Above image via Instagram @linkinpark and @aweldingphotos
Giovanni Mori | Posted September 14th, 2025
Last year, Linkin Park took the music world by storm with the release of their new single, “The Emptiness Machine,” as well as the surprise announcement of a new album, tour dates, and, seven years after the passing of former vocalist Chester Bennington, the addition of co-lead vocalist Emily Armstrong.
On August 19th, Pittsburgh experienced the new era of Linkin Park with a nearly thirty song setlist at PPG Paints Arena as part of the band’s From Zero World Tour, celebrating their new music and legacy as one of the most beloved rock bands to emerge from the 2000s. Alternative pop and hip hop artist Jean Dawson took the stage with energetic tunes like “Black Sugar” and “MENTHOL*” to warm the crowd up and get the blood flowing, and it wouldn’t be long before a ten minute timer across the arena’s jumbo screens would flash, counting the down the seconds before LP would take the stage.
YouTube: Jean Dawson
When the timer reached zero, the arena went dark for a moment, but was quickly lit up again by a flashing static background on each screen, and an echoing backing track to fill the gaps of the audience cheering, building the anticipation for Pittsburgh’s biggest LP fans. One by one, each member finally took the stage, with co-vocalists Armstrong and Mike Shinoda trailing behind. Then, without another sound, cued the recognizable starting notes to one their oldest and most popular songs, “Somewhere I Belong.”
YouTube: Linkin Park
Super fans would’ve noticed the song was modulated to a different key, likely in consideration for Armstrong’s higher vocal range. The same was done for some of the other tunes played throughout evening, which gave fans and listeners a new and refreshing way to listen to their favorite songs, and further signifies the new era for Linkin Park.
Concert attendees would get to hear their favorites across nearly all of the band’s eight albums, which would either have you scream at the top of your voice, levitate with a tear rolling down your cheek, or a mix of both. Pittsburgh got a wide mix of old school LP songs like “Lying From You,” “Waiting For The End,” and “Given Up,” as well as tracks from the band’s newest album including “Cut The Bridge,” “Up From The Bottom,” “Good Things Go,” and the fan favorite “Two Faced.” I go more into “Two Faced” and what makes the song special for the band and diehard fans in the post below.
What was also very entertaining to see was the stage design, which as opposed to typically having the elevated stage on one side and audience on the other, the stage was actually placed directly in the middle of the arena, with all instruments placed in a circular motion similar to some kind of jazz rehearsal space. The audience on the floor and in the seating areas would surround the band on all sides, with no bad view of each member in action, and in a way, establishing more of a connection between the music and listener.
LP has always been known for their entertaining performances beyond the music and using the whole stage as a playground. As to be expected on the Pittsburgh date, no band member was stuck in the same spot for each song, with guitars constantly facing different directions of the stage, and Shinoda often hyping up the crowd every chance he got on all sides. Not even the stationary drums, keys, and turntables stayed completely still, which were quickly moved in the dark as the band transitioned to the evening’s halfway point, where fans saw more of LP’s popular tunes, including the uplifting “What I’ve Done,” the tear welling “Numb,” and the unforgettable “In The End.”
YouTube: Linkin Park
Over the course of the now twenty five years of playing “In The End” live, the band would typically have the audience sing some of Bennington’s parts in the emotional chorus and bridge section, and this would especially continue during performances after his passing in 2017. Nowadays, fans aren’t only singing back Bennington’s parts, but also every word to Shinoda’s lightning quick rap verses. It’s not often in live concerts that the audience is able to echo their voices in a big arena, but Pittsburgh fans had no problem filling every corner of PPG Paints.
The band ended their performance rapid firing more of their iconic songs to sing and scream along to including the swift and powerful “Faint” with an extended outro and guitar solo, the mountain moving “Papercut,” the heavy as hell “A Place For My Head” and “Heavy Is The Crown,” and lastly, the energy depleting “Bleed It Out.”
YouTube: Linkin Park
Whether you’re a fan of the new era of Linkin Park, or choose to hang on to the classic nu metal sound, the band continues to deliver emotional and deeply personal performances for lifelong fans without any sign of slowing down. The band still has many more dates of the From Zero World Tour left in 2025 and 2026, with each show having slightly different setlists according to setlist.fm. Experience the new era of Linkin Park firsthand if you get a chance, and sing all your favorite songs until your lungs give out.
Sources
“Black Sugar” YouTube, uploaded by Jean Dawson, 17 Oct. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5AmDBwCUQ4&list=RDl5AmDBwCUQ4&start_radio=1
“Bleed It Out (Official Music Video) [4K Upgrade] – Linkin Park” YouTube, uploaded by Linkin Park, 20 Aug. 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnuuYcqhzCE&list=RDOnuuYcqhzCE&start_radio=1
“In The End [Official HD Music Video] – Linkin Park” YouTube, uploaded by Linkin Park, 26 Oct. 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVTXPUF4Oz4&list=RDeVTXPUF4Oz4&start_radio=1
Linkin Park [@linkinpark]. Action Shot. Instagram, photographed by Alan Welding, 20 Aug. 2025, https://www.instagram.com/p/DNlyzB4SkTx/?img_index=3
“Somewhere I Belong (Official Music Video) [4K Upgrade] – Linkin Park” YouTube, uploaded by Linkin Park, 5 Mar. 2007, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsCD5XCu6CM&list=RDzsCD5XCu6CM&start_radio=1
