Muse

Coldplay Perform New Songs, Thrill Crowd At Lollapalooza

06 Aug 2011 11:25:59 EDT

Muse performed at the other end of the park at the same time, also delivering the goods.
By Gil Kaufman

CHICAGO — Playing the first big show in support of his band's upcoming fifth album, Coldplay singer Chris Martin promised a proper rocking time to the massive crowd that gathered to see the group at its first-ever Lollapalooza appearance on Friday night.

They needed to bring it too, since they were up against fellow big-show spectacle veterans Muse at the other end of steamy Grant Park and #1 party DJ Girl Talk just around the way in the steamy, nonstop disco party that is Perry's Tent.

And after hyping the crowd with pal Jay-Z's "99 Problems" and the fanfare of "Back to the Future," Martin and company did their best over a 90-minute set packed with shout-along hits and several intriguing peeks at their latest anthemic tunes.

Check out all the photos from Lollapalooza as the weekend ramps up in Chicago! The show opened with a combo of new tunes: the crystalline "MX," which segued into "Hurts Like Heaven," a double-time shuffle that fits right into the band's playbook of revved-up emotional anthems. Reeling the audience right in, they followed with a quick jab, their breakout hit "Yellow," which sounded every bit as uplifting as it did when it first made them stars more than a decade ago. After furiously strumming a beat-up acoustic guitar for the first two tunes, a beaming Martin bounded across the stage in his rag-doll dance and encouraged unassuming guitarist and old-school pal Jonny Buckland to step into the spotlight for some spiraling solos during "In My Place." They slipped another new one into the mix, the strummy, U2-like push-pull rocker "Major Minus," then countered with more crowd pleasers with the chugging, percussive "Lost!" and a spare arrangement of "The Scientist." Martin asked the audience to help bring it home and, of course, they obliged, taking it in for a feather-soft landing right out of the band's playbook.

Tweet your pics from Lollapalooza to @mtvnews and they could be featured on MTV.com! With many of the bells and whistles of their previous tour on the shelf — except for some giant balloons and a somewhat modest, for them, multicolored video wall — the band leaned on the yearning majesty of songs like "Shiver," which lived and died by Buckland's Edge-like soloing, Martin's keening falsetto and drummer Will Champion's whip-crack beats. "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" built from a hushed ballad to a chaotic, strobe-lit rocker, with Champion playing a relentless martial beat as Martin literally tossed his acoustic guitar aside in favor of electric to add to the squall of reverb from Buckland. Martin played the part of saloon crooner during "Everything's Not Lost," tickling the ivories as the band built to a slow, powerful crescendo around him, with Champion taking over in his rough tenor while Buckland and Martin engaged in a slow-burn musical guitar face-off. Martin jokingly introduced another new tune, "Us Against the World," as a love song about an affair between right-wing TV talking head Bill O'Reilly and Fox News contributor Sarah Palin and his hope that through their love, they might see the world in a different way. He was, of course, kidding and proceeded to play the gentle acoustic ballad about taking on all comers by himself, with Champion joining in on backing vocals and piano, as the song built into a kind of Irish bar ballad. "Politik" pulsed like a fever, swinging from a constrained rumble to a frenzied, full band strobe-lit thunder, before segueing into the crowd-hyping "Viva la Vida." With Champion pounding kettle drums and a (Jerusalem) bell on cue, the power of the song to rouse an exhausted flock into shouting and dancing the "whoa oh oh oh oh oh" on cue with no prompting was further proof of Coldplay's permanent place in the rock stratosphere. The set ended with another new song, the pompy pop tune "Charlie Brown," which, again, fans seemed happy to hear in preview form. With green searchlight lasers scanning the crowd and the indelible opening fanfare of "Clocks" ringing out, the wilting field sprang to life again as tens of thousands swayed, shook their legs and yelled, "Nothing else compares!" The band executed the song with Swiss precision, Martin pounding the keys, bassist Guy Berryman keeping a metronome thrum and Champion rolling out the marching rhythm. As he's done several times lately, Martin quietly sang a tribute to Amy Winehouse with a solo piano chorus of the late British singer's hit "Rehab" that slid into the swooning sing-along "Fix You." As the song swelled, Martin threw his hands up and jumped, a move timed perfectly with a burst of silvery fireworks that erupted from the roof of the stage. Their faithful firmly in hand, the show ended with the band's new single, the excitable "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall," which the crowd greeted with nearly the same enthusiasm as one of the classics they had chanted along to all night. The colorful fireworks display set off against the city's iconic skyline didn't hurt either. That reaction was just about the perfect definition of rock stardom. There was plenty on display across the way as well, where Muse opened with the bombastic hit "Uprising" as the stage lit up with the band's signature "Tron"-like light-stravaganza. While tossing in bits of covers such as "House of the Rising Sun" and Nirvana's "Negative Creep," frontman Matthew Bellamy kept things gothic and theatrical, hitting up such catalog highlights as "United States of Eurasia," "Supermassive Black Hole," "Resistance" and the set-closing "Knights of Cydonia." But unlike his eternally genial and self-deprecating countryman Martin, Bellamy couldn't resist a slight dig, telling the crowd, "We know you had options [tonight] ... and you picked the right one." MTV News is in Chicago for Lollapalooza 2011! Stick with us all weekend as we cover the bands you love and the bands you will love soon.

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Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson Welcome Babies

11 Jul 2011 10:07:42 EDT

Beckhams welcome their first baby girl, while Hudson and fiancé Matthew Bellamy of Muse became parents to baby boy.
By Jocelyn Vena

It was a big weekend for celebrity baby debuts. Victoria Beckham and Kate Hudson gave birth to their children over the weekend.

Kate Hudson and her fiancé Matthew Bellamy of the band Muse welcomed a baby boy. A rep for the actress confirmed the birth to People.com, saying that the couple "welcomed a healthy baby boy." The baby's name has not yet been announced.

It's the first child for the couple, but the second for the actress, who has a 7-year-old son, Ryder, with ex-husband and Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson.

Hudson had incorrectly predicted that the baby would be a girl and laughed that she's much more settled this time around when it comes to family. "This is a totally different pregnancy, completely," the actress said in April, according to Us magazine. "It couldn't be more opposite. ... With Ryder, I didn't even have a nursery. I didn't really have a house until I was seven months pregnant."

And Victoria Beckham and her superstar soccer player husband David Beckham added a baby girl to their already large family. Harper Seven was born Sunday morning. She's the couple's fourth child and first daughter.

"[The couple's sons] Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz are excited to welcome their new baby sister to the family," the couple's spokesperson Jo Milloy told People.com.

Earlier this year, the former Spice Girl announced, "Obviously, we're very lucky to be expecting again, and this is the first time I'm going to say it: It's a little girl." Her husband added, "We're still in shock. Obviously, having three boys, you kind of expect another one, so finding out a little girl is in there is surprising, but, obviously, we are over the moon. Our three boys are happy and excited."

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Muse, Arcade Fire, Phish To Headline Outside Lands Festival

12 Apr 2011 09:42:39 EDT

MGMT, Girl Talk, Big Boi and deadmau5 also on the bill of the three-day San Francisco event scheduled for August.
By Gil Kaufman

If you've never been to San Francisco's iconic Golden Gate Park then you may not know that it's the kind of place where barefoot types are very likely to break out into spontaneous dance between bouts of stick juggling and hula hooping.

Which is why the lineup for the 2011 Outside Lands Music & Art Festival is perfect for the historic patch of green in the City by the Bay. The fourth annual edition of the fest, scheduled for August 12-14, will be headlined by Muse, Phish (who will play two sets), Arcade Fire, the Black Keys, MGMT, the Decemberists, Erykah Badu and the Warren Haynes Band.

That eclectic mix of jam-band, techno, indie-rock and arena powerhouses reflects the sonic diversity on the rest of the bill, which will also feature deadmau5, the Roots, Girl Talk, Big Boi, Beirut and Sia playing alongside iconic rocker and Creedence Clearwater Revival founder John Fogerty, New Orleans funk legends the Original Meters, gospel great Mavis Staples and re-formed Clash spinoff group Big Audio Dynamite.

Also on the bill are: Arctic Monkeys, STS9, Josh Ritter & the Royal City Band, Best Coast, Phantogram, Junip, Little Dragon, Foster the People, the Joy Formidable, Major Lazer, OK Go, the Greyboy Allstars, Old 97's, !!!, Latyrx featuring Lyrics Born & Lateef, Phantogram, STRFKR, Toro y Moi, Vetiver, Tamaryn, the Fresh & Onlys and others.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday at the Outside Lands website, and a significant part of proceeds from every ticket will benefit San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department.

Last year's Outside Lands event also featured a similarly diverse variety of artists, including Kings of Leon, the Strokes, My Morning Jacket, Janelle Monáe, Al Green, and Nas and Damian "Gong" Marley.

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Muse Bask In First Grammy Win, Make Plans For Kid-Friendly Album

14 Feb 2011 03:32:12 EST

Best Rock Album winners are thinking about lullabies for new album
By James Montgomery

LOS ANGELES — Minutes after winning their first-ever Grammy Award (for Best Rock Album, in case you're keeping score at home), Muse's Matthew Bellamy and Dominic Howard stood backstage at the Staples Center, holding a replica of their brand-new Golden Gramophone — "the real one's in the mail," Bellamy laughed — and looking very much like their heads might explode at any second.

Because, really, after a year in which they finally, totally conquered U.S. audiences with their Resistance album and singles like "Uprising" and "Undisclosed Desires," winning a Grammy is pretty much the capper on a thoroughly amazing year for the trio.

"I never expected to win something like this in America," Bellamy beamed. "It's probably the biggest, most important music award in the world, and it's a great honor. Especially since it's an award for the album we made. We've won quite a lot of awards for our live show, but we've never quite won an award for the actual album, so it's amazing."

So now, the next logical step is the follow-up to The Resistance. Muse's short-term plans include a quick run of South American shows and a much-deserved break, but that doesn't mean they're not already making recording plans — which at this point, basically, include "all being based in the same city, London, which, for us, will definitely be a different approach." And Bellamy, who is expecting his first child with actress Kate Hudson, already has an idea or two about how Muse's new songs will sound. And, yes, his impending fatherhood is weighing heavily on his mind.

"Yeah, I'm definitely going to bring out the Vibraphone, [maybe write] a lullaby, things like that," he laughed. "I'll definitely get a lullaby on there."

For Grammy Awards winners list, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond.

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Muse Bring The Rock To Grammy Stage With 'Uprising'

13 Feb 2011 22:18:31 EST

British band performs single from award-winning album The Resistance.
By Aly Semigran

After those unquestionably rousing performances from the women of the Aretha Franklin medley, Lady Gaga, and Miranda Lambert, the 2011 Grammys needed a little bit of rock and roll.

Cue this year's Best Rock Album winners Muse, who, as the evening's first males to perform on the stage, kicked in to their radio rotation-heavy anthem, "Uprising."

Standing atop television screens elevated above the stage, Matthew Bellamy — donning a sparkly white suit and playing a double-neck guitar — and his fellow bandmembers sounded just as good live as they do on their now Grammy-winning album The Resistance.

In what felt like a possible "Soy Bomb" moment, a security guard fought with a man onstage, but it turned out to be part of an anarchic scene to go along with the anti-authoritarian track.

Check out photos of Muse and all the 2011 Grammy performances.

Later, as the hard-rocking English trio sang lyrics such as, "They will not control us/ We will be victorious," images of American currency and Prince Charles and Camilla Bowles were lit ablaze by the onstage extras for a fiery, if not overtly political, finale.

Less than half an hour later, Bellamy, Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard, whose band saw a massive rise in popularity in the States over the past few years, would return to the Grammy stage to receive the Best Rock Album award.

Bellamy, who called the win "a great, genuine surprise," then went on to thank his "beautiful, pregnant girlfriend over there," Kate Hudson.

What did you think of Muse's performance? Let us know in the comments!

For Grammy Awards winners, analysis, interviews, fashion and more, stick with MTV News during the big show and beyond.

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Eminem, Muse, Foo Fighters Reportedly Headlining Lollapalooza

09 Feb 2011 09:34:31 EST

Eminem's appearance would be his first ever at the venerable festival.
By Gil Kaufman

Eminem has only played a handful of live gigs as he revels in a career revival thanks to his Recovery album. That renaissance could reach its peak on Sunday at the Grammys, where he is nominated for a leading 10 awards and has the chance to take home his first Album of the Year honor.

He may also notch another first this summer, according to the Chicago Tribune, which reported that Slim Shady will be among the headliners of this year's Lollapalooza festival. Citing unnamed "reliable industry sources," the paper said that the Detroit MC could top a bill that also will reportedly include the Foo Fighters — who also would be making their first trip to the legendary festival — as well as British trio Muse, who played on the Chicago waterfront at the 2007 edition of the three-day gathering.

The festival appearance, if true, would fit with Eminem's recent sparse concert schedule. Since getting clean nearly two years ago, the rapper has avoided going out on extended world or national tours, preferring to do a handful of headlining dates and big festival appearances. They've included dates at the 2009 Voodoo Music Experience in New Orleans, a series of historic shows in Detroit and New York with Jay-Z last September and a headlining gig at the Epicenter Festival in his hometown later that month.

In some ways, Eminem's reluctance to go out on a full tour has only made the reclusive rapper more alluring to his fans. And while he hasn't been gracing too many concert stages of late, he did make news this week with a pair of high-profile TV commercials that aired during the Super Bowl.

A spokesperson for Lollapalooza had no comment on the reported lineup. The Tribune also cited several other unnamed industry sources saying that Lolla veterans Girl Talk, Crystal Castles and Lykke Li are expected to be on the 100-plus-band bill, as well as three additional headlining acts and Best Coast. The full lineup of Lollapalooza 2011 will be announced in April. The event is scheduled for Aug. 5-7.

Would you make a trip to Lollapalooza this year to see Eminem or the other reported headliners? Tell us in the comments.

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Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, Muse Added To Grammy Show

20 Jan 2011 08:30:29 EST

Usher, Jaden Smith, B.o.B, Janelle Monae and Lady Antebellum will also perform on February 13.
By Gil Kaufman

While Willow Smith is the one who made music headlines with "Whip My Hair" last year, it's her brother, "Karate Kid" actor Jaden Smith, who will take the stage at the upcoming 53rd Grammy Awards in a special performance alongside Usher and Justin Bieber, with whom he collaborated on the song "Never Say Never" last summer.

The trio joins a list of new performers added to the show on Thursday (January 20) that will also include another power trifecta made up of B.o.B, Bruno Mars and Janelle Monáe, according to a press release from the Recording Academy announcing the additions to the February 13 telecast from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Also taking the stage next month will be nominees Muse and Lady Antebellum. They will join a roster of previously announced performers that includes Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green and Miranda Lambert. It will be the first time on the Grammy performance stage for Bieber, B.o.B, Lambert, Mars, Monáe, Muse and Smith. Eminem, Green, Gaga, Perry, Usher and Lady Antebellum will be making return visits for the occasion.

While 11-time Grammy winner Eminem leads the pack in nominations this year (with 10 nods), Mars has seven nominations, and Gaga and Lady Antebellum are not far behind with six nods each. B.o.B has notched five, Perry and Green are each up for four, and Arcade Fire and Lambert are vying for three awards. Bieber, Muse, Usher and Monáe are each nominated for two Grammys.

No details of the collaborative performances were released, but the Grammy announcement promised a rare, never-before-seen event for the Mars, B.o.B and Monáe segment.

With the addition of Antebellum, all five Album of the Year nominees (Eminem, Arcade Fire, Gaga, Perry) are now scheduled to perform on the show. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon.

Which Grammy performance are you most looking forward to? Talk about it in the comments!

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Kate Hudson, Muse Frontman Matthew Bellamy Expecting

12 Jan 2011 12:51:45 EST

Multiple sources report that the actress is pregnant with her rocker beau's child.
By Jocelyn Vena

It seems like everyone is expecting a baby these days! Word on the street is Kate Hudson and Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy are the latest celebrities preparing to welcome a bundle of joy.

UsMagazine.com reports that the 31-year-old actress is pregnant with her rocker boyfriend's kid. A source tells the website that Hudson is 14 weeks along, adding, "It was not planned, but they are excited and embracing it." The insider also says that although the pregnancy wasn't expected, the actress is excited that her 7-year-old son with Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, Ryder, will have a sibling.

"She is happy for Ryder to finally have a brother or sister," the source explained.

People.com also confirmed that the couple is expecting. "They couldn't be more excited," a source told the website. "Kate is really happy. She was always excited to have kids again at some point." Reps for neither Hudson nor Muse had commented on the rumor by press time.

Hudson and Bellamy have been dating for about nine months. In the October 2010 issue of British Elle, Hudson described the 32-year-old Muse singer as "lovely," but wasn't sure she was willing to get married again after divorcing Robinson in 2007. "It's definitely not something I'm looking for. But the divorce doesn't put me off. I'll just see what happens," she explained. "I think a lot of times people are terrified of love and stop themselves from experiencing it. I don't ever want to get that jaded. I do believe in love. I believe that when you really open yourself up to love, it's the most beautiful thing."

In a 2009 interview with Modern Mom, Hudson expressed her feelings about the importance of family. "The first thing that comes to my mind is my son," she said. "Nothing exists without your children — and my family."

In a separate interview that same year, Hudson expressed her willingness to always give love a chance. "I'd rather hang out with a person who's done everything than who's done nothing. It would suck to die and not have experienced my life, really," she told Harper's Bazaar. "I mean, I think you should keep your eyes open. Blinders are fun for a second, but they have to come off eventually. And I believe it's important to get to know people, to really get to know them."

Share your well-wishes for the couple in the comments!

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The Situation, Muse, More Rave About Justin Bieber At The AMAs

22 Nov 2010 15:44:57 EST

'You know what? Bieber's doing his thing,' 'Jersey Shore' star tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash

After Justin Bieber took home four trophies at the American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, it was pretty clear that the music industry had caught Bieber Fever. And when MTV News caught up with some of the night's winners, nominees and attendees they all admitted that Bieber is the hottest guy in the game right now.

"I just think it's just insane kids are just Justin Bieber in-fevered," Taio Cruz joked to MTV News on the AMA red carpet. "And they love him, but they love us all, though."

Producer and songwriter Sean Garrett said Bieber is winning the guys over because he's won so many of the ladies over. "He just kind of came out of nowhere," Garrett said of Bieber. "He's excited. He's the youngest in charge, and he's definitely got the ladies."

Muse drummer Dom Howard confessed that, while Bieber is not a boy, not yet a man, he's still got that something. "Tonight he's won all the awards even though he's not quite a man yet," Howard said. "Boy of the year!"

Similarly, "Jersey Shore" star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino said Bieber was the highlight of the show, thanks to his performance of "Pray." "You know what? Bieber's doing his thing," Sitch said.

For crooner Michael Bublé, it was about who was selling more — which he says is probably the both of them. "I'm better than everyone else, and also I'm humble and good-looking and smart and rich and humble, but really humble," he joked. "I don't know [who sells more]. I think it's probably pretty close."

Do you have Bieber Fever? Let us know in the comments!

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Muse Insist They're 'Happy' With 'Twilight' Fanbase

22 Nov 2010 13:02:05 EST

'Loads of young fans come to our gigs now who say, 'We heard that song from that film,' ' frontman Matt Bellamy tells MTV News.
By Kyle Anderson, with reporting by Tim Kash

Muse's victory in the Favorite Alternative Rock Artist category at Sunday night's 2010 American Music Awards felt like the crown jewel in what has been a pretty incredible few years for the band.

Their latest album, 2009's The Resistance, has sold millions of copies around the world, scored them a handful of hit singles, allowed them to sell out concerts on four different continents and perform at a number of high-profile television events. A bulk of that success is because of Muse's participation on the soundtracks of "The Twilight Saga" movies (Muse are "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer's favorite band). Their "Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)," for one, was the lead single from the soundtrack to last summer's "Twilight Saga: Eclipse."

But in an interview with BBC's Radio 1 back in July, Muse bassist Chris Wolstenholme expressed some trepidation about the band's involvement.

"I'm not sure how cool it is to be on those kind of things, but sometimes you've just got to get your music out there in different ways," he said. "You have to take every opportunity you get, and sometimes you have to sell your soul."

When asked on Sunday about their "Twilight" stance, Muse frontman Matt Bellamy clarified the group's position. "Loads of young fans come to our gigs now who say, 'We heard that song from that film,' " he told MTV News' Tim Kash after the AMAs. "And that's great. We're happy with that."

Bellamy also said that he's fine with the vampire flicks. "The first one was pretty good," he told Kash. "The second one I only saw a bit of it. A guy kept taking his shirt off and showing his muscles, which was getting a little cheesy. The third one was pretty good."

Muse later told Kash that they'll remain on tour for the time being — they have dates in Australia coming up — and will then take the bulk of 2011 off for a little rest and recovery from the whirlwind that hasn't stopped since they dropped The Resistance. But they hope to be working on new music by the end of the year for release some time in 2012. Of 2010, Bellamy said, "It's been one of the best years for the band."

What do you think of Muse's take on "Twilight"? Sound off in the comments!

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