Linkin Park

Date: 19th August 2013
Venue: Stadium Nasional Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Promoter: The WonderLand+
Special Thanks: YL, and The WonderLand+ team
Credit: LPLive.net for setlist, bits of tour info and other facts

A decade. A decade is a long time to wait for something, but some things are just worth waiting for; and let me tell you this, a Linkin Park show is worth waiting multiple decades for. After 10 years, the six-piece band from LA finally graced our shores again on their Living Things Tour, bringing with them their energetic live show that is known to not disappoint. And Malaysia welcomed them back with arms wide open.

I believe that their 2003 show gave a kickstart to Malaysia’s international concert scene, so having them back after such a long time (albeit with hundreds of international bands and artists in between) is a great feeling. It was a long time coming when the news made its rounds – KL was one of the two Southeast Asian stops on this short tour.

With no supporting act, the sextet launched the show at 8.40pm with the Living Things instrumental, “Tinfoil”, before swiftly transitioning into “Faint”. The moment the familiar riffs were heard, the 20,000 strong crowd let loose, jumping and singing along with vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda. The first half hour of the performance included hits such its as “Papercut” and “With You” off their debut Hybrid Theory, which I could imagine was nothing but delightful for their older fans.

Being a successful band for more than a decade, Linkin Park are seasoned when it comes to their live sets and most certainly know what gets the crowd going; fan participation and interaction is without a doubt, a significant element to them. The band makes a conscious effort to always engage them during their performance, and this show was no exception.

Following “New Divide”, their contribution to the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen’s soundtrack, came the unmistakable intro to “Victimized” – fast paced, and hard-hitting – with verses off b-side “Qwerty” at the end. Interestingly enough, the “speech” at the beginning the song is of a guy outside the venue selling LP merchandise before the show at their concert in Jakarta in 2011, which Mike recorded with his iPhone. Fan favourite “Points Of Authority” had the crowd going nuts with the group, with waves of jumps in the pit.

The stage banter appears to be kept to a minimum as they tore through the set, song after song. Still, the front men appear to have been slightly chattier with a hint of vigour at this gig than they were at the other Asian shows, quite possibly due to the fact that they have not played in KL for an extended period of time. Alternatively, it may have been the excitement from knowing that the band and crew were mere hours away from their flights home, with this being the final show of the tour.

It didn’t take long before Chester started giving his thanks between songs, and exclaimed how they missed their fans. “We just want to say thank you to everybody who’s been with the band for so long. From Hybrid Theory to now, it’s been a ride. It’s been really incredible, so we just want to thank you guys for being with us through all of the twist and turns,” Mike tells their Malaysian (and international) supporters, who applauded in appreciation. He also took the opportunity to inform them of their new free-to-play video game on Facebook called “Recharge”, which is set to launch on 12^th September. Playing the game would enable fans to unlock the new Linkin Park x Steve Aoki song, “A Light That Never Comes”, which made its debut performance just over a week ago at Japan’s Summer Sonic in Tokyo.

Personally, the highlight of the night was definitely the band’s medley of “Leave Out All The Rest/Shadow Of The Day/Iridescent”. Starting with a slow, yet delicate intro from Mike on keyboards, Chester begins with the chorus of “Leave Out All The Rest”, yellow rays of light pouring above them. This simple and stripped down arrangement made Chester’s signing the focal point, and truly showcased his vocal ability and strength in its purest form. Rob made his appearance just as they hit into the first verse of “Shadow Of The Day”, accentuating the emotions and nostalgia felt with every beat as the song reaches its crescendo. The atmosphere heightened when the drizzle from the start of the show did not seem to ease, complementing the rather melancholy medley.

The band’s first single from 2000, “One Step Closer”, closed the main set of 19 songs. Energy levels high, the audience was sure to make it count and have their voices heard on this one, before reluctantly allowing the band to leave the stage.

Returning minutes later for their encore of three songs, Linkin Park performed the lead single off Living Things, “Burn It Down”. Striking visuals on the backdrop screen accompanied their performance throughout, with some featuring clips and parts taken from the band’s actual music videos. “I want to hear you guys sing this, alright? Are you ready?” Chester asks before the recognizable notes of “In The End” began, and fans united once more, echoing the lyrics back at the band. Despite nearing the end of the set, fan interaction is still a priority and it is always during this song that gets them involved again. In true Linkin Park fashion, Mike made his way down to the crowd, gave fans high fives, and had them sing the chorus into his mic.

Minutes To Midnight’s “Bleed It Out” closed the hour and a half concert. Both vocalists were seen deliberating during the bridge of the song, before Mike rapped the first verse of a Xero track, “Reading My Eyes”, pleasing the diehards. The audience bade them goodbye as the final chords faded away, ending the 16 month tour.

Although the band played a mix of songs off each of their five studio albums at this show, the setlist was mostly made up of singles. Despite the lack of surprises, they delivered a stellar performance and it was sufficient to keep fans – both old and new – satiated until the next tour. The band’s unique signature sound, their solid live concerts, and the consistency in reaching out to do new things continues to preserve the relationship they have built with their fans over the years.

SETLIST