What does the healing of thousands of childhoods sound like?
A Linkin Park concert, of course.
And when it happens in the very country where I bought my first audio cassette - Meteora, the band’s second studio album - from a little shop in Hoora near The Indian Club?
Chef’s kiss.
It is impossible to overstate the impact that the American alternative rock nu-metal band has had on anyone who grew up in the nineties and aughts.
From its genre-shattering debut album ‘Hybrid Theory’ to its range of compilation, live, remix and soundtrack albums in the last three decades, Linkin Park has left indelible grooves in today’s cultural zeitgeist.
When it began, Linkin Park’s founders - Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon, and Brad Delson, alongside vocalist Chester Bennington - struggled to convince Warner Bros Records to believe in their blend of hip hop and metal.
But after refusing to compromise on their vision, ‘Hybrid Theory’ was released and went on to become one of the best-selling albums of all time.
The band did not rest there, and within a decade, had put out three more studio albums - ‘Meteora’, ‘Minutes to Midnight’ and ‘A Thousand Suns’. That’s in addition to two live albums (Live in Texas and Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes), an iconic remix album (Reanimation), a soundtrack album (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and a stunning side project (Fort Minor’s The Rising Tied).
And, to hear some of the best tracks from these albums, performed live, alongside thousands of other fans who had discovered them in their bedrooms, cars, movies and parties, was, for me, a spiritual experience.
I’ll be honest - I tuned out of the band’s later decades as their sound evolved and the band has also been on a hiatus since Bennington’s tragic death in 2017, so I wasn’t sure how I felt about not hearing his voice crooning out bangers like ‘Points of Authority’, ‘Papercut’ or ‘Numb’.
But their concert at Al Dana Amphitheatre helped me rediscover their music through a new lens in the company of three generations of avid listeners.
When the first notes of ‘Somewhere I Belong’ began to play and the new additions to the band - drummer Colin Brittain and vocalist Emily Armstrong - started performing alongside Shinoda, Delson, DJ Joe Hahn and bassist Dave Farrell, I fell back in love, and muscle memory pulled lyrics to my throat that I had long-forgotten.
Interspersed amongst the crowd favourites throughout the concert’s five acts were tracks from their latest album ‘From Zero’ - the first since Bennington’s suicide.
I found out later that the album’s title has a double meaning - a reference to the band’s original name, Xero, and its new chapter with Armstrong and Brittain.
Although I came for the well-known bangers, I stayed for their new tracks, like ‘Emptiness Machine’ and ‘Over Each Other’ because those felt personal for Armstrong and Brittain, the new kids in the Park.
‘Heavy Is The Crown’ was particularly special as we got to see the raw side of Armstrong, that earned her a spot in one of the greatest bands of all time.
Yes, it made me feel old but it was a treat to hear the younger fans in my row recognising the song from the 2024 ‘League of Legends’ world championship.
Another special moment was the mid-concert words from Shinoda for his fans, followed by a surprise performance of ‘Remember the Name’ from his side project Fort Minor.
On the visual front, I was spellbound by the ‘Castle of Glass’ stage setup engineered for an intimate yet dramatic atmosphere.
Sure, there were some grumblings about how this setup compared to their 2024 show in Saudi Arabia or if the sound system was optimised for their heavier metal songs, but guess what?
I didn’t discover Linkin Park on a cutting-edge sound system amidst breathtaking visuals - I first heard ‘Faint’ and ‘In The End’ on my slightly tinny Sony Walkman growing up in Bahrain.
And to hear them once again, at a cozy stage in Sakhir, was exactly what my inner child needed and got.
- Naman Arora
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