This would have to be one of the most anticipated tours of the last year. The new look, new sounding Linkin Park has tongues wagging ever since the decided to move forward with Emily Armstrong fronting the band.
It’s a bold move for any band to move forward after a tragic loss of a frontman. Everyone from AC/DC has had their share of trial by fire with fans. For me while it was a very bold move to decide to move forward in Chester Bennington’s passing. Picking a female front was even more of a gamble.
With the last record End Zero we saw a rebirth of the band and a new approach. So, live how would this all work …. I will get to that in a moment.
First of all, kicking things off tonight was Sydney’s Polaris who seem to be riding a career peak and high. It’s performances like tonight’s that solidify just how good these five guys are live.
This is a band that knows how to work a crowd and earn their fans. There was so much energy and power in this set and the songs …. Well, they have never sounded better.
You could tell from the smile on frontman Jamie Hails’ face just how special this show was for him. With two nights already done and dusted in the six-date tour Polaris seemed settled and at home.
Hails went on to share the significance Linkin Park had on him as a teen “Linkin Park taught me how to sing, how to play guitar and how to scream”. It was heartfelt and so sincere as the frontman seemed so proud, and a touch overwhelmed by the reaction of the crowd at times during the set.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Polaris show without circle pits or even a wall of death which for where I was sitting was fun to watch. Again, people think these things are dangerous and they may well be but the community that partakes in them always look out for each other.
Polaris and that perfect blend of growls and screams from Hails and the clean vocals from bassist Jake Steinhauser are perfect in the way they blend and massive when they are in harmony. Steinhauser is Polaris’ secret weapon live. Hails is the energy and the feel of the band.
While the stage show wasn’t as spectacular as Linkin Park’s the clever video visuals and personalised lighting took the band to a new level of production. No flames, no CO2 jets just pure energy and atmosphere.
It is without a doubt that Polaris won over a ton of new fans as well as having their faithful’s support them. I remember reading a bunch of comments on socials when Polaris were announced as the support. All supporting the band and at times suggesting were Linkin Park supporting Polaris.
For me Polaris delivered a set that was career defining. The songs represented the catalogue well as an overview of the band. Tonight, there was a hint of what is to come for the band it showed a new level of what is possible for them, and the big stage is most definitely somewhere they will be calling home moving forward. I went from being someone who was a casual fan to someone who is checking to see when their next run of shows is, just to see if they can back up this incredible performance tonight.
Setlist : Nightmare, Dissipate, The Remedy, Masochist, Hypermania, All Of This Is Fleeting, Lucid, Inhumane.
I loved Polaris’ set. It set the tone and standard for the night. It’s always great when the support throws down and challenges the main attraction to do better. So how did Linkin Park do ?
From the ten-minute countdown that appeared on the screens anticipation was building in Rod Laver. The stage is vast and quite barren up close it’s massive. Getting close also gave a hint to just how big a production this show is. A massive lighting rig that simply evolved and changed the mood of the show worked perfectly with the music.
A single laser struck the stage as the band took to their places. Opening with ‘Somewhere I Belong’ there was intent, energy and a little chaos in the production. Good chaos that is.
Mike Shinoda took to the stage grinning like a Cheshire Cat while Emily Armstrong looked somewhat nervous and a little reserved. I guess when you are faced with a legion of die-hard fans from an era of the band that spoke to a generation it does have to be a little intimidating. In this case it’s the band’s first visit to Australia since the passing of Bennington.
It takes a couple of songs for Armstrong to loosen up and begin to shine. Vocally her performance couldn’t be faulted, she just seemed reserved early on. Shinoda is such a natural onstage and never one to stand still wearing the hats of vocalist, keyboard player and guitarist. His knack for delivering a flawless rap while just having so much fun is super infectious.
The set broken into segments had a very cinematic feel to it. Incredible graphics, lighting and camera work made the show much more than a performance. It made it an experience.
The two-hour, twenty-six song show laid focus on the “From Zero” record while mixing in the hits and fan favourites from the back catalogue. Once comfortable Armstrong in her natural self-looked so at home on stage and with the songs. Her clean voice is simply magical and when she lets loose with the throat ripping stuff she simply becomes another being.
I hold early Linkin Park so closely, those first three records were untouchable and connected with me on such an intense level. They pushed boundaries sonically and the songs from the Chester era sit in my soul so deeply. It was always going to be hard to hear ‘Numb’, ‘One Step Closer’, ‘In The End’, ‘What I’ve Done’, ‘Crawling’, ‘Somewhere I Belong’ and ‘Bleed It Out’ without Bennington, however I must say Armstrong nailed them all with the exception of ‘Numb’ which just didn’t carry the emotion it should have. Although the capacity crowd gave it something special as they sang out back with so much heart. It just felt flat for me.
‘In The End’ and ‘Faint’ closed out the set which were the perfect closures and the energy simply lifted to another level. Well, that was until the encores which simply tore Rod Laver apart.
By the encores Armstrong really didn’t have anything left to prove, she came, she kicked ass and she conquered. One final flurry of CO2 jets and another dose of confetti just seemed like the perfect end release for a show that really was a journey in storytelling, in mood, in light and dark. The performances were all sublime and if you caught the smiles from the band during the show, you know the band were so happy to be back out off the road and delivering a show of such high quality visually, emotionally and sonically.
I came into the show a little on the fence and left appreciating and loving everything this show is.
Setlist : Somewhere I Belong, Lying From You, Up From The Bottom. Crawling, The Emptiness Machine, The Catalyst, Burn It Down, Over Each Other, Where’d You Go, Waiting For The End, Castle Of Glass, Two Faced, When They Come For Me/Remember The Name, IGYEIH, One Step Closer, Lost, Good Things Go, What I’ve Done, Overflow, Numb, Let You Fade, In The End, Faint
Encore : Papercut, Heavy Is The Crown, Bleed It Out.
LINKIN PARK GALLERY
With many thanks to Nicole & Live Nation for the media access
All image credits Shot by Slaidins Photography
