"E-MI-LY! E-MI-LY! E-MI-LY! E-MI-LY!" If the numerous controversies circling Linkin Park's unlikely reunion have dominated much of the online discourse around them in recent weeks, not a drop of it has seeped into the O2 tonight. Emily Armstrong, the band's newly instated singer, is greeted like a hometown heroine as she arrives on stage, her name being chanted on enough occasions this evening to suggest that, as far as London is concerned at least, she's very much been accepted into the wider LP family.
Taking the reins from a singer as beloved and idiosyncratic as Chester Bennington was already a bumpy ride-in-waiting before the noise around Armstrong's previous allegiances emerged, but in the live domain, the Dead Sara vocalist proves an inspired choice, her soulful croons and scratchy bellows doing these songs justice without simply aping Bennington's unique tones. It gives the show the feel of the ultimate celebration, a love letter to Linkin Park co-signed by band and fans alike.
"Everyone ready to have some fun with us?" beams a clearly delighted Mike Shinoda before the band swing into a no-nonsense opening double-header of Somewhere I Belong and Crawling, the latter drawing one of the loudest singalongs this massive arena has surely heard in quite some time.
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Playing, as they have done at all these comeback shows so far, on a huge, rectangular stage in the centre of the venue floor, the six-piece make the most of the space, swapping places freely as the night wears on and even shifting Joe Hahn's decks and new drummer Colin Brittain's kit around at various points. The stage set is typically state of the art, two massive, cubic screens projecting all manner of visuals as piercing lasers shoot down from above.
Really, though, it's the songs that take centre stage tonight, and the sense of anticipation at hearing some of these generational cuts live again is palpable from the off, nu metal parents with kids in tow rubbing shoulders with teens and twenty-somethings that never got to hear the likes of One Step Closer, What I've Done and Numb the first time around. And, while it's undoubtedly the Hybrid Theory and Meteora material that gets the loudest reactions, it's also clear that there's a lot of love for every era of the band (despite heavier bangers like Somewhere I Belong, Crawling and a thumping Points Of Authority all being dished out early, the first pits of the evening actually break out for New Divide. Transformers ultras represent?).
Crucially, though, this is far from a pure nostalgia fest: despite only being out for a matter of weeks, the reaction to The Emptiness Machine is startlingly big, every lyric of Emily Armstrong's official LP debut sung back at her like it's an old favourite. Even Heavy Is The Crown, released literally just a few hours before this show, has already won plenty of people over - and sounds colossal, by the way, its breakdown underpinning Armstrong's most impressive moment of the night as she belts out a 14-second scream that draws immediate and loud acclaim.
"The fact that you guys have been in our corner for this new stuff from the jump is huge," says Shinoda, who seems genuinely moved by the opportunity to come out and play for audiences of this magnitude again. Truth be told, there's not an abundance of dialogue from the band tonight, Shinoda wisely taking on the mass majority of crowd interaction duties. There's no mention of Chester Bennington at all - understandable, perhaps, given the heightened emotions bouncing around social media right now, but noticeable by its absence all the same.
@metalhammeruk ♬ original sound - metalhammeruk
Still, if the mission for tonight was to remind London of just how many massive songs Linkin Park have produced in their 25-year career so far - while pointing to a very promising road ahead - then it is absolutely mission accomplished, the celebratory vibes cruising all the way through to a set-ending Bleed It Out that has everyone in the joint singing, fist-pumping and, to be frank, igniting some of the friendliest-looking circle pits this writer has ever witnessed.
How history will ultimately judge this reunion remains to be seen - there is a whole new album looming, doubtless a proper world tour to follow and, you have to think, plenty more discourse to unravel before all is said and done. Tonight, though, was about sheer immersion in the music and legacy of one of 21st century metal's most impactful and important bands. And that's all it needed to be.
Linkin Park London O2 setlist September 25 2024
Somewhere I Belong
Crawling
Lying From You
Points Of Authority
New Divide
The Emptiness Machine
The Catalyst
Burn It Down
Waiting For The End
Castle Of Glass
When They Come For Me/Remember The Name
Keys To The Kingdom
Given Up
One Step Closer
Lost
Breaking The Habit
What I've Done
Leave Out All The Rest
My December
Friendly Fire
Numb
In The End
Faint
Encore
Papercut
Heavy Is The Crown
Bleed It Out
