Concert Review: Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns World Tour (#LPLIVE-02-23-2011)

Linkin Park came home strong last night as they brought A Thousand Suns to Staples Center.  Along for the ride was The Prodigy.  The English electronic dance group exploded on stage with a fantastic high energy set that turned me from meh to wow after the first couple songs.  They hit all their staples and closed out with Smack My B*tch Up proving to be dazzling way to kick off what would be a spectacular show.

After a short intermission, Linkin Park took the stage and the house went bananas.  They delivered a set that spans all of their albums.  A perfect mix of old and new that includes songs like In The End, Shadow of the Day, Breaking The Habit (one of my favorites), and newer tunes like The Messenger and The Catalyst.

I have to say, i was sufficiently blown away by this show.  I've always liked Linkin Park but after this show, it's safe to say I love them.  I'm officially a Fan, rather than the casual listener I was before.

They sounded incredible, flawless even.  Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda were at the top of their game, despite Bennington's recent illness that forced some dates to be postponed. 

The nearly two hour set was non stop energy beginning to end.  Musically, vocally, everything was perfect.  The stage set up was simple with a large video screen behind them (at one point Mr. Hahn was scratching video along with audio.  Pretty great effect.)

The crowd, I have to say, was great.  They sang along and were held in utter rapt attention by the band, one that was louder than New York according to Chester.

The show had some rather intimate moments as well.  at one point Chester gave a shout out to his son who was attending the show for the first time with his friends and near the end gave a great acoustic performance of The Messenger which had the audience in awe.

It's this varied musicality that makes Linkin Park such a great live act.  They mix rap and rock so seamlessly and then break down into a sweet acoustic performance like that.    Great stuff.

I said before that LP hit songs from all of their albums and career.  Any fan would have been pleased with the set.  The audience sure was.  They erupted with each song.

One of the highlights, aside from the fantastic performance, happened near the end of the show.  A kid, probably 9 or 10, had a sign that he would hold up periodically throughout the shot.  It was a small green sign that read:  First Concert Favorite Band.

As the show edged closer to its ending, Mike Shinoda saw this sign and asked for it.  The kid,ecstatic to be recognized, passed the sign up.  Mike held the sign up for the audience and said . "This is what this year has been about."  The audience screams.  The performance continues.  Afterwards, Mike returned the sign to the kid along with a guitar pick and a wave.

I'm sure that is a moment that kid will never forget and its a moment that shows just how important the fans are to Linkin Park. 

If you have the chance to see Linkin Park live, I suggest you take it.  You'll leave a fan guaranteed.  You'll get a show that starts at awesome and never drops once.  Great songs, amazing vocals (especially from Chester Bennington), stellar music, all add up to an incredible night with a band that's better than I ever realized.

For more information on the A Thousand Suns World Tour visit LinkinPark.com and for more shots of the show check out of Flickr!