People respond to music in different ways. Some nod their head to the beat. Others like to tear it up in the pit. Then there are those who demonstrate their enthusiasm in their own special way.
Linkin Park encountered one such fan at Montreal’s Bell Centre, where they recently played as part of their Meteora World Tour. Guitarist Brad Delson remembers it as if it were yesterday.
“There was a 400-pound man who I guess had become so exhilarated with the show that he had taken off all of his clothes and he was dry-humping the floor,” he recalls. “It took about six guys to actually wrestle him out of there and remove him. Which is unfortunate, because apparently he was having a very good time.”
“We encourage that,” adds bassist Phoenix. “We’re making a difference, helping people.”
Linkin Park are currently crossing the United States with P.O.D., Hoobastank and Story Of The Year. Although there are only three Canadian dates on the sprawling tour, Delson points out that the Montreal and Toronto shows “are by far the biggest shows on the tour.”
It’s hardly surprising given that Linkin Park’s recently released Live In Texas CD/DVD has already achieved platinum status in Canada for garnering sales in excess of 100,000 units.
“That really made an impact on me,” says Delson. “First of all, I didn’t know we were platinum here, but the fact that Canada is one of our most important markets really is a testament to the Linkin Park fans in Canada.”
Previously, Linkin Park appeared in Canada as part of last year’s Summer Sanitarium Tour, alongside heavy-hitters Metallica, Limp Bizkit, Mudvayne and The Deftones.
“Although we don’t play in Canada as much as we do in the U.S., we’ve always made it a point to come here as often as possible,” says Delson. “We’re just blown away by how amazing our Canadian fanbase is. We’ve always made a commitment to come here and try to give back to those kids who make this possible for us.”
Linkin Park play the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, BC on February 12.
