Written by: Christie Bilbo
Photos by Joe Guzman
November 8, 2024, was a cathartic evening at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Linkin Park announced they were starting the band back up. It had been seven years since the death of beloved Chester Bennington. The news was met with mixed emotions. People were on the fence with the announcement of the new singer Emily Armstrong. (Who brought a lot of controversy with her due to her past association with Scientology and backing fellow Scientologist Danny Masterson.)
Linkin Park has a huge connection to the Greatest State in the Union. The infamous album Live in Texas was recorded in August 2003 in Houston, Texas. It was so well received that 29 days after its release date, it had already gone gold. By 2007, the album was platinum. Just in the USA, it has sold over 1 million copies. So, with this announcement, it would be an epic night. Concert tickets were selling fast, and resellers were hitting people up for more than premium prices.
Globe Life Field was a packed house. Fans had waited hours beforehand to get inside. They talked about where they had driven or flown in from, when they last saw Linken Park and where. I spoke to a guy and his son who said they flew in from Connecticut. Another had flown in from Seattle, Washington. A group of five people had driven in from Colorado. Everyone around me also talked about how they felt about the new lead singer. Then there were the fans who had never seen Linken Park before and were expressing their devotion to the band. November 8th was a reunion of die-hard fans and new fans.
The stage setup was different than I had expected. I have been to concerts at Globe Life before, and the setup was different. The bands were set further back with a pit in the front. They had a long catwalk for the bands to walk into the middle of the crowd in the front. I struggled with being on the floor because the band was so far back, and it was hard to see them. Thank goodness for the large monitors on both sides of the stage; otherwise, you wouldn’t have gotten a good view of the bands.
The acoustics were off when the first band took the stage. However, by the time the second act came on, you were able to hear a lot better. I can say from experience that this is just an issue with Globe Life. Other concerts were challenging to hear. Sometimes, you will have an echo, or when the band speaks to the crowd, you don’t understand what they are saying.
Also, parking was expensive, at $55. I would suggest that you plan for parking. If you park offsite, you might be able to get it for less. But the people around me all said they were shocked at how much the price was. The plus side to what I experienced with parking was leaving wasn’t that much of an issue. Unlike other venues, I could get to my vehicle and be on the road within 20 minutes.
Now for the tour: From Zero World Tour
The tour kicked off on September 11, 2024, in California, with Arlington being the third city in the USA. Before that, the band was in Germany, England, South Korea, and France.
The band Helmet was the first to kick off the night. This band had a significant influence on how Linkin Park formatted their style. Original member and lead singer Page Hamilton started the night with “Give It” and “In the Meantime.” The early birds banged their heads and were into the groove with the heavy metal hard-hitting tunes. The band brought out their hard-hitting song “Just Another Victim.” I was too far back to witness that Mike Shinoda snuck down on the floor to watch what he called his “favorite band” play.
Following Helmet was the rapper and singer Jean Dawson. His stage presence was different for me. When he came on stage, he wore this gigantic puffer jacket that three of me could have fit in. His microphone stand was a massive set of stainless-steel wings. The crowd was pleasantly surprised by his style of music. “Linkin asked me to come and play a few songs,” which seemed to lighten the mood, knowing that the headliner was a fan of his work. The one song that I did find I liked was called “Houston.”
Bad Omens came on stage and set the mood for the remainder of the concert. I saw them earlier this year at Deep Elum and was blown away by how great they were. I have been a fan of their music for a couple of years. When they kicked off their hour-long set with “Concrete Jungle,” the crowd sang along. When Poppy came onstage for the song “V.A.N.,” the screams were deafening, and followed up with “The Drain” with Jake Duzsik of Health and J.T. Cavey of Erra.
Noah Sebastian’s vocal range sets him apart from many other singers. He has a mid-to-high-pitched screaming style and a massive following with the younger generation. The band has had its fair share of recent controversy with its “perverted” anime t-shirts. (Who doesn’t love a little controversy? It does sell merchandise.) They also encountered flak from their fan base when they deleted all their social media. They felt that “seeing a stranger’s opinion of themselves daily was unhealthy.” In all honesty, social media is becoming meaner in how people think. The internet trolls feel they have every right to say how they feel about others and destroy a person just because they are a bag of dicks…thank you, keyboard trolls!
The band’s hour-long set had the crowd on their feet, dramatically waving arms and pounding chests. Bad Omens is a band that I highly recommend to anyone. Their repertoire of songs is impressive. (Unfortunately Bad Omens refused to let anyone shoot any photos of their act).
Linkin Park hit the stage at 9:15 to a standing and screaming crowd. With the new singer Emily Armstrong, new drummer Colin Brittain, and touring guitarist Alex Feder, the sound of the crowd could be felt in your bones. With their opening song, “Somewhere I Belong,” the crowd was so loud singing along that you couldn’t hear Emily. “New Divide” and “Burn It Down” sent chills through you. The band premiered “Casualty” from their new album. Emily played guitar on “Over Each Other.”
The band was so thankful to the crowd for the love and support they had received so far on their tour. With Mike Shinoda encouraging everyone to sing along, it was such a chilling feeling to see everyone on their feet and participating in the concert. Everyone who was there had a connection with the band. I know it was when I first heard “Burn it Down.” I was in a relationship that was destroying me to my core. The song hit hard for me. I was allowing someone to destroy me and break me down to where I couldn’t even think for myself. “Living Things” also hit hard. No matter what I did, it wasn’t good enough for him. I had allowed someone to mold me into someone that I hated.
Linkin Park has a plethora of songs that can fit into my life and what I was going through at that moment in time. I think that this is why they had such a huge following. We all have been through a point where we haven’t even recognized who we are becoming. For me, it took looking at myself in the mirror and deciding that I was better than that and that I deserved more in life. So, for me, Linkin Park has a warm place in my heart.
One thing about the concert that I loved was seeing the mosh pit. This is always a fabulous sight to see. With people crowd surfing and tearing it up to “Papercut” and “One Step Closer,” you can’t help but stand and watch in awe if you aren’t in the pit.
Linkin Park closed the night with an encore ending with “Bleed It Out.” When the crowd started to disperse and stand in line for the stairs, the conservations were about how “ass-kicking” the concert was. There wasn’t one person I heard complain about anything. Either you heard how much they loved Bad Omens or how much it brought the “feels” out with Linkin Park. I honestly don’t think one person walked out of Globe Life disappointed with what we witnessed.
This concert must be in my top five for 2024. It brought out so many emotions that I hadn’t felt in a long time. The music was on point, and the crowd made it even better, with everyone singing along. There is nothing better than attending a concert and walking out feeling like you are on an endorphin high from just hanging out with thousands of fellow like-minded people who love the same music as you.
Now go out and find a concert and have the best evening!
LINKIN PARK
HELMET
