Words and photos by: JD Punisher
Special thank you to Live Nation
The turn of the century saw many things, worldwide panic due to the Y2K bullshit, Spongebob premiered, we got a new Star Wars movie, Michael Jordan retired from the NBA a second time and the world sat and watched the President of the United States get impeached. Ah, Moon Pie, what a time to be alive. But, if any of that makes you feel old, then lets touch on the fact that the music world was just learning who a young Californian up and coming band could really do. In one instant, without the aid of social media, this 6 member outfit burst onto the scene and with great ferocity, annihilated our collective minds and ear drums in the best way possible. This was Linkin Park and there would never be anyone like them ever again.
When the support for the From Zero tour was announced, I was absolutely floored. Our very own POLARIS were to hit arena stages country wide to really showcase what Aussie metal is all about. Now, lets take a trip down memory lane and think about how far this little 5 piece from Sydney has come in the last 10 years. I first witnessed Polaris supporting Parkway Drive on the 10 Years of Horizons Tour, and since that fateful moment, I was a massive fan. They command stages like no other, and they kick out killer tunes in the process. When you’ve seen a band go from playing The Cooly Hotel, to now destroy it on arena stages, you cant help but be proud of the talent our country is producing.
Driving the heaviest of starts to a set with Nightmare, its clear the boys aren’t here to muck around, this is business for them. Its time to pull up their boot straps and gain a hefty amount of new fans. This is a given, as I’m yet to see anyone walk away from one of their gigs NOT a fan. Its time for that old gem of the ‘Call and Response’ that gets the crowd going, as vocalist Jamie Hails gives us a lesson on how to give their song The Remedy the right treatment, we launch straight into a whole arena shouting ‘Heavy hangs the beating heart!‘. Goosebumps, ooft!!
Walls of death, circle pits and all to a soundtrack of one of Australia’s best rising metal exports. What a way to kick of a gig of this magnitude. Wrapping up the set with Lucid and Inhumane was masterful, the whole setlist showing how beautiful their music can be, while still delivering the heaviest of heavy’s. And that’s what we’re here for right? You wouldn’t be on HEAVY MAG’S website reading this if you weren’t. As the lads depart the stage, the atmosphere is dialled up to 11 as we all prepare to give it all to Linkin Park.
How many of you can recall your favourite Linkin Park song? It’s 100%, isn’t it? Linkin Park did something to music in the early 2000’s that was constantly tried upon, but never fully achieved. They bridged the gap across so many genres. Bringing hip-hop, metal and electronica, all with a punk rock vibe into the forefront of modern music, their tunes still stack up to this day and they gain new fans daily. Bow down in awe to these minstrels, they truly did more for the music you listen to these days without you even knowing it.
The countdown clock hits the screens, were 10 mins out from the start of possibly the gig of the year and the Brisbane Entertainment Centre is now at fever pitch. Call me a little bit nostalgic but when you’re waiting to photograph one of the most iconic bands and Underworld’s Born Slippy pipes through the speakers, you can’t help but move to the beat. With cheers going up as the afore mentioned clock hits 2 minutes, 1 minute, 30 second, and then the 10 second count down, we think we’re prepared for this, but oh no, we are NOT prepared for what is about to transpire. Ready yourselves, this is about to get intense.
With a small scratch intro from the one and only Mr. Hahn, it’s straight into Somewhere I Belong and with one song, my hesitation toward front woman Emily Armstong is dispelled in an instant. My scepticism is put to rest as I hear her move from melodic to screams without any effort whatsoever. If anyone had doubts, I’m sure they’re well and truly buried now, especially once Crawling starts. Every note, every scream, EVERYTHING is on point, Emily is absolutely flawless tonight.
This setlist is incredibly massive to say the least, so forgive me if I don’t pay kudos to your favourite song. As Act II starts off with The Catalyst and Burn It Down, the crowd is in fine form and singing back every word of every song with no issue, like I stated before, this is a band for the people and I’m sure there’s many people here that are welling up just being in the same arena as this incredible artists.
With the one and only Mike Shinoda taking a walk down to the crowd, it’s unbridled insanity. As he approaches a fan and asks if he can give him the hat off his head, which is signed by the whole band, you can feel just how magical this band is to so many people. As the second act closes off with Unshatter and the iconic One Step Closer, with enough red lights to piss off even the most seasoned of photographers, the stage is now set for the second half of the show. Strap in, it’s deep cut time.
What I’ve Done (be still my little Transformer loving heart), Numb (with a Numb/Encore intro), and In The End are the highlights of the second half, but not without an incredible performance of Lost that is not only brilliant in its instrumentals, but an amazing display of Mike and Emily’s vocal abilities. With the main set closing of with Faint, the guitar tones ring out through BEC with ear splitting harmonics and an underlying bass drone that hits you straight in the core. Just when you think you’ve gotten the most out of your ticket, Linkin Park returns to the stage to belt out possibly the best encore I’ve ever had the privilege to see.
Papercut. THAT song. We were drawn into the fandom by One Step Closer, but Papercut solidified it. That intro beat as the opening track of their debut album that put everything they were on display sound massive tonight. I’m not sure if it’s the energy in the place or the collective history we share for the love of this band, but something just feels spectacular about the closing of this performance. With Emily coming down to sing with the crowd for Heavy Is The Crown, the energy hits another level completely and as they close out the set with Bleed It Out the whole crowd drowns out the band as they scream everything they’ve got into the final song (I may, or may not have been dancing and singing like a fool myself in the photo pit).
There are people from all walks of life that vibe to this music, whatever level your fandom is for this iconic band, tonight was a well overdue experience that’s going to take a lot to merely match, let alone beat. Thank-you Linkin Park, you united music fans everywhere at the turn of the century, and with your new line-up, I’m damn excited for the future of your music.
GALLERY
