View source for London Earls Court Exhibition Centre 2004 - 20th (gig)

[[File:London 2004-12-20 – Matthew Bellamy playing The Small Print.jpg | thumb | right | The Small Print]]
[[File:London 2004-12-20 – Butterflies & Hurricanes CO₂.jpg | thumb | right | Pyrotechnics during Butterflies & Hurricanes]]
[[File:London 2004-12-20 – Muscle Museum.jpg | thumb | right | Muscle Museum]]
[[File:London 2004-12-20 – standing ticket.jpg | thumb | right | Standing ticket]]
[[File:London 2004-12-20 – seated ticket stub.jpg | thumb | right | Seated ticket stub]]
{{Gigbox
| Venue = Earls Court Exhibition Centre
| VenueRef = <ref name="tck">
{{cite |
 desc=Standing ticket | fetch=2006-11-22 | doc=:File:London 2004-12-20 – standing ticket.jpg | type=int
}}</ref><ref name="tckstub">
{{cite |
 desc=Seated ticket stub | fetch=2006-11-22 | doc=:File:London 2004-12-20 – seated ticket stub.jpg | type=int
}}</ref>
| Date = 20{{supo|th}} December 2004
| DateRef = <ref name="tck"/><ref name="tckstub"/>
| Location = London
| Country = United Kingdom
| Songs = 19
| Support = [[Secret Machines]], [[The Zutons]]
| Start = 20:00<!-- I think this was the time, not sure though -->
| Doors = 18:00
| DoorsRef = <ref name="tck"/><ref name="tckstub"/>
| Zone = UTC
| Capacity = 19,000
| Price = 25.00
| PriceRef = <ref name="tckstub"/>
| Curr = GBP
| SoldOut = Yes<!-- I think ... -->
}}

{{GigNav
| Previous = [[London Earls Court Exhibition Centre 2004 - 19th (gig) | Earls Court Exhibition Centre – 19{{supo|th}}]]
| Current = Earls Court Exhibition Centre – 20{{supo|th}}
| Next = [[Boca Raton Auditorium Field 2005 (gig) | Auditorium Field]]
}}

== Information ==
Often considered one of Muse's greatest ever performances, the two nights at Earls Court felt like a very special occasion. The band were coming back home for the first time after a very long tour in the USA, and just in time to wrap up the year before Christmas. 

The concert was announced on the 21{{supo|st}} of October,<ref name="mc20041022">
{{cite |
 title=London Gig #2 | desc=MicroCuts news | date=2004-10-22 | fetch=2007-11-26 | pub=MicroCuts | url=http://microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/10222004-london_gig_2.php | dom=microcuts.net | type=ext
}}</ref> the reason citing "unbelievable" demand for the previous night's pre-sale.<ref name="mc20041022"/>  General sale started on the 23{{supo|rd}} October 2004 at 09:00.<ref name="mc20041022"/>  More tickets were put on sale on the 19{{supo|th}} of November at 09:00 through gigsandtours.com.<ref name="mc20041117">
{{cite |
 title=More Muse tickets on sale from Friday | desc=MicroCuts news | date=2004-11-17 | fetch=2007-11-26 | pub=MicroCuts | url=http://microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/11172004-more_muse_tickets_on_sale_from_friday.php | dom=microcuts.net | type=ext
}}</ref>

Last performance of The Small Print in the UK and last performance of Sing for Absolution until 2007.

== The Show ==
This was the 'black jacket' gig and featured a slightly different setlist from the night before. 

[[Dominic Howard|Dom]] and [[Christopher Wolstenholme|Chris]] opened up the gig, while [[Matthew Bellamy|Matt]] ran around backstage with a camera (as he did the previous night).{{cite/none}} However, this time Matt had a monkey hand puppet on which he danced around on camera.{{cite/none}}

After The Small Print, Matt broke the [[Ibanez]] guitar he was playing. He subsequently picked it up, walked to the edge of the stage, and threw the guitar into the audience.{{cite/none}} The ending of Micro Cuts slowed down to an almost complete stop. [[Thomas Kirk|Tom Kirk]] said that Blackout "was fucking ace", in response to the question "how cool was blackout! ;)".<ref>{{cite/muselive20050302}}</ref>

== Speech ==
{| {{Speechtable}}
| After Apocalypse Please || rowspan="2" | Bellamy || "Thank you {{SpeechUnknown}}".
|-
| After Hysteria || rowspan="2" | "Thank you".
|-
| After The Small Print || rowspan="3" | Howard
|-
| After Sing for Absolution || "How's it going Earls Court? [''crowd cheers'']  Nice to see you again".
|-
| After Space Dementia || "Thank you".
|-
| After New Born || rowspan="4" | Bellamy || "Thank you very much.  Cheers".
|-
| After Butterflies & Hurricanes || "Thank you".
|-
| After Plug In Baby || "Thank you!"
|-
| After Time Is Running Out || "Cheers!"
|-
| Before Blackout || Bellamy || "Thank you very much, cheers ...  Ok, this next song, instead of getting your lighters out, everyone get out their mobile phones and switch their lights on".
|-
| rowspan="2" | Before Stockholm Syndrome || Bellamy || "Thank you very much Earls Court!  Thank you very much for coming, it's been a fucking great pleasure to play for you.  Means a lot coming home to a big crowd like this, so thanks very much for coming.  This is uh, we'd like to say, a very merry Christmas and a happy new year".
|-
| rowspan="2" | Howard || "Merry Christmas. ... Cheers.  We'll see you next time, this song is called Stockholm Syndrome".
|-
| rowspan="3" | After Stockholm Syndrome || "Thank you very much Earls Court!  You guys have been amazing".
|-
| Wolstenholme || "Cheers".
|-
| Howard || "Cheers, we'll see you next time".
|}

== Media ==
The Small Print and Stockholm Syndrome feature on the [[Absolution Tour (DVD) | Absolution Tour]] DVD, although this version of The Small Print was edited in post-production to add a heavy distortion effect to Matt's vocals. 

Butterflies & Hurricanes and Ruled by Secrecy from this concert were the first videos released of the two nights, along with The Small Print from the [[London Earls Court Exhibition Centre 2004 - 19th (gig) | day before]] - these were put on [[Official Muse site|Muse.mu]].  XFM broadcast the gig<ref name="mc20041214">
{{cite |
 | title=Muse Earls Court gig on XFM | desc=MicroCuts news | date=2004-12-14 | fetch=2007-11-24 | pub=MicroCuts/XFM | url=http://microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/12142004-muse_earls_court_gig_on_xfm.php | dom=microcuts.net | type=ext
}}</ref><ref name="xfm200412">
{{cite |
 title=X-clusive: Hear Muse Live From Earls Court on Xfm | desc=Announcement of upcoming broadcast | date=2004-12-15 | fetch=2007-11-24 | pub=Xfm online | doc=Xfm online 2004-12-15 – X-clusive: Hear Muse Live From Earls Court on Xfm | url=http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?id=58067 | dom=xfm.co.uk | type=int
}}</ref> in its entirety aside from Glorious, which was replaced by a recording of [[Dead Star (song) | Dead Star]] from the previous night. Multiple versions of the XFM broadcast can be found on MuseBootlegs [https://www.musebootlegs.com/?p=torrents&pid=10&action=details&tid=13 here], [https://www.musebootlegs.com/?p=torrents&pid=10&action=details&tid=1114 here], and [https://www.musebootlegs.com/?p=torrents&pid=10&action=details&tid=1115 here] as well as a "remaster" attempt by user GiveMeThePiss that was done in 2020 [https://www.musebootlegs.com/?p=torrents&pid=10&action=details&tid=2105 here].

And interview with XFM that took place in between the two nights can be viewed on YouTube [https://youtu.be/RMiKNAJkVKw?si=UGkCGKtw1ZIxOpVM here.]

== Trivia == 
Both nights were fully recorded and at the time, were long rumoured to be the band's next commercial DVD. However, during Autumn 2005, [[Thomas Kirk]] posted on the official Muse messageboard that the "sound mix wasn't good enough”, so the films were scrapped and the Glastonbury footage from earlier in the year was repurposed and released for the [[Absolution Tour (live) | Absolution Tour]] DVD. Despite this, several pro-shots from across both nights have subsequently been released, including The Small Print and Stockholm Syndrome from the 20th that were included on the [[Absolution Tour (live) | Absolution Tour]] DVD as bonus footage. 

As mentioned above, after The Small Print, Matt broke his [[Ibanez]] guitar and subsequently walked to the edge of the stage and threw the guitar into the audience. Matt also did this the night before. However, on this occasion, the guitar wasn't retrieved by security and ultimately ended up in the possession of a lucky fan who was pictured with the guitar in the nearby London Underground after the gig.

[[File:BenGuitareMatPIBaby.jpg|thumb | right | Lucky man who caught the Destroyer]]

{{setlist
| 01 = Dracula Mountain | 01app = (instrumental)
| 02pre = {{Intro}} | 02 = Apocalypse Please
| 03 = Hysteria | 03app = {{GU |[[Manson Bomber]]}}
| 04 = The Small Print | 04app = + Psycho riff {{YTw |Rhvi-KE97hM}} {{GU |[[Ibanez Destroyer]], ?}}
| 05 = Sing for Absolution | 05app = {{YTw |wOpztvIfLJY}} {{GU |[[Manson 007]]}}
| 06 = Micro Cuts | 06app = (extended outro) {{YTw |nSMRF6mBvD}} {{GU |[[Manson Delorean]], Pedulla ?}}
| 07 = Citizen Erased | 07 app = {{GU |[[Manson 7 String E Guitar]]}}
| 08 = Take a Bow | 08app = (instrumental)
| 09 = Space Dementia
| 10 = Ruled by Secrecy | 10app = {{YTw |-_tA-WS3h80}}
| 11pre = {{Pre-Sunburn '04}} | 11 = Sunburn | 11app = (keyboard)
| 12 = New Born | 12app = {{GU |[[Manson Delorean]], Pedulla ?}}
| 13 = Butterflies & Hurricanes | 13app = {{YTw |PLA5C29EF509B1BE46}}{{GU |[[Manson 007]], Pedulla ?}}
| 14 = Muscle Museum | 14app = {{GU |[[Manson Bomber]], Pedulla ?}}
| 15 = Bliss | 15app = {{GU |[[Manson Bomber]], Pedulla ?}} [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdXpw0VQtRc]
| 16 = Plug In Baby | 16app = {{GU |[[Manson Mirror]], Pedulla ?}} {{encore |1}}
| 17 = Glorious | 17app = {{GU |[[Manson Bomber]], Pedulla ?}}
| 18 = Time Is Running Out | 18app = {{GU |[[Manson Mirror]], Pedulla ?}} {{encore | 2}}
| 19 = Blackout | 19app = {{GU |[[Manson Delorean]], ?}}
| 20 = Stockholm Syndrome | 20app = + {{Township Rebellion}} riff + {{Execution Commentary}} riff + [[Riffs and jams#Hyper_Chondriac_Heavy_riff|Hyper Chondriac Heavy]] riff  {{YTw |pNkqE68Klb4}} {{GU |[[Manson 007]], Pedulla ?}} 
}}

==Gallery==
<Gallery>
London 2004-12-20 – Matthew Bellamy playing The Small Print.jpg
London 2004-12-20 – Butterflies & Hurricanes CO₂.jpg
London 2004-12-20 – Muscle Museum.jpg
EarlsCourt20th01.jpg
EarlsCourt20th02.jpg
EarlsCourt20th03.jpg
EarlsCourt20th04.jpg
</Gallery>

== References ==
<references/>

== See also ==
* [[London Earls Court Exhibition Centre | Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London]]

{{BacktoGigs | 2004}}

[[Category:Earls Court]]