Words – Clare
Photos – @photo.amai
Out on a school night, Linkin Park fans once again flooded Rod Laver Arena for the second sold-out Melbourne show on the From Zero World Tour. As I watched asses slowly fill seats and bodies trickle into the GA floor, I took notice of how phenomenally diverse the crowd was; in fact, this was probably the most diverse crowd that I have witnessed in the Melbourne music scene. I realised how far-reaching this band was, how many lives they have touched and how real the fandom was, and although I could never have called myself a super fan, it’s undeniable that Linkin Park was a sort of omnipresence in the alternative music scene in the early 00’s. So when a spot opened up to review their first tour in Australia since 2013, I was like ‘sure, why not’, but I would soon realise that my casual attitude did not cut it as I too would soon be swept up by the Linkin Park mania.
Kicking off the night was a single support act, the metalcore band from Sydney, Polaris, who expressed their deepest gratitude to their fans and Linkin Park for trusting them to open the tour and open the show. As lead vocalist, Jamie explained, he taught himself to play guitar, sing and scream all by watching the influential band – what an honour! They instantly injected the room with a vibrant energy, launching into their tracks Nightmare, Dissipate and from the 2017 album The Mortal Coil, The Remedy, where the crowd cooperatively belted out HEAVY. LIES. THE. BEATING. HEART. Hypermania incited a circle pit to form while Masochist invited fans to light up the venue with twinkling lights. After witnessing Banana Man, a now quintessential mosh pit staple, crowd surf all the way to the security barrier during Lucid, the set was concluded with Inhumane from the third studio album Fatalism, produced and recorded right here in Melbourne.
I couldn’t help but get amped up as the countdown clock activated above our heads on the main screen. The anticipation ebbed and flowed, peaking at the 2-minute mark, the 1-minute mark, and eventually erupting in excitement as we collectively counted down the last 10 seconds. A single laser from the front centre of the stage formed a vertical beam that held our attention, prefixing what was about to be a top-of-the-line, action packed two hour set filled to the brim with bangers, anthems, solos, covers, and crowd interaction all accentuated with a killer laser show, dynamic audio-visuals, explosive CO2 jets and of course, emotion fuelled confetti cannons.
The 2003 track from Meteora, Somewhere I Belong, and Points of Authority from the 2000 debut album Hybrid Theory opened the set with perfection, as the entire arena sang along with Mike Shinoda, who crossed the stage with a smile on his face that beamed brighter than any of the strobing stage lights behind him. The joy was palpable, and my spine was tingling. This was the first time I would hear any tracks from their returning album From Zero but that was definitely not the case for the majority of attendees as throughout the night newcomer Emily Armstrong would perform new tracks including Up From the Bottom, The Emptiness Machine, Cut the Bridge, Two Faced and Overflow while the packed arena yelled every verse and every chorus. But it was for 2012’s Burn It Down that Emily exclaimed to the crowd, ‘This is the loudest version of this song we’ve ever heard; you guys are in a party mood!’
Fans of Fort Minor were treated to a spectacular cover of Where’d You Go where the arena again twinkled like stars in the night sky, and, speeding things up a bit, pit goers were thrilled when Emily climbed off stage and launched into the pit, crowd surfing during Waiting for the End. In the evening, we received solo performances by Joe Hahn and Mike Shinoda during their “When They Come For Me/Remember The Name” live mashup, which then transitioned into a crowd visit by Mike. He shook hands, signed limbs, and exchanged a heartfelt hug with a speechless fan (shout-out to Irene!).
More action followed as Emily climbed onto the drum kit during Keys to the Kingdom, while Joe ran around the stage with a handheld video camera, and One Step Closer (which brought us one step closer to the end of the show), a lifetime’s worth of angst melted away from the room as we all screamed SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. Perfectly synced with the blast of CO2 jets from the stage. Another crowd favourite was honoured before the end of the night with Numb, which was then followed up with everyone in the arena on their feet (after some friendly goading by Mike) for one of the best encores I have ever seen, which included the perfectly chosen tracks In the End and 2003’s Faint, which left us buzzing. The sheer joy that was experienced by the fans and by the band themselves was contagious, and I was left buzzing!
A massive thanks goes out to Linkin Park, Polaris, Revolutions Per Minute PR, Live Nation and the Rod Laver Arena crew for such an epic evening!
