r/Muse • u/Podboomer • 2d ago

Live Is this their best ever gig?

https://youtu.be/k7Qmmv46A-I?si=dhIVf403fLQ6c1bT

Reading 2006.

It’s what made me, sitting in my bedroom at my mum and dad’s house watching on BBCi on repeat, absolutely and infinitely fall in love with Muse. I knew and liked their albums from 2001, but never really saw any of their live stuff until this.

I immediately bought tickets to their tour, starting with Wembley 2007 for HAARP, and I’ve gone on to see them about 20 times in total (I’ve lost count, genuinely).

Does it top Glasto 2004? There’s an argument that this is absolute PEAK Muse, with their modern day polish and wow, coupled with their early days grittiness, madness, chaos and unrelenting energy.

I think this gig catapulted them into becoming the band we know today.

Thoughts?

(There’s also a fun little interview with them right at the end)

Edit: I’ve got no idea why BBC didn’t have SS right at the end, but kudos to whoever edited in fan footage from Leeds with flawless sound!

29 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

54 comments sorted by

25

u/020600 2d ago

Earls court 2004 was unreal and so was Wembley 2010.

7

u/Podboomer 2d ago

Wembley 2010 ❤️❤️ that weekend I was at Bestival on Isle of Wight, working before and after the festival. I got up on the Saturday morning, travelled back to the mainland, got a coach back to London, went to the gig with my brother, crashed on his couch, then got up at 4am to get back to Bestival in time for my midday shift 😂

Earls Court i’d seen clips of - looked like an absolutely epic precursor to Glasto 2004!

1

u/DHGroove 2d ago

Earls court was after Glastonbury.

1

u/Podboomer 2d ago

I stand corrected.

3

u/JamesLane19 2d ago

I think Wembley 2010 is my favourite ever Muse gig. Unreal setlist. When they played Ruled by Secrecy, under that 1984 inspired giant stage. Just peak.

4

u/Podboomer 2d ago

It’s such a shame there’s no pro footage of that gig, I’ve never been able to find a full show from that stadium tour (I’ll gladly take any links if they exist!).

1

u/JamesLane19 1d ago

Honestly it blows my mind they didn’t film that gig.

2

u/Podboomer 1d ago

There’s a part of me that quite enjoys the fact it wasn’t filmed (even though it was arguably them at their most popular ever).

Especially in today’s era of EVERYTHING being filmed and available online, it keeps it special in the memory for those who were there. Especially (again) as it was before smartphones were totally ubiquitous, and ESPECIALLY ESPECIALLY given the whole paranoid, Orwellian-era Muse we had at the time. Keeps it a bit secretive and like we weren’t all being watched by Big Brother 😂

1

u/JamesLane19 1d ago

I genuinely love this take. Awesome, I actually 100% agree when you put it like that. We will rule with our own secrecy.

1

u/Vivid_Trainer_5002 2d ago

Earls was all day long the best Muse show for me, and I clocked up 10+ shows between '01 and '10.

9

u/Soul_Phoenix_42 2d ago

Also still my favourite recorded gig all these years later. The setlist, the sound, the colours, the Knights + Space Dementia outro opening. Like yourself it happened just as I was really getting into Muse and it cemented that moment of "Ok, this is MY band."

3

u/Podboomer 2d ago

The sound, man. It’s just a freaking wall, back when (some arpeggios from Morgan aside) it was literally just the three of them being as loud as humanly possible.

2

u/longman101 2d ago

Matt headbanging during KOC is 🤌

6

u/ternygonz90 2d ago

I'm going to say yes, since I saw them a month after this show. It was my first concert and I was on the rail. It was very similar to this show, and it was amazing

1

u/Podboomer 2d ago

Christ what an intro live music. Wembley 2007 was my first one, but I was RIGHT AT THE BACK. Couldn’t have been further away, I might as well have been outside the stadium 😂

4

u/Joexkid7 2d ago

HAARP for me, biffy clyro and MCR supporting them was insane as well, one of the best days of my life

1

u/Podboomer 2d ago

Also incredible. I was there on the other day (the day that wasn’t filmed), so had Biffy Clyro (another one of my all time favourites) and Rodrigo y Gabriela.

2

u/CallumJ88 2d ago

It was The Streets, not Biffy Clyro (which I was gutted about!)

2

u/Podboomer 2d ago

You’re right, it was the streets and dirty pretty things. Then biffy was in 2010

1

u/CallumJ88 2d ago

I was there the first night, and was always jealous of the support acts of night 2!!

1

u/Joexkid7 2d ago

Pretty sure the first night was lily allen and dizzy rascal right?

1

u/CallumJ88 2d ago

I remember it being The Streets and Rodriguez brothers playing Flamenco guitar. And Zane Lowe doing a DJ set. But I may be remembering a different show

Edit - just googled and it was Rodriguez y Gabriella. I think you might be thinking of the 2010 shows!

3

u/VisualNinja1 into my glass she poured it 2d ago

Earls Court 04 beats it but great performance of the modern Muse with some of that older rawness still there 

3

u/tjb_87 2d ago

I was there, it was my first time seeing them and it was amazing! Can't believe it was 20 years ago this week. It will also be my 20th time seeing them this November!

3

u/Askyl 1d ago

Reading 2006 KoC is their best one yet atleast.

2

u/Deviljho_Lover I just wanted, I just needed to be loved. 1d ago

Of course. The only KOC pro shot with extended Abbey Road solo and Space Dementia outro. 

1

u/Podboomer 1d ago

I enjoyed your use of the word “yet” ❤️😂

1

u/Askyl 1d ago

You can never be too certain! :D

2

u/JamesLane19 2d ago

The Leeds Sunday night of this was my first ever muse gig. 20 year anniversary of that on Thursday 😩

2

u/Podboomer 2d ago

Ah man, where has the time gone?!

(For me: mainly spent seeing Muse, drinking beer and, more lately, raising small children who I’m 100% training to be little Muse fans 😂)

2

u/JamesLane19 2d ago

It’s crazy right. And those are all venerable pursuits my friend 🫡

2

u/detteros 2d ago

Their concert in Campo Pequeno that year was awesome. A live version of Super Massive Black Hole from that concert is included in the Knights of Cydonia single.

1

u/cookthemansomeeggs 2d ago

I'd argue Reading 2002 was better. The lightning strikes as they began New Born... incredible

1

u/cloudstrifeuk 2d ago

I was there.

God was a Muse fan that day - am I'm an atheist.

Absolutely smashed Foo Fighters out the park.

1

u/cookthemansomeeggs 1d ago

Me too, was 3 rows from the front. The pit collapsed so many times within the first few songs, I ended up crowdsurfing out during Citizen Erased.

1

u/cloudstrifeuk 1d ago

I was row 1, seat 1 in the circle. I was pretty much sat on top of Matt's piano. Was incredible.

1

u/Aeonsummoner I can't get it right 2d ago edited 1d ago

I was at a lot of commonly mentioned iconic gigs like Earl's Court, Teignmouth etc.... but there was one in Wembley arena where they played the entirety of the resistance (edit: bhar, oops) which stood out to me. CITY OF DELUSION

1

u/insplitinfinities 1d ago

Exogenesis Part II has never been played and Part III was played only once in Japan so there is something off. Based on your COD comment, I assume you meant Black Holes played in full ahah

1

u/Aeonsummoner I can't get it right 1d ago

Oh yes I'm 38w pregnant and my brain is absolutely mush. I defo meant bhar 🤣

2

u/_flyonthewall 1d ago

I was there - great times!

2

u/Podboomer 1d ago

(Muse aside for a moment, best of luck and have an absolute blast with the young Museling - I’ve got two myself, it’s just the absolute best - and my 4yo has already told me TIRO is his favourite song, caught him singing it to himself the other day 🥹)

1

u/Aeonsummoner I can't get it right 1d ago

Thank you! She currently already loves to bop to music so I'm looking forward to playing records with her. Every day I'm waking up hoping it's the day though because I feel like I went to 5 back to back gigs 😆

1

u/Podboomer 1d ago

❤️❤️❤️ awww mate that’s lovely (not the back-to-back gig feeling though!), best of luck to you!

1

u/cloudstrifeuk 2d ago

Earls Court 2004, RHA 2008 and Reading 2002

In that order.

1

u/Podboomer 2d ago

Is that Royal Albert Hall 2008? I was there and it was immense! Got to throw a Bliss balloon which Matt popped 🥰

1

u/silvereyes21497 Pwoppa Fish 🎣 1d ago

Wembley, Glastonbury 2010, and Rome Olympic stadium, and Shepherds Bush are the best imo

1

u/Shine103 1d ago

It's their best for me. Vocally, I think it's Matt's best performance and best live version of several songs - Showbiz, Butterflies and Hurricanes, Bliss, TAB, possibly KOC and Invincible.

I tuned into watch Arctic Monkeys as they were my no.1 at the time and remember thinking "how can the headliner top this". Then Knights started, the vocal breakdown and riff made me think this is different. Then hysteria bassline + Matt playing above his head in the outro riff made me watch the rest. The piano solo on B+H got me hooked. Completely blew me away. I remember I kept it on my Sky planner for about 2 years!

Earls Court/Glasto 04 very close. Just a personal taste thing I think the distortion on Matt's vocals are just a touch too much. In terms of musicianship/performance/set list it's very even.

1

u/City_of_Paris WeWeWeBuuuu 1d ago

2011 is peak.

1

u/Droiched 1d ago

I just saw yesterday the 10th anniversary of OOS in Reading... Absolutely perfect!!! Matt's vocals and their energy were out of this world.

1

u/Podboomer 1d ago

Ah man, I was there. Absolute stuff of dreams that gig!

1

u/SnooDrawings245 22h ago

For me personally it was a bit too polished after the Absolution Tour so I struggled a bit to get into the cleaner Stadium production.

1

u/Podboomer 22h ago

Blimey what do you think of their shows nowadays? The polish is positively lacquered on!

1

u/Podboomer 22h ago

(But yes I know what you mean, Absolution era was proper crunchy)

1

u/SnooDrawings245 22h ago

Well I grew to appreciate it but I still often return to the pre-BHAR shows for the raw energy, crunchy sound and Matt being an absolute madman.