My dream MUSE playlist for BlizzCon’s closing ceremony

MUSE — that band you’ve probably heard but may not have realized it — is going to close out BlizzCon 2017. And, as I think I’ve made more than clear, this has me incredibly excited. But more importantly, it should have everyone excited, because MUSE puts on some of the best live shows out there.

Here at Blizzard Watch, when the announcement first went out, our chat was filled with several people linking different songs from the band’s discography. They’re all songs we want to see, and they’re all good options. However, there’s only so much time at the end of BlizzCon, so we figured it’d be a good idea to put together a dream playlist of MUSE songs that we’ll hopefully see at the closing ceremony.

Now, having been around for over 20 years, it’s hard to narrow things down — but hopefully you’ll appreciate my choices. And if you want to listen to along as you read through, I’ve put together a Spotify playlist for your convenience:

Opening song

• Knights of Cydonia
  • It honestly doesn’t get much more bombastic than this. And while I can definitely see this as a closing number or encore song, I think opening with Knights would be the perfect way to get the concert started and introduce the audience to exactly what MUSE is all about.

Keeping the rock going

• Dead Inside
  • After a great opening, it doesn’t hurt to step back — if only for a moment. Dead Inside is slow without being too slow, and it’s a catchy song that is MUSE in every way. Plus, that rise at the end… perfection.
• Reapers followed immediately by The Handler
  • The first time I listened to the Drones album, I immediately recognized the back-to-back of these two songs as the high point in an album full of highs. Not only do these get back to a-rockin’, they’re an unbeatable combo when played one after the other.
• Take a Bow
  • More people than I expected seem to know this song, and I think it’s a great way to remind the audience that MUSE can make a good song that’s also weird as hell.
• Follow Me
  • I admit that I’m not 100% on this one’s placement, but I thought it would be a good lead-in to the next portion of the concert. However, even if it’s not, I really hope they play this one — heard live, it has the sort of distorted bass that you feel in your whole body. It’s a blast.

Obligatory slow-down sesh

• Mercy
  • Before we get too slow, it’s time to play a newer song that is catchy in the same way Starlight is. But because Starlight is likely more well known, Mercy goes here. The well-known one comes next. {PB}
• Madness
  • See? I was again surprised at the popularity of this song, but it’s one of their most popular in recent years, and the perfect midpoint before we start heading into the final stretch.
• Resistance
  • This one could technically go in this or the next category, but it’s slow enough that I think it works as a transition song. Fun fact: The lyrics for this one are strongly related to 1984.

Bringing it back up

• Hysteria
  • You know what brings the crowd back up on its feet? The sickest bass-line opening ever. And yes, I will fight you on that.
• Assassin
  • I’m not entirely sure they’ll play this one, but it makes for a good side-by-side with Hysteria, in my opinion, since they’re both very rock-heavy songs with emphases on different guitar types.
• Supermassive Black Hole
  • Lest we forget, MUSE can be a very weird band. But also, this one’s catchy and there’s an achievement in WoW that may or may not be a direct reference to this.
• Panic Station
  • Again, weird, but I love the weirdness of this one. Back when I saw them in college, they played this and had a purple dancing monster thing on the screens. I want to see that guy again, not gonna lie.

(Knights of Cydonia — video may be slightly NSFW for a moment, but it’s the craziest damn music video ever and worth watching for the desert unicorn alone.)

Old-school fans

• Sunburn
  • Even though BlizzCon-goers aren’t necessarily their usual audience, it’s still hard not to imagine throwing in a few of their early songs for fans who can appreciate them. Plus, Sunburn rocks the piano in a way that reminds you you’re listening to MUSE.
• Plug In Baby
  • And one more classic before the finale — this one is, of course, a bit more up tempo, and a worthy lead-in to the final stretch.

Kickass closing number

• The Globalist
  • I legitimately don’t know if they’ll play this one. It’s more than 10 minutes long with a couple tonal shifts that might throw the audience off. But you know what? The crescendo in the middle still gives me chills when I listen to it, and the slow-down at the end is a perfect note to “end” the show on.

Totally “unexpected” encore

• The 2nd Law: Isolated System
  • Yeah, yeah, the show didn’t actually end. We’ll get this one as an interlude while they adjust the stage a bit and we wonder if this is the closing soundtrack or if it’s a lead-in to an encore.
• Starlight
  • Guess what! It was a lead-in to an encore. I can’t think of a song more fit for a final act than Starlight — it’s one of the songs that really brought MUSE to the spotlight over in the States, and a great mix of up-tempo sounds and lovey-dovey lyrics.
• Uprising
  • But you know another song that gained MUSE popularity? Uprising. Its music video features a giant teddy bear of death, and it also has the sort of catchy, easy-to-learn chorus that an entire crowd can sing along to while pumping their fists. When the show ends, we’ll all be yelling “Victoooooorioussss!” and then the lights will go out. Maybe.

Alternatives

I’m aware that my dream playlist is probably not going to be the exact thing we get at BlizzCon, so I’m going to hedge my bets and add a few alternatives so I can still claim correctness!

• Psycho
  • I’ll be honest, I can’t stand the “Drill Sergeant” portion of this song, but it’s still a popular choice for them, and the other parts of the song are solid for a live show. I could see them using this as an intro if Knights of Cydonia gets pushed to the closing song.
• New Born
  • This one makes the list because it’s another old-school number that could easily replace the ones above.
• Time Is Running Out
  • My last alternative works in several different hypothetical acts of the show, which makes it a pretty safe choice all around. But also, 9th-grade Mitch rocked this as his ringtone on his super cool Razr phone, and I really want to hear it played live.

To be honest, if I could, I’d have them play their entire discography. Sadly, that’s not an option — but hopefully we’ll get at least some of the songs above. Really, even if we got none of them, I’ll still be happy. It’s MUSE! What do you all think of my dream playlist, though? Did I miss anything? Put something on the list that doesn’t deserve a spot? I’d love to hear your take on the playlist!