When Linkin Park returned in 2024 with the surprise comeback album From Zero, the band followed it with a rapid run of shows that touched virtually every corner of the globe. The pace and scale of those dates made them feel like a trial run, a way of gauging how the band would be received after the death of singer and linchpin Chester Bennington in 2017.
This was also a way for audiences to hear the new line-up and understand what this version of Linkin Park might sound like in a live setting.
Emily Armstrong, announced as the new co-lead singer, was stepping into a role defined by one of modern rock’s most distinctive frontmen.
The National was at one of those shows, at Riyadh’s Soundstorm festival in 2024. While it was good to see the band back, uncertainty hung over the performance. Bennington’s voice shaped Linkin Park’s sound for more than two decades, and replacing him was never going to be straightforward.
In Riyadh, her performance felt like a trial by fire. Vocally, she was rough and almost deliberately forceful, and at times seemed to dictate the way the band played – perhaps a way of marking this as a new version of the band. The band sounded rougher and gnarlier, and the set carried a rather thrilling, feral energy.
Now at a sold-out show at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on Tuesday, it seemed that those ragged edges were not new opportunities, but knots that needed to be ironed out, as the band returned to the deliberately pristine and precise rock sound that made their name, mostly for the better.
Now deep into a world tour that has already taken in sold-out arenas across Europe, Linkin Park sounded settled. The chaotic edges were gone, and Armstrong’s voice was cleaner and more controlled, allowing the show to feel like a natural continuation.
Having a solid comeback album helps too. Tracks such as The Emptiness Machine and Up From the Bottom slipped in seamlessly alongside the established hits.
Somewhere I Belong, now more than 20 years old and which recently re-entered the charts, benefited from its absolute pile-driving chorus.
Crawling remains a masterclass in the band’s dynamic, moving from a restrained verse to sky-scraping hooks, and gave the Etihad Arena audience, who were in strong voice, one of many opportunities to sing along.
From the Inside also showed how Armstrong can add her own touch to the older material, delivering the heaving chorus with a new sense of vulnerability.
This was also apparent on Lost, a track released in 2023 from the band’s archive. Here, her voice was more exposed, and the bruised ballad came across as otherworldly and affecting.
Watching the performance live, the contribution of turntablist Joe Hahn was also easier to appreciate. On record, his work can feel subtle beneath dense production, but on stage, his role in shaping atmosphere was much clearer.
His turntables and keys were more noticeable live, particularly in how songs such as New Divide were held together through recognisable hooks and transitions. The keys, textures and effects played a major part in maintaining the ambience of the show.
Mike Shinoda, meanwhile, balanced rapping duties with keyboards and guitar, and remained the heart of the band, the clear leader on stage as Linkin Park continues to move forward after Bennington’s death.
There was no moment set aside to acknowledge Bennington directly, and there was no need to. As the crowd sang and jumped along to One Step Closer, the legacy and impact of his voice, a marvel in its own right, were present and will continue to be felt in every arena and stadium the band plays in the years to come.
If the Saudi Arabia show felt closer to an introduction, the Abu Dhabi gig felt like confirmation that Linkin Park is built to last.
