Continued from Kanye West after-race concert
(Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, the primary vocalists of Linkin Park)
As much as I wanted to immediately blog about Linkin Park’s after-race concert last Saturday, I hardly sustained my excitement. I maintain this preference not to write when I am at my highest high or lowest low in order to be objective. If I did, my words probably have just read as screaming praises for Linkin Park. Now that I have gathered enough sleep, I maintain the same judgment that their performance, theirs and audience’s energy was 6 times better than the preceding night (just when I thought that it was good enough).
I had the general admission ticket. However, while queuing at the Yas concert arena gate, I was one of those approached randomly by the organizers. “Hi there. Here’s a VIP wrist band for you. Enjoy the concert.” Wow. After getting two extra Kanye West concert tickets which I gave to my friends, I was so overwhelmed by this another grace.
So there, we were at the center of the front row.
While I can say that most of the patrons had the Linkin Park high, you may surmise that those especially at the front row whether in the VIP or general sections, are the superlative fanatics. While I can enumerate a number of ways, it is indeed easy to tell. It is a wonderful experience to be situated with people who share the same or even higher level of appreciation for Linkin Park. The vibe was more than contagious. It follows that the organizers and the band’s personal assistants/staff identified such kind of passionate following. Hence, being at the front row, we were approached more (i.e. took photos, get interviewed, chatted with) by them even before the start of the concert.
You can just imagine the defeaning response when the band’s performance kicked off with Mike Shinoda’s appearance while tipping the keyboard for The Requiem, one of the songs from their latest album A Thousand Suns.
(Chester, being the lead vocalist, was tirelessly and consistently gracing the show in a very hypnotic way.)
(Mike Shinoda, one of three highschool friends originally consisting Linkin Park. The wedding band which he consistently wore added to the genuine appeal.)
While Chester is an outstanding performer (and song writer), I found Mike perpetually more appealing. I am admittedly biased in a away due to his amusing non-Linkin Park side. He was moving and singing in a way like you were being enjoyably synched with him – whether he was rapping, on guitar, on keyboard, everything. The magnetism is indescribable. What’s more indescribable? That fleeting moment when we shook hands with him when he went down the stage during the last few minutes of the concert. I cannot thank enough the serendipity of being given a VIP pass. That brought me to be at the right place at the right time.
Among the songs they performed aside from The Requiem were Wretches and Kings, Papercut, Given Up, New Divide, Faint, When They Come For Me, No More Sorrow, Jornada Del Muerto, Waiting For The End, Wisdom, Justice, and Love, Iridescent, Numb, Breaking The Habit, Shadow of the Day, Crawling, One Step Closer, The Catalyst, The Messenger, In The End, Leave Out All The Rest, What I’ve Done, and Bleed It Out.
The visuals and other related effects were very impressive. It foiled the spectacular performances from each of them. In this photo, Chester can be seen at one of his marked energetic movements.
Rob Bourdon, the band’s drummer whose main influence is Aerosmith is the youngest member of the group. On a fancy note, he is known to be wearing Puma racing shoes for a more comfortable use of the drum pedals.
(Chester and Brad Delson, on a very Scott Pilgrim look.)
Brad Delson (with yellow shirt on the photo above) is the lead guitarist of Linkin Park. Aside from Mike and Rob, he is one of the original members who anchored the band while they were still in high school. Although he graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 1999, he did forego law and pursued a musical career instead.
While the crowd was remarkably high even after the concert, and me until now (I think it will take forever to wear off), our appreciation was especially uncontrollable when they performed Numb, New Divide, What I’ve Done, Papercut, Leave Out All The Rest, When They Come For Me (the fun additional drumming from Brad and Chester, with Mike rapping, was more than dazzling) and the ever popular In The End.
As reported over the broadsheets and other websites, Linkin Park made it to top 2 (arguably Coldplay’s as the other one) concerts in the history of the UAE. Personally, I found all the members shining whether performing jointly or solitary. They are at their best when they are one.
I cannot find enough synonyms for “superb” to tell you about Linkin Park’s performance. This will eternally be an unbeatable experience for me, with or without the hand shake from Mike Shinoda. (I am of course kidding, do not ever take the hand shake. *winks*) The parting words drove the crowd to be (more) insane: a promise that they will be back in the near future.
[Review and photos of Kanye West after-race concert]
[Review and photos of Prince after-race concert]
0 thoughts on “Linkin Park in Abu Dhabi”
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so happy for you for this experience of a lifetime. still floating in glee?
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upto6only
wow VIP pass ayos. good for you that you were able to watch concerts like that. Last concert i watched was at the on-stage in Greenbelt yung kina regine and martin nuon. Haven’t watched any foreign artists na nagperform dito.
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dong ho
whoa! thats the advantage of being infront.
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Kate
Wow, ang saya! and great photos too 🙂
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dennis
Wow, I love Linkin Park, too!
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sheng
I love Linkin’ Park, and feel so bad that I cannot be in Manila when Gin Blossoms performs there too, I love them as much!
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chyng
oohh, i love live concerts. swerte ko kasi every month may concert dito sa MoA grounds, sakto sa window ng office. =)
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Ping-i
I only know two Linkin Park songs (Shadow of the Day and Waiting for the End), but I like ’em both. 😀
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Kero
when I read your Twit that you shook hands with one of the vocalist my heart skipped a beat and gave out a loud sigh of envy. Hubby asked why and when I related he said,” Okay I will take you to a Bryan Adams concert.” hahahaaaa I wanted to die.
We have vast difference of taste in music. The only concert that we will probably be attending together is that of the Beatles and Taylor Swift (I like her because she writes her own material). Other than that, I am not letting him talk me into going to a Bon Jovi Concert yay!
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GXHLFD
Hey Mike, please don’t do a collaboration with jay-z when you perform in Melbourne on the 13th. I really like the songs however I think your live show would be better without him as those songs don’t fit with your new music. Love the new album (and all the others), I’m looking forward to the concert (it’s my first ever), see you soon.
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