Linkin Park played their biggest-ever sold-out headline show at Wembley Stadium in London, UK, on Saturday, the 28th of June, to around 75,000 fans. It was a scorching day in terms of weather, but that didn't stop the masses from filling out a packed stadium, which was quite a sight in itself. It was the band's first time playing the stadium, and my first time seeing a band play here, and it was quite an experience.
Considering some have been throwing negative comments about having a new vocalist join the band since the tragic passing of original vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017, which led to the band going on a hiatus and then a reformation in the form of new vocalist Emily Armstrong, and drummer Colin Brittain to join original members vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist, Mike Shinoda, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and bassist Dave Farrell. Original lead guitarist Brad Delson is still part of the band, but only for recording and not touring, so Alex Feder is currently their touring guitarist. Their success with new vocalist Emily on board is evident with their newest eighth album 'From Zero' (2024), which reached the number one spot in various countries, and the fact that they sold out their biggest ever headline show.
The band were due to come on at 8.15 pm, and they helpfully displayed a ten-minute timer to countdown, which got the crowd excited; as it got down to ten seconds until the start, everyone was shouting the countdown together in anticipation, showing early in the enthusiasm and passion before the band came out and as soon as they did everyone who was seated stood up immediately and did throughout the entire over two-hour set! It was one of the most impressive crowds I have seen in a while, especially for those seated, who were just as engaged as the ones standing.
They opened with 'Somewhere I Belong' from 2003's 'Meteora' album, which felt like the perfect start, followed by the ever-popular 'Crawling' from their debut album, 'Hybrid Theory'. After some older tracks, they moved on to their newest album 'From Zero' with 'Cut The Bridge' and the debut single 'The Emptiness Machine', which impressively got just as big a response in terms of everyone singing along as their older material, which sometimes isn't the case when it comes to new songs.
They kept the set varied, playing songs from most of their eight albums. They played a shortened version of 'The Catalyst' from 2010's 'A Thousand Suns', followed by 'Burn It Down' from 2012's 'Living Things' album. Back to the latest album with the bonus track 'Up From The Bottom'.
Mike Shinoda then announced that Emily had requested they play a cover song, and that cover was from Mike Shinoda's side project, Fort Minor, with 'Where'd You Go', keeping things very diverse.
Further into the set, they play my favourite new song, 'Two Faced', which truly shows off Emily's impressive screams in one of their heaviest offerings, closely followed by another crushing track, 'Casualty', another favourite of mine on 'From Zero' and keeping things on the heavy side they play the colossal 'One Step Closer', all of which get the crowds going wild.
To give the band and the fans a bit of a cool-down, they play 'What I've Done' from 2007's 'Minutes To Midnight' and the ballad 'Numb', which the fans passionately sing along to word for word, as they've throughout. Again, something poignant was the crowd singing along just as loudly to both old and new songs. After the hit 'In The End', they crank it up again with some faster, heavier tracks such as 'Faint' which had the crowd bouncing and moshing and screaming their lungs out, followed by some older songs from 'Hybrid Theory' with 'Papercut' and the nice addition of 'A Place For My Head' and as we near the end of their set, they go back to their newer songs with 'Heavy Is The Crown' which sounded fantastic live. I had to leave after this to get ahead of the crowd to get home, so I missed the final song.
It was such a well-balanced and paced set that spanned their career, and when they slowed things down, they quickly brought the energy back up. The whole band looked like they were having a blast and were on top form, giving great energy and presence throughout. Their passion and dedication were evident, and it was lovely to see Mike go off into the crowd and give a lucky fan the hat he was wearing, which the whole band had signed. It was a historic night for the band and fans alike, fuelled by passion and fun, with everyone leaving happy. As Mike said himself, they hadn't played Wembley Stadium before. He beamed, 'This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be" - as well as earlier in the set delivering a message in a bad British accent as he explained he likes to read a message in the native tongue of the country they are playing which was hilarious as he said, "Oi! It's a cracking night for a fucking show, innit?!" and it certainly was and even exceeded his and everyone's expectations. They were filming the show, so here's hoping they release a DVD of this unforgettable night!
Words and Photos by Carina Lawrence (Mad About Rock)
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