restless with a buzz of excitement to see the English alternative rock band. Then the lights grew dim and the crowd went wild.

Three towers of curtains stood illuminated on stage marked with faceless silhouettes of men climbing an endless staircase. Soon, as they fell from their climb, the band emerged from the middle of the towers on raised platforms. “Uprising” was the first song of the night, which coerced chanting and fist-pumps from the crowd below.

The band moved into favorites from older albums, like “Map of the Problematique” and “Supermassive Black Hole,” capturing the interest of those on the floor. Next, Muse crooned out a slow and alluring melody while the distorted bass buzzed in the background. With a loud bang, the band launched into one of its more recognized hits, “Hysteria.” This brought the noise to critical levels.

After the adrenaline rush of “Hysteria” settled, the band moved into a calmer group of songs with “United States of Eurasia” and “Ruled by Secrecy,” but this calm wouldn’t last long. The 12th song of the show, “Time is Running Out,” brought back the quickened pace of the “Absolution” album. Riding this excitement, the band finished the set with “Plug in Baby” and returned for an encore with three of its most powerful pieces, “Exogenesis: Symphony,” “Stockholm Syndrome” and “Knights of Cydonia.”

The show could be described in so many ways, but there are two words that specifically come to mind: powerful and flashy. Lasers and lights flooded the center providing a unique and dazzling show as the band continued its set list. Songs for fans old and new were on the bill, including a brief cover of “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals.

The songs were the force and power behind the show, while the flashiness came from lead singer and guitarist Matthew Bellamy’s silver-sequin suit and revolving assortment of illuminated instruments. Bellamy’s famous lighted piano made an appearance halfway through the set, along with a mirrored guitar, which shone a blinding light across the crowd and other blinking and glowing guitars and keytars. Even drummer Dominic Howard returned to the elevated platforms with a set of drums with pressure-sensitive LED lights.

Apart from the awe provided by lights and instruments, the group’s talent and showmanship created a dynamic performance that effectively rocked the Ford Center and its attendees. And, as most who attended the concert hope, this first-time performance in Oklahoma City won’t be the band’s last.