Linkin Park @ EntertainmentCentre, Adelaide (09/12/10)

Sat 11th Dec, 2010 in Gig Reviews

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Despite little promotion the fans were out in force to see one of the best live acts going around, who were out in support of their new album A Thousand Suns. Over the past 10 years, since the release of their massively popular Hybrid Theory album, Linkin Park have built up an extremely loyal underground following and so there was little surprise at the turn out.

First up were Sydney band The Art. Anyone keen to see them would have been pretty disappointed with the early kick off and as a result they played to a very sparse crowd. They battled on with their Indie tunes and probably made a few fans in the process. After having Chris Cornell along last time I was a little disappointed with the support choice this time around.

Then it was time for the main event, the lights went out, the boys entered the stage and the crowd went mental. The earlier than advertised kick off clearly caught a few punters out with the crowd still growing 20 mins after the start. Without hesitation the boys rolled into The Requiem followed by Wretches and Kings. The opening had a very electric feel and Mike handling the vocal duties while Chester tapped away on an electric drum kit, although it wasnt long before we saw one of the most explosive frontmen strut his stuff. The clap intro of Given Up signaled the start of the rock and the crowd and Chester sprung to life both in great voice and going crazy. Chester is phenomenal up front, his energy and scream are second to none, a vast contrast to guitarist Brad who almost disinterestly strolled around the stage as if he was listening to Barry Manilow through his trademark headphones. The highlights of the set, and there were plenty, were From the Inside, Iridescent, Numb and Shadow of the Day. Linkin Park played a great mix of old and new, heavy and electronic showcasing their skills and versatility. The first trip back to their Hybrid Theory album came late in the set with In the End which had the older members of the crowd rocking out before finishing the main set with the classic Bleed It Out.

The boys returned to the stage with 2 newies Empty Space and When They Come For Me before turning the clock back and finishing in rocking style. First up was the amazing Crawling followed by New Divide then they invited fan Louis to play guitar on Faint and I reckon Brad could learn a few rock moves from him, he was great before finishing the show in punishing style with One Step Closer.

Linkin Park definitely lived up to their live show rep and treated the crowd to a show not quickly to be forgotten.