Fans who gathered at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California on Wednesday night (September 11) came to see a Linkin Park concert. And even though the band that took the stage looked very different than in Linkin Park's heyday, the crowd enthusiastically embraced the revamped lineup. In fact, they were on their feet for two hours, with a 27-song setlist that included both classic favorites (mostly piled on toward the end of the show), new single “The Emptiness Machine,” and a handful of tracks that have rarely if ever been played live.
Following the announcement of a new album and tour last week, as well as a live performance, Emily Armstrong’s introduction as the band’s new lead singer to the Forum crowd was handled matter-of-factly after a few songs, with co-vocalist Mike Shinoda offering a wry, casual, “Los Angeles! Thanks. Have you met our friend Emily yet? That’s Emily.” Wearing layered tops and baggy pants that invoked the rise of 2000s skater chic, Armstrong continued to move around the large center stage, her focus always on winning over the General Admission fans standing nearby.
There was no mention of the controversy surrounding Armstrong, who is essentially filling in for the late Chester Bennington. That said, Shinoda, as he insisted during last week’s invite-only livestream, asserted once again that it is the fans who are taking on Bennington’s role. “I know a lot of you watched the livestream, right?” Shinoda asked the crowd, to cheers. “You know you guys are singing for Chester tonight, right? You know that.”
The crowd applauded for that. The crowd applauded for allwith all their hearts. It's rare to see such a strong connection between band and audience, without the latter experiencing any confusion about which band they had come to see play: there were at least four, maybe five organic chants of “Linkin Park!” that echoed through the stadium over the course of the evening. And while they never quite managed to capture the entire audience's attention, there were also multiple attempts to start an “Emily! Emily!” chant from different points in the stadium.
Armstrong isn't the only new face in the revamped Linkin Park. Drummer Rob Bourdon opted out of the comeback and was replaced by Cole Brittain. Meanwhile, guitarist Brad Delson remains a member of the band, but has opted not to tour with the group. Alex Feder has taken his place in the touring lineup.
Despite the changes, the band's chemistry during the songs was top-notch, with no indication that these musicians had only been playing together (in secret!) for a year or so. There was, however, an awkward novelty to some of the onstage banter, such as one exchange in which Armstrong, after letting out a few expletives, was reprimanded by Shinoda for swearing.
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