Linkin Park has been busy. They have a new singer. They released a new album. They toured, and are still touring, the world. I saw them live in Portland Oregon.
Before diving into the show, I have a mini review of their album to share. I really like their new album, From Zero. It’s a solid Linkin Park album that has a lot of DNA from all of their previous ones. I also think it is their least risky album since Meteora, which is probably a good idea. Emily sounds great. I absolutely love Over Each Other; I was shocked to learn the song was written by Mike before Emily started working with them. It is a song that 100% feels like her own. I like the entire album, but A Thousand Sun is still my favorite Linkin Park album. I was excited to see Linkin Park live again.
A friend and I bought tickets, and decided to do Portland Oregon. He has a brother that lives there, and he wanted to see Linkin Park as well. We hung out for a few days, but the main event was the concert for me.
I really like concerts. I’m not an extrovert, but being surrounded by people who like the same thing you do is intoxicating. We were in general admission, and struck up a conversation with a couple on the floor with us. They told us about their journey from discovering Linkin Park to becoming a fan. We shared our stories. It was cool, and easy to just talk.
The stage was in the center of the floor, which was great. There was not a bad spot to stand, because you were close to the stage even if you were in the back. We were near the front, so I was prepared for the surge of bodies pushing us forward. With this layout, the swell wasn’t too bad. A few people pushed their ways in front of us. The bad part was them holding up their phones for most of the concert and having really bad BO. That experience will slowly fade that memory, and I’ll only remember the rest of the concert.
Step Brad (Alex Felder), the nickname for Linkin Park’s touring guitarist, was awesome. He spent the most time in our corner of the stage. He had the biggest grin on his face the entire time, and played for the crowd. He’s awesome. I really want to know the story behind each of his guitars. One of his guitars is very worn, and I bet he has a lot of memories tied to it. EDIT – It appears they might be Brad’s (Linkin Park’s guitarist) guitars. Oops.
You can tell Mike is happy to be back in front of a crowd. He moved all around the stage, and soaked in the audience. There was a really cool moment where he got off the stage and started moving around the gate. Of course, this was all planned and he had security. It’s between songs and he is talking to the crowd. He sees a little girl on the shoulders of (I assume) her parents. He stops and talks directly to her. Asks her questions, and lets her speak into his mic to answer. After their little chat, he takes off his cap, and hands it to her. He tells her it is signed by the entire band. Everyone clapped. It was actually pretty emotional for me. I wasn’t too far away from this.
Colin, their new drummer, is wild. Of course, he played the hell out of the drums, but he’s talented in other instruments as well. He played other instruments, like the acoustic guitar, for some songs. Alas, he never was over on our corner of the stage. His drums did get switched up throughout the show, but his back was towards us when he was closest.
Phoenix, their bassist, was all over the stage. He didn’t spend a lot of time in one area. I don’t have any other way to describe it, but he gets in a zenlike zone and just plays. This concert was no different.
Mr. Hahn, their DJ, did his thing. Man, his medley in the middle of the set was so cool. I wish I had a video of it. When not scratching, he walked around with a go-pro and filmed a bunch. There were also tracking cameras and drones set up around the stage. I’m sure there is a ton of footage of all of their concerts.
I’m a bit sad to report that I was a just a little bit disappointed with Emily. Don’t get me wrong; she did great on all of the songs. Her emotion drips into each word sung. Her talent is not in question here. Instead, her showwomanship was a bit lacking. This is an aspect that I think deserves direct comparisons to Chester.
When Chester performed, he was all over the stage. He not only fed the crowd with his energy, but the crowd seemed to feed him. He would stop and sing at various parts of the stage, and there was an intensity when he was singing from “your” part of the stage. Another thing that might seem small was he said, “Thank you” between pretty much every song. It really added that he was fed by the crowd.
Sometimes Mike and Emily would dialog, which was great. They are goofy together. It’s different from Chester and Mike, but I love it. I’m mostly disappointed that she did not spend a lot of time on our side of the stage. She seemed to roam, and then stop at the same spot every time. The spot just so happened to be on the opposite side of the stage from us. She did this even when the stage was changed up mid set. When she did come to our side of the stage, it was like a drive-by. Sing a line, and move on.
Again, I want to reiterate that her talent is amazing, and I loved hearing her sing. The entire experience was a lot of fun. Linkin Park put on a hell of a laser and light show on top of a great concert. Of the four times I have seen them live, this is easily one of the best shows I have seen.
If you get a chance to see them, I highly recommend it.