"No matter how many times I step between the stage and the crowd, the fact persists; there’s truly nothing that can prepare you for that one-of-a-kind adrenaline rush."
There comes a time(s), where the opportunity to experience a lifelong passion presents itself, and damn am I glad I took this opportunity. This past Saturday I had the immense honor of photographing beloved rock legends, Linkin Park. The incomparable rock sextet led by Mike Shinoda and new vocalist Emily Armstrong, tore the [damn near sold-out] house down, ripping through smash hits and fan favorites from every era of their catalog throughout the [roughly] 2-hour set. On this early leg of their month’s long world tour, they’re supported by rising maverick, Grandson.
This being just my second show covering at my home arena, I can’t say I walked through the doors without a healthy amount of nerves; then again, I don’t think I’ve ever been able to say that. That’s because I care, I care so very much about art, in every facet; I feel it so deeply. This very feeling is what immediately pulled me into Grandson’s vision. As the lifelong Linkin Park fan turned peer rocked the stage, commanding the hearts of the crowd with the microphone in his hand, I stood gratefully in awe. As his approached its end, it was Grandson’s closing message that stuck with me long after the show ended, “Keep making art, keep trying to make a difference and continue to light up this dark world”. That’s a true rallying call if I ever heard one.
No matter how many times I step between the stage and the crowd, the fact persists; there’s truly nothing that can prepare you for that one-of-a-kind adrenaline rush. When that first strike of a chord and crash of the cymbals explodes right in front of you, it’s the kind of magic that makes you believe in something, earth shattering. I say all this to preface, Linkin Park shattered me, and it was absolutely magical. Speaking of magical, while I’m not the kind of guy to doubt the talents of others, something about screaming 13 seconds straight just seems like it should be outside the realm of human possibility; yet we have Emily Armstrong, roaring on mics like an axe-wielding blonde banshee sent from the heavens to bring life back to a band we all love so much. Each song hit harder than any live recording ever has, from “Crawl” to “What I’ve Done”, to “The Emptiness Machine” every hit slapped.
My favorite moments of the night were: the [aforementioned] performance of “Heavy is the Crown” during the encore, hearing Mike Shinoda talking to fans from the pit about visiting their Animal Crossing islands, and seeing DJ/ musical director/ cameraman, Joe Hahn, walking around the stage with a rolling camera, recording his own bandmates in real time; who needs a videographer anyways? This would usually be the part where I list the nights setlist, but you know songs, and odds are if you’re reading this, you’ve looked up the setlist more than once yourself. Instead, I’ll stop talking and leave you to experience the night through the photographs below. Until next time.
Gallery Below!
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