Megalomania Reading 2011 version is best?

[takayanagi97]

Hello, I've been a fan of Muse since 2004. I first listened to "Time is Running Out" back in 2005. I since then knew of Megalomania and some OoS songs. Throughout the years now I've seen their live performances. In my personal opinion, the top 3 performances would have to be absolutely, the Hullabaloo (2002), Royal Albert Hall (2008) and Reading Festival (2011).

 

In the Hullabaloo (2002) live version, it sounds closest to the studio recording. Initially, I enjoyed the Hullabaloo version the most. It's Matt when he's damn young, he has that young Matt vocals style, amazing vibratos and strong vocal performance during the falsetto climax part at the end. This is especially good since this was during the times when he "screams epic falsettos" at the end of Megalomania. So this performance alone is fantastic on its own.

 

However, the Royal Albert Hall (2008) version has superior vocals. Things were changed and refined a bit. Matt has this slight "Vampire/Dracula" like deep voice when singing Megalomania, and he added the "crazy circus church organ melody" at the end during the falsetto part. The only problem in my opinion is he doesn't scream like he used to. The main thing I like about this performance though, would be the authentic sounds of the church organ as the background music for this live act. The church organ literally sounds sharper, more authentic, real, and very awesome.

 

Let's skip 3 years later in 2011 at the Reading Festival, Matt is definitely aged more and doesn't sing anything like his old self back in 2002 with Hullabaloo (2002). This live performance is personally the best in my opinion. Matt's singing is even more "dracula-esque" with that unique deep voice that he sings with now, and he has an overall cleaner style of singing. The imitation church organ effect is there, it still sounds amazing, but the Royal Albert Hall performance still has superior quality in the melody. This is probably by far the best as he sounds much more polished. My only problem with this one, is the ending part where he uses his cool circus melody with the falsetto scream, it sounds really good, but he doesn't actually scream anymore. It's just a regular falsetto hymn. This is the only thing that falls short but overall I feel like this version is the best at all the other aspects.

 

What do you guys think?

[LewisF]

I'd say that the Hullabaloo version is the best for me personally. The Reading 2011 version is great but the final falsetto notes are what complete the song and make it the monster that it is, and the Reading 2011 version is lacking that punch, and so falls short of the other two imo

[takayanagi97]

that's the thing, the Hullabaloo has the epic climax falsetto screaming part. but everything from the beginning and middle of that live performance, well, while it's still good and delivers, it pales in comparison background music-wise and vocal technique-wise when compared to the later live versions from Royal Albert Hall or Reading 2011. It's almost like, each live to me, the best is in fragments of all 3 versions lol

 

Hullabaloo is definitely really good though but his singing technique is way more polished in the later versions. the only problem is in the later ones he doesnt do the epic falsetto screams at the end so yes it is missing it

 

but the later live versions either from 2008 or 2011 have an epic piano/church organ melody that sounds like a crazy circus at the end. so it's like instead of the screaming part that he does, he plays a unique melody on the instrument instead. in the Hullabaloo version, he does not play that epic melody but does the epic scream. so idk, I feel like it's hard to choose between them all. I guess it depends on my mood lol