The dream of many kids learning to play guitar or prancing in front of a mirror with a faux microphone is to play in front of a sold out crowd singing along to their songs and chanting their name; Linkin Park has lived their dreams and then some. After a very successful Projekt Revolution tour this past summer, the band was back out on the road with an arena tour bringing Chiodos and Coheed & Cambria along for the ride. For the near sold-out crowd in Baltimore on February 19th, it was a rock show to remember. Probably one of the best that these concert goers have seen in the past year.
The night opened with Chiodos, a six-member post-hardcore band from Michigan. The band has its own tight following, which was evident in their recent forage through Baltimore back in the Fall. These fans were again out in attendance as the arena was more than half full when they took the stage. Many squashed along the barricade in the standing room only floor were sporting Chiodos t-shirts and sang/screamed along to every song. It can be hard making the transition from a club stage to an arena stage, but this band is one that seemed very comfortable up there.
Next up was Coheed & Cambria. Coheed & Cambria are one of those bands that you are either going to love or be bored during their set. For those that are into progressive rock bands, this is definitely your cup of tea. Unfortunately the crowd by this time was primarily now a Linkin Park crowd, and although they were pumped up during the set by Chiodos, most were now sitting down. That’s not to say that there weren’t Coheed fans in the house as one could see some of them standing up singing/air guitaring along, but the majority were not. In fact, there was one girl sound asleep in her seat just a few rows off the floor near the stage. Don’t know how she did that considering the sound volume.
Click for more photos! Now for the main attraction. After seeing their performance on this past summer’s Projekt Revolution tour, one wouldn’t didn’t think anything could top that but top it they did. Linkin Park came out with a burst of energy that didn’t stop even through two planned encores (sorry, encores are no longer spontaneous). Their set was a mix of their albums that had Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda running back and forth across the stage; Shinoda in particular as he had other duties besides singing, such as playing guitar and some keyboards as well. Linkin Park started off the night with “No More Sorrow” off of their latest release, Minutes to Midnight. They slowed things down in middle of the set to give the crowd a bit of a break to mellow out to the somewhat calmer songs, “The Little Things Give You Away” and “Shadow of the Day”, before closing out the set with “Bleed It Out”. And if you were wondering if bands ever notice individual people in the crowd, they do; Shinoda pointed out a 10-year old probably there for his first concert and noticed his eyes light up as they started the song. The evening ended on a high note with the second encore that included “One Step Closer” and “Faint”. The stage itself was very stripped down with multilevel risers including risers on hydraulics for the drums and DJ equipment. Above the stage were multiple screens that dipped down to the stage during specific songs to create a unique visual effect. At times they displayed what was happening on the stages while at other times they displayed video of world leaders and other visual items. It was a total package of music and lights without overwhelming the music.
With so many bands out there trying to make it as the genre of the “popular” music changes, it’s great to see a band that you have watched grow from a 150-person venue to a sold out arena. That being said, it’s great to see that same band knocking out hit after hit and for all appearances are the same bunch of guys that you hung out with after that show in that 150-person venue. Linkin Park has grown over the years but in the same vein has stayed true to themselves. Most of the bands that they were grouped with in the rock/rap genre have gone to the wayside, but they haven’t. Instead they have expanded their horizons and are on top of their game. If you get a chance, go see them; you won’t be disappointed.
Linkin Park Setlist:
01. No More Sorrow
02. Don’t Stay
03. Somewhere I Belong
04. Wake
05. Given Up
06. Lying From You
07. Papercut
08. Points Of Authority
09. Leave Out All The Rest
10. Numb
11. The Little Things Give You Away
12. Shadow Of The Day
13. Breaking The Habit
14. Valentine’s Day
15. Crawling
16. In The End
17. Bleed It Out
18. My December
19. What I’ve Done
20. One Step Closer
21. Faint
