It was clear from the start Wednesday night at Target Center that Linkin Park’s fans were more than ready for the band’s triumphant return.
The crowd cheered wildly as each member of the rap rock group took the mostly darkened stage and then erupted once they launched into the first song of the night, “Somewhere I Belong.” By the time they got to the third number “Crawling,” the energy exploded once again as the audience sang along with glee.
The last time we saw Linkin Park in town was 11 years ago, nearly to the day, at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. But the 2025 Linkin Park didn’t look quite the same.
Lead singer Chester Bennington died by suicide in 2017, a week before the North American leg of the band’s tour was set to start. The following year, vocalist/rapper/multi-instrumentalist Mike Shinoda said he had every intention on continuing the group, but gave no timetable, saying at the time that “we have a lot of rebuilding to do.”
In 2023, the band reunited with a new lead singer, Dead Sara vocalist Emily Armstrong. Drummer Rob Bourdon chose not to participate and Colin Brittain stepped in to take his place. Lead guitarist Brad Delson played on LP’s first album with Armstrong, 2024’s “From Zero,” but chose not to tour while saying he may change his mind in the future. Alex Feder is serving as his live replacement.
Even though half of the six band members were new, they still very much conjured the raw intensity and spirit of Linkin Park Wednesday night. It felt odd, yet promising, when the band took on a woman in a genre that’s almost exclusively male. But once she started to sing Wednesday, it was obvious why they hired her. She’s got an amazingly powerful voice and the ability to effortlessly transition from melodic singing to fierce growling.
Related Articles
State Fair Grandstand review: Hank Williams Jr. offers something like a memoir in music
Concert review: Was Def Leppard worth a record $292 a ticket at the Grandstand?
State Fair Grandstand review: The ‘Happy Together’ tour summons up the ‘60s yet again
Rapper Playboi Carti to headline Xcel Energy Center in October
Concert review: Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge rev up the State Fair Grandstand
No, she doesn’t sound like Bennington, but that’s a good thing. She brings a freshness to a band that enjoyed a successful 17-year run tragically cut short and followed by a seven-year hiatus. Armstrong didn’t feel the need to hog the spotlight, either, with Shinoda now effectively acting as the band’s leader.
For two hours, LP surveyed each era of their history from their multi-platinum 2000 debut “Hybrid Theory” through the well-received “From Zero.” Indeed, two of the recent singles with Armstrong, “The Emptiness Machine” and “Up from the Bottom,” were highlights of the first hour. So was “The Catalyst,” an epic that started as a hard-edged techno thriller and turned into a power ballad that got the crowd waving their arms in the air.
Middle-aged fans who were there from the start made up a large part of the crowd, but many brought their kids. At one point, Shinoda jumped off stage and slapped hands with fans. He found one who appeared to be in grade school and gave him his hat, which the band had all signed. And that kid looked like he was in heaven.
Second acts can be tough to pull off in rock music, especially when there are new faces involved. Linkin Park seems to have pulled it off with ease and there was a real sense of both purpose and joy radiating from the stage.
Shinoda also took a moment to acknowledge the mass shooting Wednesday morning that left two children dead and 17 people injured at Annunciation Church in south Minneapolis. He said he knew what it was like to pick up the pieces after a tragedy, dedicated the show to the “loving, resilient city of Minneapolis” and said he hoped a night of music would bring a positive light in a time of darkness.
Leave a Reply