Isolated System (live)

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96% MuseWiki ULD has 240/249
performances of this song.
Live information
Name Isolated System
Tours Simulation Theory (3)
Drones (131)
The 2nd Law (115)
First performance 16th October 2012
Latest performance 3rd December 2018
Pro-shots None
Audience footage None
Audio recordings None
# of performances 249
Uno Live Database 96%
Concerts: 97% (missing 7/247 performances)
Rehearsals: 0% (missing 2/2 performances)



This page contains a list of all known performances of Isolated System.

Analysis and Explanation

Isolated System was first played in October 2012 and became a live staple of The 2nd Law Tour, appearing at virtually every show from 2012 to 2014. It was played the first song of the encore as an intro to Uprising, or alternatively, from March 2013 onwards, as the opener to the main set that lead into Supremacy. If the song was played before Uprising, towards the end of the song Matt would join in on his Kaoss Pad on his guitar to accompany the depressing end of the song until transitioning into Uprising.

While the song is mostly played from tape live, a lot of variation has taken place. In 2012, it was performed with the piano part, some synths, and additional samples played by touring member Morgan Nicholls and drums played by Dom live, while the news broadcasts, the heartbeat, and the strings from the album version were played on tape. Starting in 2013, additional audio excerpts not heard on the album were played back during the song. These included snippets from a BBC documentary about radio/number stations, and on rare occasions something else like Vincent Price's voice-over from Thriller during Australian leg, or audio excerpts from news broadcasts about the infamous OpenSSL bug called Heartbleed bug in the Coachella 2014 performance. Morgan also stopped playing the piano part live (was instead played from tape) and started to experiment more and mix in some random glitch noises.

Isolated System made a surprise return for the Drones World Tour in November 2015, albeit in a shortened form and without the additional audio excerpts, as an intro to The Handler earlier on in setlists. It was performed at every show and continued to be used during the Festival Tour afterwards. During the song, Dom uses his Roland Octopad to make percussion loops instead of playing the normal drums as heard on the album.

It continued to appear in this shortened, more minimalistic, form as an intro to various songs throughout 2017 and some dates of 2018. Sometimes Morgan was seen back playing the piano part live during that period (example). The song was dropped at the end of 2018, but returned in February 2023 for the start of the Will of the People World Tour and appeared at every show that year. This version featured entirely new background and news excerpts made to match the themes of the Will of the People album.

Please submit dead links/issues here.

Will of the People era

2023

# Date Venue Location Link
5 2023-03-03 Dickies Arena Fort Worth, TX, USA Watch here
4 2023-03-02 Toyota Center Houston, TX, USA Watch here
3 2023-02-28 Moody Center Austin, TX, USA Watch here
2 2023-02-26 Target Center Minneapolis, MN, USA
1 2023-02-25 United Center Chicago, IL, USA Watch here

Simulation Theory era

2018

# Date Venue Location Link
3 2018-12-03 Royal Albert Hall London, UK Watch here
2 2018-11-03 Estadio San Mamés Bilbao, Spain Watch here
1 2018-09-21 Reeperbahn Festival Hamburg, Germany Watch here

Drones era

2018

# Date Venue Location Link
6 2018-06-23 Rock in Rio Lisboa Lisbon, Portugal Watch here
5 2018-06-03 Zeppelinfeld (Rock Im Park) Nuremberg, Germany Watch here
4 2018-06-02 Nürburgring (Rock am Ring) Nürburg, Germany Watch here
3 2018-05-25 Bottlerock Napa Valley Napa, CA, USA Watch here
2 2018-05-06 Carolina Rebellion Charlotte, NC, USA Watch here
1 2018-04-20 Parque Fundidora Monterrey, México Watch here

2017

# Date Venue Location Link
33 2017-12-18 Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, Australia Watch here (Incomplete)
32 2017-12-16 Qudos Bank Arena Sydney, Australia Watch here
31 2017-12-09 The Forum (KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas) Los Angeles, CA, USA Watch here
30 2017-11-14 Yokohama Arena Yokohama, Japan Watch Here [B]
29 2017-11-13 Yokohama Arena Yokohama, Japan Watch here
28 2017-11-04 BlizzCon 2017 Anaheim, CA, USA Watch here
27 2017-09-23 Life is Beautiful Festival Las Vegas, NV, USA Watch here
26 2017-09-20 USANA Amphitheatre Salt Lake City, UT, USA Watch here
25 2017-09-18 Red Rocks Amphitheatre Denver, CO, USA Watch here
24 2017-09-16 KAABOO Del Mar San Diego, CA, USA Watch here
23 2017-09-15 Shoreline Amphitheatre San Francisco, CA, USA Watch here
22 2017-08-27 Reading Festival Reading, UK Watch here
21 2017-08-25 Leeds Festival Leeds, UK Watch here
20 2017-08-23 Belfast Vital Belfast, Northern Ireland Watch here (26:30)
19 2017-08-05 Osheaga Festival Montréal, QC, Canada
18 2017-08-01 KeyBank Pavilion Burgettstown, PA, USA Watch here
17 2017-07-24 Central Park SummerStage Benefit New York City, NY, USA Watch here
16 2017-07-22 Jones Beach Theater Wantagh, NY, USA Watch here
15 2017-07-18 Budweiser Stage Toronto, ON, Canada Watch here
14 2017-07-16 Festival d'été de Québec Québec City, QC, Canada Watch here (6:55)
13 2017-07-15 Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, ON, Canada Watch here
12 2017-06-18 Firefly Festival Dover, DE, USA Watch here
11 2017-06-15 PNC Music Pavilion Charlotte, NC, USA Watch here
10 2017-06-13 Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre St. Louis, MO, USA Watch here (10:15)
9 2017-06-12 Starlight Theatre Kansas, MO, USA Listen here
8 2017-06-10 Austin360 Amphitheater Austin, TX, USA Watch here
7 2017-06-08 Bold Sphere at Champions Square New Orleans, LA, USA
6 2017-06-06 Lakewood Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA, USA Watch here
5 2017-06-04 Bunbury Festival Cincinnati, OH, USA Watch here
4 2017-06-03 Ascend Amphitheater Nashville, TN, USA Watch here
3 2017-05-21 MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre Tampa, FL, USA
2 2017-05-20 Perfect Vodka Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL, USA Watch here
1 2017-05-18 Amway Center (SAP Concert) Orlando, FL, USA Watch here

2016

# Date Venue Location Link
79 2016-08-21 Krakow Live Krakow, Poland Watch here (incomplete)
78 2016-08-20 Rock am See Konstanz, Germany Watch here
77 2016-08-13 Sziget Festival Budapest, Hungary Watch here
76 2016-08-06 Laugardalsholl Reykjavik, Iceland Watch here (Incomplete)
75 2016-07-29 Rock The City Bucharest, Romania Watch here
74 2016-07-23 Ejekt Festival Athens, Greece Watch here
73 2016-07-19 Paléo Festival Nyon, Switzerland Watch here
72 2016-07-18 Nîmes Festival Nîmes, France Watch here
71 2016-07-16 Festival Internacional de Benicàssim Benicàssim, VC, Spain Watch here
70 2016-07-14 Gurten Festival Berne, Switzerland Watch here
69 2016-07-08 U-Park Festival Kyiv, Ukraine Watch here
68 2016-06-30 Garorock Festival Marmande, France Watch here
67 2016-06-28 Eiffel Tower Paris, France Watch here
66 2016-06-24 Worthy Farm (Glastonbury Festival) Pilton, UK Watch here
65 2016-06-21 Olimpiski Moscow, Russia Watch here
64 2016-06-17 Žalgirio Arena Kaunas, Lithuania Watch here
63 2016-06-16 Riga Arena Riga, Latvia Watch here
62 2016-06-14 Hartwall Arena Helsinki, Finland Watch here
61 2016-06-12 Telenor Arena Oslo, Norway Watch here (Incomplete)
60 2016-06-11 Ericsson Dome Stockholm, Sweden Watch here
59 2016-06-09 Forum Copenhagen, Denmark Watch here
58 2016-06-08 Forum Copenhagen, Denmark Watch here
57 2016-06-06 Barclaycard Arena Hamburg, Germany Watch here (Incomplete)
56 2016-06-04 O2 Arena Prague, Czech Republic Watch here
55 2016-06-03 Mercedes Benz Arena Berlin, Germany Watch here
54 2016-05-21 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy Watch here
53 2016-05-20 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy Watch here
52 2016-05-18 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy
51 2016-05-17 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy Watch here
50 2016-05-15 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy Watch here or here
49 2016-05-14 Mediolanum Forum Milan, Italy Watch here
48 2016-05-12 Hallenstadion Zurich, Switzerland Watch here (Inomplete)
47 2016-05-11 Hallenstadion Zurich, Switzerland Watch here
46 2016-05-09 Wiener Stadthalle Vienna, Austria Watch here
45 2016-05-06 Barclaycard Center Madrid, Spain Watch here
44 2016-05-05 Barclaycard Center Madrid, Spain Watch here
43 2016-05-03 MEO Arena Lisbon, Portugal Watch here
42 2016-05-02 MEO Arena Lisbon, Portugal Watch here
41 2016-04-18 SSE Hydro Glasgow, Scotland Watch here
40 2016-04-17 SSE Hydro Glasgow, Scotland Watch here
39 2016-04-15 O2 Arena London, England Watch here (Incomplete)
38 2016-04-14 O2 Arena London, England Watch here
37 2016-04-12 O2 Arena London, England Watch here
36 2016-04-11 O2 Arena London, England Watch here
35 2016-04-09 Manchester Arena Manchester, England Watch here
34 2016-04-08 Manchester Arena Manchester, England Watch here
33 2016-04-06 The SSE Arena Belfast, Northern Ireland Watch here (incomplete)
32 2016-04-05 3Arena Dublin, Ireland
31 2016-04-03 O2 Arena London, England Watch here
30 2016-04-02 Barclayard Arena Birmingham, England Watch here
29 2016-03-31 Olympiahalle Munich, Germany Watch here
28 2016-03-16 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium Watch here
27 2016-03-15 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium Watch here (Incomplete)
26 2016-03-13 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium Watch here
25 2016-03-12 Palais 12 Brussels, Belgium Listen here
24 2016-03-10 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands Watch here
23 2016-03-09 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands Watch here
22 2016-03-07 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, Netherlands Watch here
21 2016-03-06 Lanxess Arena Cologne, Germany Watch here
20 2016-03-04 Bercy Arena Paris, France Watch here
19 2016-03-03 Bercy Arena Paris, France Watch here
18 2016-03-01 Bercy Arena Paris, France Watch here
17 2016-02-29 Bercy Arena Paris, France Watch here
16 2016-02-27 Bercy Arena Paris, France Watch here
15 2016-02-26 Bercy Arena Paris, France Watch here
14 2016-02-01 Verizon Center Washington, DC, USA Watch here
13 2016-01-31 Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA, USA Watch here
12 2016-01-29 Prudential Center Newark, NJ, USA Watch here
11 2016-01-27 Barclays Center Brooklyn, NY, USA Watch here
10 2016-01-25 TD Garden Boston, MA, USA Watch here
9 2016-01-23 Centre Vidéotron Quebec City, QC, Canada Watch here
8 2016-01-21 Centre Bell Montréal, QC, Canada Watch here
7 2016-01-20 Centre Bell Montréal, QC, Canada Watch here
6 2016-01-18 Centre Vidéotron Québec City, QC, Canada Watch here
5 2016-01-16 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada Watch here
4 2016-01-14 Joe Louis Arena Detroit, MI, USA Watch here
3 2016-01-13 United Center Chicago, IL, USA Watch here
2 2016-01-09 Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, NV, USA Watch here
1 2016-01-07 Valley View Casino Center San Diego, CA, USA Watch here

2015

# Date Venue Location Link
13 2015-12-19 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA Watch here
12 2015-12-18 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA Watch here
11 2015-12-15 Oracle Arena Oakland, CA, USA Watch here
10 2015-12-13 Moda Center Portland, OR, USA Watch here
9 2015-12-12 KeyArena Seattle, WA, USA Watch here
8 2015-12-10 Rogers Arena Vancouver, BC, Canada Watch here
7 2015-12-05 Gila River Arena Phoenix, AZ, USA Watch here
6 2015-12-02 American Airlines Center Dallas, TX, USA Watch here
5 2015-12-01 Toyota Center Houston, TX, USA Watch here
4 2015-11-20 Palacio de los Deportes - 20th Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
3 2015-11-18 Palacio de los Deportes - 18th Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
2 2015-11-17 Palacio de los Deportes - 17th Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
1 2015-11-11 Sports Arena (Dress Rehearsal show) Los Angeles, CA, USA No recording

The 2nd Law era

2014

# Date Venue Location Link
3 2014-04-19 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Weekend 2) Indio, CA, USA Listen here
2 2014-04-12 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Weekend 1) Indio, CA, USA Watch here
1 2014-04-05 Autodromo Interlagos (Lollapolooza) São Paulo, Brazil Watch here

2013

# Date Venue Location Link
87 2013-12-13 Allphones Arena Sydney, NS, Australia Watch here
86 2013-12-10 Brisbane Entertainment Centre Brisbane, QL, Australia Watch here
85 2013-12-07 Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, VI, Australia Watch here
84 2013-12-06 Rod Laver Arena Melbourne, VI, Australia Watch here
83 2013-12-04 Adelaide Entertainment Centre Adelaide, SA, Australia Watch here
82 2013-11-30 Perth Arena Perth, WA, Australia Watch here
81 2013-11-02 Du Arena (F1 Post-Race Concerts) Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Watch here (Incomplete)
80 2013-10-22 Palacio de los Deportes Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
79 2013-10-20 Palacio de los Deportes Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
78 2013-10-19 Palacio de los Deportes Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
77 2013-10-18 Palacio de los Deportes Mexico City, Mexico Watch here
76 2013-10-13 Estadio GEBA (Personal Fest) Buenos Aires, Argentina Watch here
75 2013-10-11 Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival: Weekend 2) Austin, TX, USA Watch here
74 2013-10-07 Arena VFG Guadalajara, Mexico Watch here
73 2013-10-04 Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival: Weekend 1) Austin, TX, USA Watch here
72 2013-09-19 EnergySolutions Arena Salt Lake City, UT, USA Watch here
71 2013-09-17 Pepsi Center Denver, CO, USA Watch here
70 2013-09-14 Parque Olímpico Cidade do Rock (Rock in Rio) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Watch here
69 2013-09-11 Verizon Center Washington, DC, USA Watch here
68 2013-09-09 Wells Fargo Center Philadelphia, PA, USA Watch here
67 2013-09-08 Consol Energy Center Pittsburgh, PA, USA Watch here
66 2013-09-06 Bridgestone Arena Nashville, TN, USA Watch here
65 2013-09-04 Gwinnett Arena Atlanta, GA, USA Watch here
64 2013-09-03 Time Warner Cable Arena Charlotte, NC, USA Listen here
63 2013-08-17 Olympic Stadium (Hyundai Card Super Concert 19 City Break) Seoul, South Korea Watch here
62 2013-08-11 Marine Stadium (Summer Sonic Festival) Tokyo, Japan Listen here
61 2013-08-10 Maishima (Summer Sonic Festival) Osaka, Japan
60 2013-07-27 Olympiastadion Helsinki, Finland Watch here
59 2013-07-24 Telenor Arena Oslo, Norway Watch here
58 2013-07-19 Brann Stadion Bergen, Norway Watch here
57 2013-07-14 Waldbühne Berlin Berlin, BE, Germany Watch here
56 2013-07-12 Freilichtbühne Loreley Sankt Goarshausen, RP, Germany Watch here
55 2013-07-06 Stadio Olimpico Rome, RM, Italy Watch here
54 2013-06-29 Stadio Olimpico Turin, TO, Italy Watch here
53 2013-06-28 Stadio Olimpico Turin, TO, Italy Watch here
52 2013-06-26 Stade Charles-Ehrmann Nice, France Watch here
51 2013-06-22 Stade de France Paris, France Watch here
50 2013-06-21 Stade de France Paris, France Watch here
49 2013-06-18 Werchter Festival Site Werchter, Belgium
48 2013-06-15 Stade de Suisse Bern, BE, Switzerland Watch here
47 2013-06-10 Estádio do Dragão Porto, Portugal Watch here
46 2013-06-07 Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Barcelona, Spain Watch here
45 2013-06-04 Amsterdam ArenA Amsterdam, NH, Netherlands Watch here
44 2013-06-02 Horse Guards Parade Ground London, UK Watch here
43 2013-06-01 Etihad Stadium Manchester, UK Watch here
42 2013-05-26 Emirates Stadium London, UK Watch here
41 2013-05-25 Emirates Stadium London, UK Watch here
40 2013-05-22 Ricoh Arena Coventry, UK Watch here
39 2013-04-26 Colisée Pepsi Ville de Québec, QC, Canada Watch here
38 2013-04-24 Centre Bell Montréal, QC, Canada Watch here
37 2013-04-23 Centre Bell Montréal, QC, Canada Watch here
36 2013-04-19 Izod Center East Rutherford, NJ, USA Watch here
35 2013-04-16 Madison Square Garden New York City, NY, USA Watch here
34 2013-04-15 Madison Square Garden New York City, NY, USA Watch here
33 2013-04-13 Mohegan Sun Arena Montville, CT, USA Watch here
32 2013-04-12 TD Garden Boston, MA, USA Watch here
31 2013-04-10 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada Watch here
30 2013-04-09 Air Canada Centre Toronto, ON, Canada Watch here
29 2013-03-17 Mandalay Bay Events Center Las Vegas, NV, USA Watch here
28 2013-03-16 US Airways Center Phoenix, AZ, USA Watch here
27 2013-03-13 American Airlines Center Dallas, TX, USA Watch here
26 2013-03-12 Toyota Center Houston, TX, USA Watch here
25 2013-03-10 Bank of Oklahoma Center Tulsa, OK, USA Watch here
24 2013-03-08 Chaifetz Arena St. Louis, MO, USA Watch here
23 2013-03-07 Target Center Minneapolis, MN, USA Watch here
22 2013-03-05 Schottenstein Center Columbus, OH, USA Watch here
21 2013-03-04 United Center Chicago, IL, USA Watch here
20 2013-03-02 Joe Louis Arena Detroit, MI, USA Watch here
19 2013-02-28 Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland, OH, USA Watch here
18 2013-02-27 U.S. Bank Arena Cincinnati, OH, USA Watch here
17 2013-02-25 Amway Center Orlando, FL, USA Watch here
16 2013-02-23 Tampa Bay Times Forum Tampa, FL, USA Watch here
15 2013-02-22 BB&T Center Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA Watch here
14 2013-02-06 Rogers Arena Vancouver, BC, Canada Watch here
13 2013-02-04 Scotiabank Saddledome Calgary, AB, Canada Watch here
12 2013-02-03 Rexall Place Edmonton, AB, Canada Watch here
11 2013-02-01 KeyArena Seattle, WA, USA Watch here
10 2013-01-31 Rose Garden Portland, OR, USA Watch here
9 2013-01-29 Sleep Train Arena Sacramento, CA, USA Watch here
8 2013-01-28 Oracle Arena Oakland, CA, USA Watch here
7 2013-01-26 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA Watch here
6 2013-01-24 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA Watch here
5 2013-01-23 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA, USA Watch here
4 2013-01-21 Valley View Casino Center San Diego, CA, USA Watch here
3 2013-01-20 Valley View Casino Center San Diego, CA, USA
2 2013-01-12 Saitama Super Arena Saitama, Japan Listen here
1 2013-01-11 Saitama Super Arena Saitama, Japan Watch here

2012

# Date Venue Location Link
25 2012-12-19 Zénith de Strasbourg Strasbourg, France Watch here
24 2012-12-18 Sportpaleis Antwerp Antwerp, Belgium Watch here
23 2012-12-17 Ziggo Dome Amsterdam, NH, Netherlands Watch here
22 2012-12-15 O2 World Hamburg, HH, Germany Watch here
21 2012-12-13 Arēna Rīga Rīga, Latvia Watch here
20 2012-12-11 Saku Suurhall Arena Tallinn, Estonia Watch here
19 2012-12-10 Hartwall Areena Helsinki, ES, Finland Watch here
18 2012-11-23 Atlas Arena Łódź, Poland Watch here
17 2012-11-22 O2 Arena Prague, Czech Republic Watch here
16 2012-11-20 Papp László Budapest Sportaréna Budapest, BU, Hungary Watch here
15 2012-11-19 Wiener Stadthalle Vienna, Austria Watch here
14 2012-11-17 ADRIATIC Arena Pesaro, PU, Italy Watch here
13 2012-11-16 Unipol Arena Casalecchio di Reno, BO, Italy Watch here
12 2012-11-14 St. Jakobshalle Münchenstein, BS, Switzerland Watch here
11 2012-11-12 Olympiahalle Munich, BY, Germany Watch here
10 2012-11-03 The O2 Dublin, Ireland Watch here
9 2012-11-01 Manchester Arena Manchester, UK Watch here
8 2012-10-30 LG Arena Birmingham, UK Watch here
7 2012-10-27 O2 Arena London, UK Watch here
6 2012-10-26 O2 Arena London, UK Watch here
5 2012-10-24 Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre Glasgow, UK Watch here
4 2012-10-22 Zénith Nantes Métropole Nantes, France Watch here
3 2012-10-20 Palacio de Deportes de la Comunidad de Madrid Madrid, Spain Watch here
2 2012-10-18 Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy Paris, France Watch here
1 2012-10-16 Park&Suites Arena Montpellier, France Watch here

See also

This is a table of The 2nd Law-era live performances.

Note: white indicates performed at 75-100% of known setlists.

Gainsboro indicates performed at 50-75% of known setlists.

Silver indicates performed at 25-50% of known setlists.

Dark gray indicates performed at 0-25% of known setlists.

Black indicates no known performance that year.

Aqua indicates a performance in the current tour and year for which the final amount of performances is unknown.

Last updated: April 15, 2022.

Song Title Release 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2022 2023 #
Supremacy The 2nd Law 30 90 0 10 3 0 0 0 0 0 133
Madness The 2nd Law 38 93 3 41 80 32 11 61 18 56 433
Panic Station The 2nd Law 32 91 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 125
Prelude The 2nd Law 0 0 0 14 65 3 0 58 31 56 228
Survival The 2nd Law 29 88 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 118
Follow Me The 2nd Law 33 91 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 124
Animals The 2nd Law 29 49 2 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 90
Explorers The 2nd Law 26 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 59
Big Freeze The 2nd Law 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Save Me The 2nd Law 8 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10
Liquid State The 2nd Law 20 80 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 101
Unsustainable The 2nd Law 25 85 3 12 0 0 10 60 0 0 195
Isolated System The 2nd Law 25 87 3 13 79 33 9 0 0 52 301

Back to Number of Live Performances