Seven years after tragedy silenced raging rock band Linkin Park, the group took a major step toward resurrection at the Kia Forum on Wednesday night, launching a tour with new singer Emily Armstrong.
After 17 years of radio hits and massive, successful tours, the band's original run ended abruptly with the 2017 suicide of singer Chester Bennington, who had long been the roaring counterpoint to Mike Shinoda's rap voice.
A new singer who sounded too much like Bennington would only make fans miss him more. For his replacement, choosing someone outside his style was the bravest and most interesting path, reviving Linkin Park as something more than an echo of its past. Armstrong, who previously sang for the Los Angeles rock band Dead Sara, demonstrated that potential.
The band played at the Forum, on a nearly empty, high-tech stage shaped like an aircraft carrier. That allowed for better visibility for more people in the stadium, but the sound was muddier.
Still, over two hours the band played 27 songs as well as ever, starting with two of their most popular anthems from the early days, “Somewhere I Belong” and “Crawling.” As on most Linkin Park songs, Bennington’s voice was central on the original recordings, but Armstrong dove in with confidence and appropriate anguish, frequently leaning over his microphone, moaning at the edge of the stage.
On “Crawling,” she roared, “I’ve felt this way before/So insecure!” as the crowd roared.
Genres aside, there are similarities between the current and former singers. Like Bennington, Armstrong is as capable of crafting rich melodies as he is of singing with a heart-wrenching voice, both of which fit naturally into Linkin Park's established sound.
Between the songs, Shinoda was the one who spoke the most, explaining to the audience: “We are delighted to be back here. It is not about erasing the past. It is about starting a new chapter towards the future.”
There are other changes, too. Drummer Rob Bourdon decided not to participate in the reunion (and was replaced by Colin Brittain). While guitarist Brad Delson remains a full member, he will no longer be touring with Linkin Park (being replaced on tour by Alex Feder).
The fans were ready for this moment and roared their approval. There were many spontaneous chants of “Linkin Park! Linkin Park! Linkin Park!” Bennington was irreplaceable, but Armstrong proved he had talent of his own to help the veteran artist work toward something new.
Until the band's new album, “From Zero,” is released in November, the band's set list will remain almost entirely comprised of songs from that past. But Armstrong seemed up to the challenge even on “Given Up,” which originally featured one of Bennington's most otherworldly vocals, as he paced back and forth across the big stage, pumping his fist and matching his vocals to his voice.
After years of silence, Linkin Park seems to have a future ahead of them again.
