Linkin Park at the United Center, Chicago
For over 10 years now, I have been listening to one, and only one, rock band consistently:
Linkin Park. For those who don't know, Maks G and I are longtime friends and he was the one that introduced me to LP at the very beginning. So naturally, when we got wave of the group's
A Thousand Suns tour stopping at the United Center in Chicago, we had to go. Neither of us have seen Linkin Park live before and after rave reviews from critics (2010 Winner of
'Best Live Act' at the EMAs) and friends alike, we both agreed that this is something we should mark off the checklist, and what better time than now. As an added bonus, Maks' spot is walking distance to the UC, even on a brutally cold winter night last Wednesday. It was one swift and spontaneous decision that we weren't at all questioning once we settled in after that walk for what turned out to be an ultra-energetic performance and a memorable concert experience that exceeded the high praise we had seen only as mere words just hours before.
Quite frankly, I didn't know what to expect exactly. After all, the amount of rock concerts I had been to previously is equal to the amount of Super Bowl rings Packers star cornerback Charles Woodson currently has: none. (After tonight though, I think the correct number for both of those will be one. As much as the Bears fan in me is rooting against it, I think Woodson, Aaron Rodgers, & Co. will hoist the Lombardi Trophy tonight. I also think Christina Aguilera will hold the word 'brave' for over 6 seconds, a Steeler will do the Aaron Rodgers 'belt' celebration, the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach will be yellow, and the MVP will thank God first. Prop bets FTW!).
The lights first dimmed to the point where you couldn't make out the championship banners of the Bulls and Blackhawks above. The only source of light came from the flashes of the screaming fans waiting in anticipation for one more cue that the band was in fact coming out. That cue came in the form of a GWHH-consensus pick for the 'Album Intro All-Star Team':
"The Requiem". This chilling intro track would clearly
start on our Album Intro All-Star Team (see what I did there?) as it is a simple, yet epic mood setter that begins the
Thousand Suns album. From our close, side view vantage point, we had a glimpse of LP frontman Chester Bennington jumping up and down and getting absolutely hyped before hitting the stage at the intro's culmination. I am always curious about pre-show and pre-game routines, so Chester's will be quite the lasting image anytime I press play on
A Thousand Suns. Instead of vaulting into the first song of the album "Burning In The Skies", the group rightfully opted to perform a more high-octane energy record to kick things off:
Meteora's "Faint". They followed that with
"Lying From You" from the same album (my favorite of theirs, for the record) and the show was off to a seamless and perfect start.
Linkin Park at the United Center, Chicago
What first hit us about their live show was Chester's clarity in his mix of both singing and screaming - not only for the first two songs, but throughout the entire concert. I am still scratching my head today about how Chester's voice can sustain such loud screams throughout just one show, let alone the whole tour. He delivered all of his lyrics at near-studio quality, as he had a live sound and touch that made it all feel authentic. The same can be said for Linkin Park's other main vocalist: Mike Shinoda, who cranked out some melodies in addition to the rap that we first think of him for. No lip-synching and no skipping words here, and that made the live experience that much more enjoyable.
With the show fully underway now, Linkin Park ripped through many of the classics you would expect plus the perfect amount of new jams from A Thousand Suns that fans of the group who have seen them before were seeing for the first time. In addition, the stage was set up with a V-shape, leading Mike and Chester to walk up and down both sides and show love to the entire UC crowd and not just the rabid fans who were even starting mosh pits in the floor seats. And oh yes, there were plenty of crowd surfers who made their way to the stage, receiving dap from Chester that made it all worth it. Props to Chester for recognizing every one.
Onto my favorite stretch of the concert. It began with my favorite LP song
"In The End", which doubled as the best performance of the night due to the goosebump-inducing crowd participation. After all, "In The End" is on the short list for Linkin Park's most well-known song, and the last verse naturally appeals for the crowd to sing along. Mike and Chester egged us along by holding the mics to the crowd and it translated powerfully in the official live recording you can download below (and you can download the whole concert at
linkinpark.com). That experience alone was well worth the price of admission, but this energy was then bolstered, believe it or not, by an intense performance of
"Bleed It Out" that followed. Truthfully, I was never really high on this song, but to see the energy that Chester put into this one - nearly stage diving, but settling for singing a duet with a random fan - made me a fan of the song.
LIVE From Chicago 01.26.11 *TIBS FAV.™
This, however, means that my pre-show prediction of "In The End" being the concert's last song was wrong. I was left wondering what would be the Mariano Rivera of the
Thousand Suns Tour: Chicago and it was none other than the band's first hit:
"One Step Closer". Excellent choice. The crowd's energy matched the peak set by the two songs in the previous paragraph for a memorable farewell to the one-and-a-half hour set. We were also treated to excellent performances of slower songs like
"Iridescent" and
"Shadow Of The Day" in addition to favorites like
"Numb",
"What I've Done", and
"New Divide" amongst others. But to my disappointment: no performance at all of
"Somewhere I Belong" - one of my (and many others) favorite singles of the group. I would expect that one performed on other stops of the tour for what I assume is a sometimes-changing setlist. Flat out though, Linkin Park put on one helluva show and not only lived up to the hype, but exceeded it. Could my first rock concert have gone any better?
Be sure to check out Linkin Park on their remaining stops on the
A Thousand Suns Tour, more photos from the Chicago stop below, and LP similarly rockin' the stage on SNL just last night below as well. Enjoy!
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Linkin Park "When They Come For Me" LIVE on SNL
Linkin Park "Waiting For The End" LIVE on SNL
