Live review: Linkin Park, London Wembley Stadium

Music lovers in England are spoilt for choice today. Down in Somerset, the likes of Amyl And The Sniffers and Weezer are bringing the rock to Glastonbury. Over in east London, meanwhile, Iron Maiden are playing the home of Steve Harris’ beloved West Ham on their Run For Your Lives Tour. And some 13 miles west of that in the capital, 75,000 metalheads have descended on Wembley Stadium for Linkin Park’s biggest headline show ever.

Mike Shinoda knows it’s a damn special occasion. In fact, he’s even learned the local lingo to help translate how he’s feeling about such a moment. “When we’re on tour, I like to read a message in the native tongue of the country we’re visiting,” he explains, pulling a sheet of paper from his back pocket and launching into an extremely dodgy accent. “Oi! It’s a crackin’ night for a fookin’ show, innit?!”

It sure is, Mike. And it begins long before his band hit the stage, with JPEGMAFIA bringing the heavy hip-hop vibes early on to a still-filling-in crowd. Next up are Spiritbox – well, three-quarters of the band, who come out waving to enormous cheers, before Courtney LaPlante arrives looking like she means business. The Canadian metalcore superstars open with a formidable run of Fata Morgana, Black Rainbow and Perfect Soul, before they settle comfortably into the swing of things in such a massive space – Courtney and guitarist Mike Stringer taking it in turns to venture down the long stage walkway. “I had to put my glasses on because your smiles are just so bright,” grins the vocalist. “Wembley, you feel like an old friend…” Circle With Me causes mosh-pits in each of the venue’s three separate standing sections, while the crushing Holy Roller and Soft Spine are absolutely spot-on. Notably, not everyone here knows Spiritbox – but they leave with one hell of an impression seared into their minds. Job done.

Up until this point, the music played between sets and in the concourse is exactly what you’d hope for and expect – everything from Papa Roach to twenty one pilots. But as a countdown timer on the big screens launches signalling 10 minutes to go, we’re treated to… a West End classic? An epic sing-along to Susan Boyle’s cover of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Misérables ensues, with the aim of getting voices suitably warmed up for the 23 songs that follow. Then, as the clock reaches zero, Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn and new drummer Colin Brittain appear, followed by Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong, to complete and utter delirium. “You guys ready to have some fun tonight?” asks the former, before they kick off with the one-two of Somewhere I Belong and Crawling. What’s immediately clear, though, is that this isn’t just a night of nostalgia, as Cut The Bridge – from last year’s From Zero album – follows and is greeted with exactly the same gravitas and excitement as the prior classics.

While some gig-goers have since complained online about the stadium’s sound issues, what’s undeniable is just how fine a voice everyone is in – from the thousands of attendees, to both Mike and Emily (and, actually, she somehow manages to get better and better the longer the night goes on). The likes of The Emptiness Machine, The Catalyst and Burn It Down are unleashed early on, with people of all ages screaming every single word. Indeed, there are plenty of young children here, and they belt out the choruses of Up From The Bottom and Two Faced as if they were nu-metal OGs from 1999. It’s just one of many reasons tonight feels so special.

There’s also plenty of personality, as Linkin Park air Fort Minor’s Where’d You Go at Emily’s request, and Mike laughs about his bandmates needing a “babysitter” after a lengthy but well-received solo DJ segment from Mr. Hahn. “It’s pretty fun to play Wembley – I’ve never done it before!” Mike grins. The singer then ventures off to greet their loyal contingent at the barrier, and gives one randomly-selected fan the cap off his head – which has been signed by the whole band – before rapping the first verse of 2012’s Until It Breaks in everyone’s delighted faces.

Of course, the pure emotion of it all is what takes things to the next level. Much like their comeback date at London’s The O2 last year there’s no outward acknowledgement of the late, great Chester Bennington, but an interlude before Lost sees hundreds of fans up front being filmed and cast on the screens, seemingly highlighting how Linkin Park is a family who very much carry the frontman’s memory. Everyone honours Chester’s legendary vocals, too, from What I’ve Done and Faint to Papercut and closer Bleed It Out. Ultimately, it all feels like a cathartic celebration – not just of everything they’ve done and gone through to get to this point, but also of how they’ve managed to shape a beautiful – if different – new future for themselves. It turns out, then, that Mike’s right: it really is a crackin’ night.

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