Rei Nishimoto, Kerrang!, Winter 2014
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles. 15.09.14
And we thought we had it good. When Linkin Park hit the UK in November, they'll be bringing Of Mice & Men with them, who will take the chance to step up and have a pop at the champs in an arena. Tonight, though, LP have 30 Seconds To Mars in tow. And what we get is two sets of arena-smashing experts duking it out in one of the the world's most prestigious venues. And it's awesome.
As an extra bonus, AFI are here as well. With an early and condensed 30-minute set, Davey Havok's California goth-punks get straight to the point. No fuss, no chit-chat, just the rapid fire of The Leaving Song Pt. II, I Hope You Suffer and Miss Murder. Tonight, AFI stands for Absolutely Freakin' Incredible.
Then the Clash Of The Titans begins. 30 Seconds To Mars shows always carry a sense of gathering, a congregation, and playing for their adopted hometown with the added magic of being up against Linkin Park makes this evening even more special. Up In The Air and Search And Destroy start things off with a bang, while the words This Is War flash behind in enormous letters.
During City Of Angels, Jared Leto, with his modern-Jesus-meets-Lennon stage persona, parades up to the mid-level of the venue to sing with the crowd. There's an acoustic version of The Kill, before they bring hordes from the Echelon onstage to add the traditional backing choir to Closer To The Edge to finish things off in grand, flamboyant style. Follow that, Linkin Park.
"No fucking problem," would be Chester Bennington's response to that challenge. Tonight, Linkin Park positively squash the competition with a spectacle of a show, fusing the sort of light show you would only get in Hollywood with a set list packed with more hits than a title fight.
This being a hometown show, there are friends here. So out comes System Of A Down guitarist Daron Malakian for Rebellion, and Austin Carlile from Of Mice & Men for an enormous Faint. There are special moments from LP's own ranks, too, like when DJ Joe 'Misteeeer' Hahn and Mike Shinoda scratch their itches to scratch during Robot Boy and Burn It Down, or Chester making it his business to high-five everyone in the front rows, before Mike dives in for a triumphant In The End.
It's a hell of a night, but there can only be one winner.
It's Linkin Park by a knockout. Bring on the UK tour.
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