Muse explain why they changed setlist for Malaysian show following Matty Healy criticism
Muse have explained why they changed their setlist for a performance in Malaysia on July 29th, following The 1975‘s recent ban from the country.
The celebrated British rock band, known for hits like ‘Supermassive Black Hole’, took to the stage at Bukit Jalil National Stadium to perform a 20-song set of some of their biggest .
However, upon sharing the setlist before the show, fans realised they’d swapped out ‘We Are Fucking Fucked’ with ‘Resistance’. Adam Ashraf, a promoter for Hello Universe, suggested that by “pulling one song out of the setlist due to the title of the song,” Muse showed they were “eager to entertain while also respecting the guidelines.”
In July, The 1975 were banned from Malaysia after lead vocalist Matty Healy ranted about the country’s stance on LGBT+ rights, where homosexuality is a crime, before kissing one of his male bandmates during a performance at Good Vibes Festival.
Onstage, Healy said, “I pulled the show yesterday, and we had a conversation and we said, ‘You know what, we can’t let the kids down because they’re not the government.'”
He continued, “I’ll take your money, you can ban me, but I’ve done this before, and it doesn’t feel good, and I’m fucked off.” The 1975 were subsequently banned from Malaysia, and the festival was cancelled.
After Muse changed their setlist, Healy posted a screenshot of the band’s website, which includes the statement ‘Join the Resistance’. He captioned the image “Sick” before writing “….Oh” alongside a news article about Muse’s changed setlist.
However, in indirect response, Muse drummer Dom Howard took to Instagram to explain the changes to the setlist. “What a tour. So much thanks and gratitude goes out to everyone that came to see us this summer. It’s been epic. Side note: We chose to play ‘Resistance’ over ‘WAFF’ [‘We Are Fucking Fucked’] in Malaysia. A more poignant message given the circumstances.”
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