After a livestreamed performance and an LA show, Linkin Park with new singer Emily Armstrong played their first NYC show since Chester Bennington’s death at Barclays Center last night (9/16). The band’s decision to return with Emily has stirred up controversy for more reasons than one, though fans at the shows seem to be on board. In a review for Variety of the LA show, Chris Willman wrote, “When it comes to the actual matter of the music, you would’ve been hard-pressed to find a soul in the galvanized Forum crowd who would have told you this risky gambit wasn’t paying off.”
The band–which also includes original members Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, and Phoenix; new drummer Colin Brittain (replacing Rob Bourdon); and touring guitarist Alex Feder (replacing Brad Delson, who did play on the band’s upcoming album From Zero)–played almost the same setlist at Barclays Center as they did in LA, but this time they broke out “A Place for My Head” for the first time since 2017. Like in LA, they played deeper cuts like “Friendly Fire” (which they never performed live with Chester), “Keys to the Kingdom,” and “My December,” as well as their new single “The Emptiness Machine” and plenty of hits. You can see full-set video and the full setlist from the Barclays Center show below, as well as pictures from the Los Angeles show.
After the news first broke that Emily Armstrong had joined Linkin Park, the band faced backlash due to Armstrong’s connections to Scientology and Danny Masterson, who was found guilty of raping two women. Armstrong issued a statement in response, writing, “To say it as clearly as possible: I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes.”
Chester Bennington’s son Jaime accused Linkin Park of “betraying” fans, though Chester’s widow Talinda Bennington seemed to show support of Armstrong.
Mike Shinoda also explained why they didn’t change the name of the band, saying that the upcoming album is “as Linkin Park an album as we could make. Like it’s so Linkin Park that if we call it something else, then we are idiots.”
“When people hear more of the album,” Shinoda adds, “they will understand that.” From Zero (a reference to Linkin Park’s original band name, Xero) comes out November 15 via Warner.
Next up for Linkin Park are shows in Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota.
Linkin Park @ Barclays Center – 9/16/24 Setlist
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
A PLACE FOR MY HEAD
GIVEN UP
ONE STEP CLOSER
LOST
BREAKING THE HABIT
WHAT I’VE DONE
LEAVE OUT ALL THE REST
MY DECEMBER
FRIENDLY FIRE
NUMB/ENCORE
IN THE END
FAINT
PAPERCUT
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM
BLEED IT OUT
Linkin Park — 2024 Tour Dates
September 22, 2024 | Barclays Arena – Hamburg, Germany
September 24, 2024 | The O2 – London, UK
September 28, 2024 | INSPIRE Arena – Seoul, South Korea
November 11, 2024 | Coliseo Medplus – Bogota, Colombia