Linkin Park played the first show of their reunion tour last night (September 11) – check out fan footage, the full setlist and more below.
The new iteration of the band took to the stage at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California to deliver a 26-track set – including classics such as ‘Crawling’, ‘One Step Closer’, ‘Numb’ and ‘What I’ve Done’.
- READ MORE: “This is not the end, this is not the beginning”: Linkin Park look to the future with new faces
It came after the group launched their comeback during a live-streamed event last week. The event saw Mike Shinoda and co. debut Emily Armstrong (formerly of Dead Sara) as their singer, and announce a new album called ‘From Zero’ (pre-order/pre-save here).
Speaking to yesterday’s crowd, Shinoda explained that this version of Linkin Park was “not about erasing the past” following the controversy surrounding Armstrong stepping in to replace the late Chester Bennington.
He said that playing to new fans who haven’t seen them live before was “part of why we’re back out here”.
“We are thrilled to be back out here. It is not about erasing the past – it is about starting this new chapter into the future, and coming out here for each and every one of you,” Shinoda continued.
“We love playing for you guys, we love writing this music – we’re very fucking excited about the new record. So thank you guys very much – we’ve had an incredible night with you. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”
Linkin Park with new members Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain. Credit: James Minchin III
Elsewhere, Linkin Park gave ‘Friendly Fire’ its live debut. The song was released earlier this year, but it was recorded with Bennington on vocals during sessions for their 2017 album ‘One More Light’.
They also played ‘Keys To The Kingdom’ from 2014 record ‘The Hunting Party’ for the very first time.
To introduce the cut, Armstong demanded “justice for the fucking ‘Hunting Party’”. This was an apparent nod to material from that LP being absent from this year’s career-spanning singles collection, ‘Papercuts’. “Can we get some justice for ‘The Hunting Party’?” Shinoda replied, with Armstrong adding: “I think we should. This is the first time this song has ever been done live.”
‘Bleed It Out’ from Linkin Park’s third album ‘Minutes To Midnight’ (2007) served as the encore closer. The bridge included a snippet of Shinoda’s Fort Minor track ‘There They Go’.
Earlier in the show, Shinoda and Armstrong delivered a shortened, piano-led rendition of ‘Lost’ – a previously unheard track that came out last year. New single ‘The Emptiness Machine’ was given a live outing too.
Check out a selection of footage from the gig here:
Linkin Park’s setlist was:
‘Somewhere I Belong’
‘Crawling’
‘Lying From You’
‘Points Of Authority’
‘New Divide’
‘The Emptiness Machine’
‘The Catalyst’
‘Burn It Down’
‘Waiting For The End’
‘Castle Of Glass’
(Joe Hahn Solo)
‘When They Come for Me’/’Remember The Name’ (Mike Shinoda solo)
‘Lost In The Echo’
‘Given Up’ (first time live since 2015)
‘One Step Closer’
‘Lost’ (Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong duet piano version)
‘Breaking The Habit’
‘What I’ve Done’
‘Leave Out All The Rest’
‘My December’ (first time live since 2008)
‘Friendly Fire’ (live debut)
‘Numb’
‘In The End’
‘Faint’
ENCORE:
‘Papercut’
‘Keys To The Kingdom’ (live debut)
‘Bleed It Out’
Drummer Colin Brittain has joined Linkin Park for this run of dates following the departure of founding member Rob Bourdon.
Founding guitarist Brad Delson is also absent from the band’s current tour, but is still working with them behind-the-scenes – including participating in the creation of new music.
Linkin Park’s 2024 tour dates are:
SEPTEMBER
16 – Barclays Center – New York, New York
22 – Barclays Arena – Hamburg, Germany
24 – The O2 – London, UK
28 – INSPIRE Arena – Seoul, South Korea
NOVEMBER
11 – Coliseo Medplus – Bogota, Colombia
Ahead of last night’s show in California, Chester Bennington’s son claimed that Linkin Park fans had been “aggressive” towards him since he criticised the revamped group. Additionally, Jaime said his father’s former bandmates “didn’t ask me how I felt” about the comeback.
The initial response to the new line-up was largely positive among fellow artists and fans alike. However, controversy soon arose after it emerged that Armstrong seemingly had ties to Scientology and convicted rapist Danny Masterson. This was brought to light after a message sent to the singer by The Mars Volta and former At The Drive-In frontman Cedric Bixler-Zavala resurfaced online.
Jaime, 28, later hit out at remarks made by Shinoda. The latter explained that fans may need “time to wrap their heads around” the band reforming with Armstrong. He also said that those who “disrespect” him due to the decision will “lose my respect in return”.
Jaime subsequently explained that he would be interested in attending Linkin Park’s first reunion concert, despite him having taken issue with Armstrong’s involvement. However, he claimed that the group hadn’t offered him a ticket.
Armstrong explained last weekend that she would “love to do [Chester Bennington] proud”, and issued a statement addressing her previous support of Masterson.
Meanwhile, Shinoda has spoken about why Linkin Park chose to keep their band name for the relaunched line-up. Additionally, he has said he is “not sure” if the group will make new recordings of older songs that feature Bennington – who died by suicide in 2017.
In a statement, Shinoda wrote: “We feel really empowered with this new line-up and the vibrant and energised new music we’ve made together. We’re weaving together the sonic touchpoints we’ve been known for and still exploring new ones.”
Linkin Park’s new album ‘From Zero’ is due to arrive on November 15 – see the full tracklist below.
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