The Best of Muse Live

The Best of Muse Live (created by bagelsftw)

This is a list of, what is in my opinion, the best live Muse performances from Agitated to Yes Please.

Notes on the list:

Some songs on the list have honorable mentions because of the sheer amount of great performances.

Some songs have funny versions because... well, why not? Alternative versions of songs are also on this list (Pee Candle -> Exo-Politics, Debase

Mason Grog -> Assassin, etc) Most important note: These all range in quality. From professionally recorded, to fans with

cameras in a concert audience.

Please help me keep this page up to date, if you see any broken links please put it into my ask box and I’ll fix it. Also, if you see anything not listed here that you think is a great live version I would absolutely love to hear it!

How to navigate:

If you want, click F3 and type in the song name you're interested in.

Key (for the links):

* <- YouTube video

+ <- Direct MP3 download

= <- Other (Muselive, Musebootlegs, etc)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

A Turn to Stone:

No known live recording.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Agitated:

ABC Studios 2000*

There's plenty of wild performances of Agitated and this performance from one of my favorite Muse gigs ever, ABC Studios 2000, easily tops all other performances.

Honorable mention(s):

London Astoria 2000*

Eurocks 2000*

----------------------------------------------------------------------

America:

Giants Stadium 2009*

A West Side Story song that was performed only once live.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Animals:

Shepherd’s Bush Empire 2013*

The best and most perfect version of Animals.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Apocalypse Please:

Earls Court 2004*

Go to 2:22 for the performance.


Gran Rex 2008*

Not only is this a great performance, it’s also the last performance of the song.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ashamed:

Unknown venue 2000*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykOZnKnorAg

Only known live video of the song.


Unknown venue/year*

Both links above are the only known live recordings of this song.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Assassin:

Rome 2006*

Words can describe how immense this performance is.


LA The Forum 2007*

From the Join the Resistance videos that Muse released in 2009. Extended version of the song. Overall great performance.

---

Alternative version(s):

Demo version - Debase Masons Grog: College Park 2005*

The demo version is vastly superior to even the best live versions of the original. It’s a heavy hitting, beefier version of the song.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in Black (AC/DC cover):

Big Day Out 2010*

What? Yes, AC/DC’s Back in Black performed by Muse. Of course, Matt can’t quite sing like Brian Johnson so Nic Chester of Jet was chosen by Muse to sing with them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Backdoor:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rvl0AWgx9w


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Bedroom Acoustics:

Never performed in full.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Big Freeze:

Never performed live (as of July 2014)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Blackout:

Wembley Stadium 2007*

I really wanted to put in a 2004 version but the solo and everything in this performance is perfect.


Glastonbury Festival 2004*

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Bliss:

Earls Court 2004*

This one really depends on the fan. There's plenty of great performances of Bliss and they all vary. Some have the excellent extended guitar work from Matt, some don’t. Some have the falsetto yell from Matt after the breakdown, early performances have just excited screams, or nothing. Personally, I prefer Earls Court because the falsetto yell in that version is perfect and it still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.


Reading Festival 2006* (extended)

Hullabaloo 2001* (extended)

---

Funny version(s):

Pinkpop Festival 2002*

Matt would much rather play with the balloons than finish out the song.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Boredom:

Unknown venue 1997*

This is the only clip of this song live and this also one of the oldest videos of Muse performing.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Butterflies and Hurricanes:

Wiltern Theatre 2004*



I love the contrast between these two versions. The Wembley version is more polished than the earlier performances. The piano section for the Wiltern version is wild and brilliant and the vocals are excellent.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Can't Take My Eyes Off You:

BBC Re:Covered 2002*

I think this performance sums up Muse's 2002 performances. Screams. Screams everywhere. Also, lots of distortion. This song has only been performed four times. One more time in 2002 and the latest was in 2010 and 2013. All three of those performances were in Japan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cave:

La Route De Rock 2001*

I’m not sure how many Muse fans know of the Route De Rock version of Cave, or the gig itself, but it is a really great version of Cave. There’s a jam at the beginning and end of it, and the song itself is a great performance.

Honorable Mention(s):

Bizarre Festival 2000*

---


Piano version: Nagoya 2010*

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Citizen Erased:

Earls Court 2004* (starts 24:48)

Where do I start with Citizen Erased? Citizen Erased is one of the best live Muse songs because it represents everything about Muse, the heavy riffs, the piano, the great vocals. These performances are the best of the best. The Earls Court version is perfect and it includes the added riff before the solo that was put into 2004 versions (and later some Resistance Tour versions) and also an early Take a Bow instrumental is added at the end. The other three are some other great versions of Citizen Erased.


Reading Festival 2002*

MTV SuperSonic 2003*


---

Funny version(s):

Tokyo 2004*

Matt hops around in circles like an excited little boy while trying to play the guitar after the first slow section.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

City of Delusion:

Denver 2006*

Matt nails the high note at the end of the song.


Birmingham, UK 2006*

There's only two professionally recorded versions of this song: Birmingham and the iTunes bonus from HAARP concert.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Coma:

Plymouth 1997*

Only known live recording.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Con-Science:


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Cut Me Down:

Battle of the Bands 1994*

Only known live performance.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Crying Shame:

St. Louis 2005*

This song was only performed a handful of times between 2004-2005.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Darkshines:

Japanese version of the Hullabaloo DVD*



The early versions are the best, but I really enjoy the Reading Festival rendition of the song. After almost a decade of not playing it live the song sounded just as good as it did in the early years.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dead Star:


If you haven’t heard the Reading Festival version of Dead Star, go do it and come back to this post. I think you’ll agree that it’s the best version of the song.


Earls Court 2004+

V Festival 2008*

The remake of the song with Morgan’s contribution on synth gives the song new life.

---

Alternative Version(s):

Dead Cuts: Budokan 2010*

Dead Star + Micro Cuts solo = Perfect

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Do We Really Need This?:

MCM Cafe 1999*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Easily:

Never performed live.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Emotion Coming:


Only known live performance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Endlessly:

Wembley Arena 2003*

Hate the album version? Listen to this.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Escape:

Rockpaast Festival 1999*

Young, raw Muse at its finest.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Eternally Missed:

Unknown venue 2002*

There's only two known recordings of this song. This one and the one from the Leeds Festival in 2002.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Execution Commentary:

Never performed in full. Typically played as a riff after Stockholm Syndrome.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Exo-Politics:

Wembley Arena 2006*

---


Demo version - Pee Candle: B uffalo '05*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Exogenesis Symphony:

Part 1:

Moscow 2011*


Rock am Ring 2010*

Part 2:


Part 3:

Saitama Super Arena 2013 *

Only live performance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Falling Away With You:

Never performed in full.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Falling Down:

London Astoria 2000


Eurockeennes 2000*

Let me tell you, almost every performance of Falling Down from the Showbiz/Origin era is a joy to watch. Matt lets his inner Hendrix rip during Falling Down performances. Like Endlessly, if you don’t like the studio version I think you should listen to one of these live versions.

---


Piano version: Bologna 2012*

I’m a huge fan of Morgan’s contribution to this song on the jazzy sounding organ.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Falling With The Crowd:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Fashionless:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Feed:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Feeling Good:


This may be an odd choice. A recent version, I know. But just listen to that crowd! Great performance.


Taratata 2009*

Feeling Good performed with strings! This only happened once.

Radio 3 live in 20 01 *

The fucking, fucking, fucking, fucking, fucking little fucker, yeah version.

Eurockeennes Festival 2000

The microphone part is hilarious and if you continue to listen to this version you'll hear some great voice improv from Matt toward the end.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Fillip:

London Astoria 2000 *

---

Funny version(s):

Bizarre Festival 2000 *

1:30 and on is hilarious. Especially that yell.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Follow Me:

O2 Arena 2012*

I’m going to need some help with this one. I don’t know what could determine a great performance of Follow Me. Oh, fun fact: The first few performances of this song had Matt on the guitar.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Forameus:

No known live recordings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Forced In:


This song was typically played as an intro to Bliss during the Black Holes & Revelations tour.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Fury:

Orleans, France 2004*

Matt sings the backing falsetto bit instead of the chorus toward the end. Fucking amazing. Light years better than any other version of Fury.

Notable version(s):

Royal Albert Hall 2008*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Futurism:

Tokyo Zepp 2013*

The 2nd Law tour saw the surprise return of Agitated, Yes Please, and, yes, Futurism. An absolutely stellar performance of the song, it’s a shame that so far it was just a one-off performance.

Notable version(s):


There is a reason as to why this song was only performed once.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Gallery:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Glorious:

Ottawa, Canada 2004*

Like Crying Shame, this song was only performed a few times between 2004 and 2005.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Groove:

XFM Sessions at the Carling Academy 2003*

Some of Matt's best guitar work can be found in live performances of The Groove.

Honorable Mention(s):

Monterrey, Mexico 2008 *

During their South American tour in 2008 Muse occasionally performed an instrumental version of The Groove as an outro to Hysteria. Again, Matt really lets his inner Hendrix rip on these versions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Guiding Light:

Stade de France 2010*

One of the few versions in which Matt did the vocal part during the guitar solo. Other than that, this is just another thrilling performance of Guiding Light (I hope you sensed the sarcasm.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hate This and I'll Love You:

Tokyo Zepp 2001*

A beautiful rendition of a rarely performed song. Also, the last performance of the song (according to Musewiki)

--


Acoustic version: Unknown venue - Unknown year

As if the studio version isn't great enough, there's this great acoustic version that was done.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hoodoo:

Isle of Wight Festival 2007*

When played live this song was done on the piano and Chris plays the electric guitar and Morgan plays the bass. It’s a shame it isn’t played any more.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Host:

Montpellier Arena 2012*

This song has been performed live in full before (though no known recording exists). During the first few arena gigs of The 2nd Law tour it was used as an intro to Time is Running Out.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

House of the Rising Sun:


This song is usually performed as an intro to Time is Running Out (most notably during The Resistance tour and The 2nd Law tour). Matt never sings the song and instead chooses to let the crowd sing the first few lines before starting Time is Running Out. They have never played their version live.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyper Chondriac Music:

Never played in full (which is a damn shame).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hyper Music:

Montreux Jazz Festival 2002*

This isn't just one of the best live versions of Hyper Music. It's one of the best Muse performances ever. It's almost hard to believe that at one point in their career they had this much energy.



After not being performed for over 8 years, Hyper Music came back at the Reading Festival when Origin of Symmetry was played in full. Overall the structure of the song stayed the same for the performance, however, Chris sang the chorus of the song.

City Break 2013*

It’s similar to the Reading Festival version but during the verses you can kind of hear Morgan playing some jazzy like part to go along with the song. The main reason why this version is here is because is because of the epic outro that includes the Township Rebellion, Yes Please, and Execution Commentary riffs.

----


Demo version – Hyper Music (early): Unknown venue – Unknown year*

Some different lyrics but for the most part it’s pretty similar to the Hyper Music we know and love. Matt screams his little heart out in this version.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hysteria:


This decision was tough. I'm still not even sure if I made the right choice but I think the Glasto version, Brit Awards version, and the Earls Court version are all worth watching. Not just for the great performance but the energy that they played it with.


Brit Awards 2004*

Earls Court 2004*

Pentaport 2007*

The Pentaport version of Hysteria is one of my favorites due to the way Matt plays the guitar during the 2nd verse and the ending riff.

---

Funny version(s):

Tokyo 2004*

Just watch the first few seconds and you'll see why I put this under funny versions. Stick around for the ending of the song for an epic powerslide.

Unknown venue 2003*

“Let me just tumble through the crowd right here real quick.” – Matt during a mimed performance of Hysteria. (Happens at 2:13)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I Belong To You:

Casino de Paris 2010*

Of course I Belong to You was first performed in France (the middle part is sung in French). The crowd is amazing and the song is performed pretty well for their first try.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

In Your World:

Rock am Ring 2002*

This song was played once in a while during 2001-02.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Invincible:

Milan 2006*

Easily the best Invincible solo.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Isolated System:

This is tricky. Depending on the songs placing in the setlist during The 2nd Law tour some guitar and drums can be heard live (can be heard here, from about 3:20 on). The song has never been fully performed live (as in actually live).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jigsaw Memory:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Jimmy Kane:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Knights of Cydonia:

Fuji Rock Festival 2010*

In my humble opinion, this is the best version of Knights of Cydonia. This performance has everything: an epic Man with a Harmonica intro, a great crowd, perfect vocal performance from Matt (not sure how many people noticed but during the latter half of The Resistance tour the falsetto yells were noticeably better) oh and did I mention the drum solo from Dom at the end? Like I said, this performance has everything.


See: Best of Knights of Cydonia (2006-2013)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Liquid State:

Saitama Super Arena 2013*

Can’t really go wrong here. One of only two pro-shot performances so far. Overall great performance.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Madness:

Shepherd's Bush Empire 2013*

There’s plenty of pro-shot performances of Madness but I keep coming back to this one. I love the solo in this version.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Man of Mystery:

Patriot Center 2007*

I just picked a random version for this selection. This was an instrumental piece by The Shadows that Muse covered. The song was mainly used as intro to Time is Running Out during The Black Holes & Revelations tour.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Map of the Problematique:


This is the version on the HAARP soundtrack (not the pro-shot which was filmed on the 17th)



Sad fun fact: Most 2010 performance of Map of the Problematique had the lyrics changed from “Since I met you” to “Since I lost you.” Musewiki speculates that this because Matt and his long term girlfriend, Gaia, broke up during the tour. Overall, a great vocal performance from Matt during this performance and of course Map of the Problematique live is always great on a purely instrumental basis.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Map of Your Head:

Never performed in full. No known recordings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Megalomania:

Royal Albert Hall 2008*

I have to pick the time they played Megalomania on an actual organ of course!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Micro Cuts:


Tied w/

Le Zenith 2001*

This will probably be the only tie in this entire post. I love both of these versions a lot and I can’t decide a clear winner. The screams are absolutely insane in both of these performances.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Minimum:

Eurockeennes Festival 2000*

---

Funny version(s):


1:50 and onwards is hilarious. Just focus on Matt’s face.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

MK Ultra:

Rock am Ring 2010*

A perfect performance from a great concert.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Muscle Museum:


This one was pretty easy. The 2004 versions of Muscle Museum are some of the most epic live performances Muse have ever pulled off and of course the most epic performance of it is from Glasto ’04. This, however, doesn’t mean that once you’ve heard the best you’ve heard the rest. Check out these other great performances of the song too:

Bizarre Festival 2000*

London Astoria 2000*

Le Zenith 2001*

Top of the Pops 2000*

Funny version(s):

Channel V Studios 2000*

Hey You Crazy Kids!*

Both of these are some of the funniest Muse performances ever. Must watch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nature_1:

Unknown venue – Unknown year

A proper live version does exist on Muselive but I couldn’t find it so here’s an acoustic version I found on YouTube.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Neutron Star Collision:

Staples Center 2010*

This hilariously bad song was played a handful of times during The Resistance Tour. Oh and this was the last performance of the song. (The 2nd Law tour update: The song made a surprise one off appearance)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

New Born:


This could be hotly debated but I’ll explain some of my reasoning I guess. For starters, performances of New Born after the Absolution era have always been at a slower pace (The 2nd Law tour update: Performances of the song sped back up during the stadium tour). They still sound great of course. Secondly, that falsetto yell at the end of this performance tops all other New Born performances. Look, it’s awesome. It may not sound awesome but it is.


KROQ ‘04

Just skip to the solo at 3:30, that’s all you need to hear. It’s the craziest New Born solo.

HAARP*

A great performance overall. Lots of guitar improve from Matt and by god dem outro riffs. One of the best from Muse.

Teignmouth '09*

This may be an odd choice but I love the twinkly sound of the piano in the intro. It’s also one of the last time Matt played the intro on the piano. This performance also introduced the guitar squeal (I guess I can call it that) during performances of New Born in The Resistance era. Lastly, a great outro seals this great performance.

---

Funny version(s):

Mesa 2007*

Here’s something you probably have never seen before. Matt playing his guitar with a shoe. That’s right, a shoe.

Nassau Coliseum 2010*

There’s also this one time where Muse was too epic and they blew the speakers during the New Born solo. Check out 3:45.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Nishe:


Nishe is a slow instrumental song that has been played throughout Muse’s career. Most recently it was used as an introduction to United States of Eurasia during The Resistance tour (and twice as an intro to Citizen Erased to fool the fans that thought United States of Eurasia was next.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Overdue:

MCM Café 1999*

Not much to say here. Oh hey, did you know that there’s a version of Overdue that’s 4 minutes long?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Panic Station:

SNL 2012*

Okay, this may be another odd choice. But this song is much better live with the live brass. I think the recent live versions sound kind of stale.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Piano Thing:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pink Ego Box (Instant Messenger):

New Morning Paris 1999=

I was surprised to find that this was even performed live. To download this, you'll need a Muselive account. Pink Ego Box is in Part 2.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Plug in Baby:

HAARP*

I love this version. Mostly because of the intro.


Rock am Ring 2004*

One of the few times it was performed as the last song.


Muse added the sing along bit to the song during The Resistance Tour and The 2nd Law Tour. I like that.

---


Demo version - Eurocks 2000*

The early versions of Plug in Baby are pretty awesome. There’s different lyrics and a whole other verse toward the end of the song. Also, this video is hilarious.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Pointless Loss:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Popcorn:

Taratata 2009*

A short little instrumental that was played during the first few dates of The Resistance Tour. Try to spot Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails playing synth. Yup. He replaced Morgan for 3 gigs of The Resistance Tour due to Morgan taking time off to be with his wife and new born baby.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Prague:

Never performed live. Prague is a weird b-side from The Resistance era. It’s best known for containing Matt’s longest note (18 seconds). Listen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Recess:

MCM Cafe 1999*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Rain:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Resistance:


Resistance live has not been the same since the double neck guitar was dismissed in 2010


Austin City Limits 2013* (24:35)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruled by Secrecy:

Glasgow 2012*

The Glasgow 2012 performance was the only performance of Ruled by Secrecy during The 2nd Law tour. Why is it here? Well, that’s because Muse re-did parts of the song. Matt changes up the melody of the vocals during certain parts of the song and it sounds absolutely incredible. That combined with a great solo makes this the best version of Ruled by Secrecy ever.


Earl's Court 2004*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Save Me:

iTunes Festival 2012*

This the only good quality version of a rarely performed song.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Screenager:

Piano Version -Montreux Jazz Festival 2002*

Guitar Version - St. Malo 2001*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Showbiz:

Eurockeennes 2000*

A lot of people like to go with the Reading Festival 2006 version and while yes, that is an incredible version, it doesn’t top the early versions of Showbiz. The crazy falsetto yells and outros, improvs on the solo, and the over the top energy this song was played with back then is just phenomenal.


NPA France 2000*

One of my favorite yells from Matt ever is at 2:05. Also, this performance is known for the hilarious outro.

Hullaballoo*

One of the best overall versions of Showbiz. Great guitar work and vocals.

ABC Studios 2000*

Another great and hilarious Showbiz outro. This one isn’t very well known.


The famous Reading Festival 2006 performance. A straightforward performance of it with no outro but it’s a great version because Matt’s vocals sound more mature than six years ago.

Bataclan 2000*

Another performance that isn’t well known. It contains the best Showbiz outro out of the ones I have mentioned. Matt yelling. Chris being Chris. Matt throwing his guitar around and Dom… falling asleep?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shine:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Shrinking Universe:

Unknown venue 2000*

Originally I had a Muselive file here. I can’t find that file anymore unfortunately.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sign o’ the Times (Prince cover):

BBC Radio Live Lounge 2012*

I think there’s about 4 or so versions of this song out there but I listen to this one the most. Great quality and excellent performance of this weird cover.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sing for Absolution:

Tokyo 2007=

This song was reintroduced in 2007 with Morgan playing the keyboard on the song and Matt doing the guitar work (rather than just guitar like it was in 2003/04). Personally, I think it sounds better than it did during 2003/04, but many people will disagree with me.


Babelsong 2003*

A great performance of the song vocal wise. Check out the end falsetto.

Glastonbury 2004*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sling:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Small Minded:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Small Print:

Earls Court 2004*

How Muse still had this much energy to play with at the end of their long tour to support Absolution is beyond me. A great version of The Small Print, epic guitar work, distorted vocals, and, of course, Chris’ vocals.


Y100 Sonic Sessions 2004*

A version that I’m still not sure if it’s just as good as Earls Court. I definitely recommend listening to it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Soaked:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sober:

Glastonbury Festival 2000 *

Funny little performance to watch.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Soldier's Poem:

Shepards Bush Empire 2006*

This song sounds much nicer on the piano.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Space Dementia:


It’s pretty awesome that they actually opened a concert with this song. Anyways, a great version from Muse.



This is a much more, how do I say this, mature version. Matt’s voice sounds a lot deeper and it sounds great. Also, the outro is actually played on the guitar.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Spiral Static:

Plymouth 1997*

This is the only known live recording of the song.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Starlight:

Shepherds Bush Empire 2006*

Super beefy version of Starlight.


San Siro 2010*

As a live song Muse have never done anything interesting with the song. The closest they have gotten to doing any sort of improv to the song is their performance from Abbey Road Studios 2006. It sounds interesting at first but then Matt tries to do the same thing later in the song and it doesn’t sound good. Anyways, San Siro has always been my favorite version because of the crowd.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Stockholm Syndrome:


How does one begin to describe this performance? This performance of Stockholm Syndrome was played as the closer at one of their best gigs ever, Glastonbury 2004. This version is best known for Matt’s incredible last shout of “I wish I could” in which screams the lyrics at the top of his lungs. Combine that with the epic crowd, the outro riffage, the drum smashing, Chris in the crowd and you have yourself not just the best performance of Stockholm Syndrome but the best performance of any one song by Muse in their entire career.


2004:

Earls Court 2004*

Another epic performance of Stockholm Syndrome and we don’t even know how it ends. The ending riffage is simply a montage of them ripping apart the stage. Debated by many as the best version of Stockholm Syndrome.


What shines here? Matt’s vocals. He belts this song out to the best of his ability. What else shines? Well, Matt is playing this song with so much power that he fucks up the top string of the guitar which you can hear clearly during the solo. Also, this version has an epic outro just like Glastonbury 2004. This is just an absolutely brutal version of the song.

KROQ 2004*

If you ignore what sounds like Float On by Modest Mouse playing in the background of this video you’ll hear another great version of Stockholm Syndrome. It’s not very well known and I have no idea why. Anyways, this is a great version because of Matt’s screams. It doesn’t even happen for the final words, it happens before both of the first two choruses!

Earls Court 2004 (The night before)+

Here’s another version that isn’t well known. This is Stockholm Syndrome from the lesser known Earls Court gig, the one from the night that was not broadcasted on the radio. Again, all of these 2004 versions are absolutely amazing. Matt screams out as much as he could during the last scream in this version. While it’s not one long continuous scream like Glastonbury (which goes to show why that version is amazing) it’s a noteworthy one.

2005-Present Day

HAARP 2007*

The HAARP performance of this song has always been one of my favorites. Mostly because of the outro and the audio quality is clear enough to hear the synth sounds in the background. I like that.

Glastonbury 2010*

Six years after one of the most epic performances by Muse of all time, Muse came back to headline Glastonbury 2010. This performance of Stockholm Syndrome is one of the best of all time. Around the spring leg of the US tour in 2010, Matt began doing some improv playing after the bridge. After a few gigs it sounded incredible. The best example of this can be heard in this performance after 4:20.

Staples Center 2010 (2 nd Night)*

The video I linked above doesn’t include Stockholm Syndrome, instead, it is a video of the 8+ minutes of riffs they did after the performance. They played all of the following riffs: School riff + unknown riff + Execution Commentary riff + Township Rebellion riff + Agitated intro riff + Agitated outro riff + War Within a Breath riff + Negative Creep riff + Dead Star riff + Endless Nameless riff. It is the longest riff session in the history of Muse gigs.

Perth 2010*

The Resistance Tour had many great Stockholm Syndrome outros such as this one from Perth, Australia (the last show of the world tour). Excellent riffage with some added Tom Morello guitar moves, Matt also tosses his guitar around numerous times toward the very end. (Starts at 4:47)

Austin City Limits (Weekend 2) 2013*

A great performance of the song with a surprising amount of energy. The 2nd Law tour became a very tame year for outro riffs with Muse just settling for the Freedom riff after Stockholm Syndrome throughout the tour (except for that one time were they spontaneously played Agitated and Yes Please for the first time in a decade after Stockholm Syndrome). This right here is the best version of the Freedom riff. Matt actually screams Freedom in this version and it sounds amazing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunburn:

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2006*

Best version hands down. There’s two versions of Sunburn that has existed throughout Muse’s live history. During the Showbiz/OoS era it was primarily played on the guitar, every era after that it was played on the piano. This is the one off performance of Sunburn being played on both guitar (played by Matt) and piano (played by Morgan).


Big Day Out 2004*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Supermassive Black Hole:


No other version comes close to this performance of SMBH. The tone on the guitar is perfect; the solo is great (the guitar solos for SMBH that don’t involve the Kaoss pad are great. You can usually find those in the 2006 performances), and last, but definitely not least, Matt SCREAMS the Supermassive Black Holes lyrics before the solo. A++


Grammy Pre Show 2013*

Matt just decided to do a lot of improv in this version of SMBH and it sounds awesome.

Funny versions:

Osaka 2010*

Matt plays the kaoss pad solo with… his tongue?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Supremacy:

BRITS 2013*

Love the full orchestra. Also this version has the trumpet during the solo that 95% of the performances of Supremacy did not have.

Notable version(s):

Rome Olympic Stadium 2013*

From the new DVD. Epic intro and great performance overall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Survival:

Rome Olympic Stadium 2013*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Take a Bow:


The very first performance of this song was never topped.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thoughts of a Dying Atheist:

AB Brussels 2003*

Funny version(s):

St. Louis 2005*

The 2nd half of the song… wat.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Time is Running Out:


I pretty much only watch and listen to this performance of Time is Running Out exclusively. Not only is it the best performance vocally and instrumentally but the crowd is awesome and let’s not forget the shuffle dance that he nailed at this gig. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Go ahead and skit to 3:10.



If you like sing-alongs you’ll love this version. I swear, during the point of the song where Matt did the shuffle dance 6 years ago it seemed like Matt and Dom were laughing remembering it. I could be wrong, but hey.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tourette’s:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Twin:

Unknown venue 2000*

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Undisclosed Desires:


Once upon a time Matt played Undisclosed Desires with a keytar…

Notable version(s):

Olympic Rome 2013*

…now we have Matt running around the arenas and stadiums without any instrument. Performances during this tour were pretty good though. With Matt just on vocals he was able to really belt out the song. UD fun facts: During the first few performances Dom played the drums during the song (instead of the electronic(?) drums we see now), during some 2011/12 performances they used noticeably different sounding strings for the performances, one time Matt awkwardly played UD with a guitar and now we have Matt without a keytar running around.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Unintended:

Hullabaloo*

Early on Unintended was performed with Chris either on acoustic or electric guitar and Matt also on a guitar. The result is, to state the obvious, a guitar heavy version of Unintended. Hullabaloo is my favorite version of this. Even earlier versions (1999) had Chris playing on the keyboard and later versions (2007 and on) had Matt on the acoustic and Chris on bass and during The 2nd Law tour Matt had nothing and Chris was on electric.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

United States of Eurasia:

War Child 2013*

I think most versions of United States of Eurasia sound pretty similar. It’s a great song, but not much was done with the song live.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Unnatural Selection:

Rock am Ring 2010*

Unnatural Selection is one of Muse’s best live songs. The mid-section of the song was always mind blowing live, with the crunching guitar and great keyboard work from Morgan. The greatness that is Unnatural Selection live is best shown in this performance.

Notable version(s):

Rock in Rio 2013*

Please note the link above is not YouTube. It’s some random video site that worked for me. I couldn’t find a full length Rock in Rio 2013 concert to show you. Skip to 51:12 for the best The 2nd Law era performance of the song and stay tuned right after the song for the only pro-shot performance of Agitated from The 2nd Law tour.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Uno:

Astoria 2000*

This performance never ceases to amaze me. Not only is it one of Muse’s best performances from that era, but Matt has enough skill to tune the guitar right in the middle of the song while singing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsustainable:

Austin City Limits 2013*

Probably the best recorded version. After playing the song for months Matt turned the song into a frenzy of guitar impov and such.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Uprising:

Radio 1 Live Lounge 2012*

This performance of Uprising has very beefy sounding bass and falsetto from Matt during the last “They will not control us” line. It also has one of the few times during The 2nd Law tour in which Matt actually played through the outro instead of bashing his guitar.

Notable version(s):

Rock am Ring 2010*

Another non-Youtube link. However, in this video Uprising is the first song of the set. During some performances of Uprising in 2010 Matt used the double-neck guitar. I think this only lasted throughout the summer. The intro sounded great on the top neck and in this version check out the little guitar improv before the solo.

---

Funny version(s):

Some Italian TV Show 2009*

One of the best mimed performances in this history of mimed performances. Dom on the left handed bass and vocals, Chris on the guitar and keyboards, and best of all Matt on the drum kit. It doesn’t end there, Dom gets interviewed and the interviewer thinks Dom is Matt. You can see Chris and Matt laughing in the background as he gets interviewed.

Big Dance Atlanta 2013*

Easily the best Uprising outro ever. Matt throws his amp around during the extended outro and they extend the outro into the Township Rebellion riff and Matt repeatedly throws the guitar into the screen behind them.

Staples Center 2010*

As the curtains drop on the towers it clips onto Matt’s guitar stand and his guitar proceed to tumble down to the stage. Not only that but Chris’ curtain never drops which was hilarious.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Weakening Walls:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Where the Streets Have No Name:


U2 couldn’t make it to Glastonbury in 2010 so Muse decided to play Where the Streets Have No Name with none other than The Edge. An absolutely stellar cover.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Who Knows Who:

Never performed in full. It is performed as a riff, typically as an outro to Map of the Problematique.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Who Knows, Who Cares:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yellow Regret:


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes Please:

Bizarre Festival 2000


Helsinki 2013

After not being played in over a decade Muse spontaneously brought back Yes Please after they spontaneously played another b-side, Agitated.

The Best of Muse Live

Documents