LINKIN PARK

FROM ZERO TOUR

Live from Nashville

August 24, 2025 Review by Traci Turner

Linkin Park has been bouncing all over the globe with their From Zero World Tour and holy hell, you need to see it.

When the band announced their new chapter in September of 2024, there were positive and negative reactions, and founding member Mike Shinoda has since said they thought of every single thing fans have brought up before they decided to forge ahead. I confess I am hesitant when I see a rock band fronted by a woman because it is often played as “here is a sexy chick for you to leer at.” When Emily Armstrong – formerly of Dead Sara – was announced as the new vocalist, I had reservations.

Then I heard Armstrong’s scream.

I hereby apologize for doubting the band and Armstrong, and I walked away from the show an even bigger fan of both.

Opening the evening was Jean Dawson, an experimental rock artist who grew up in San Diego and Tijuana. Dawson sauntered onto the circular stage – which allowed GA ticket holders to surround the artists – and kicked off a set that had notes of Prince, Michael Jackson, and every awesome nu-metal rock band.

As large blocks of video screens displayed graphics overhead, Dawson took us through a varied seven-song set that showcased his many styles of vocals. “Black Sugar” had a somewhat pop rock vibe, but then “MENTHOL*” was straight up pounding rock that vibrated my seat.

Dawson’s growling vocals were well suited for the rock portion, but he was able to switch to a smooth R&B voice that would have made the face on his t-shirt – Otis Redding – proud.

“New Age Crisis” sounded like an ‘80s Cure tune and Dawson was able to channel Robert Smith while the band appeared to be having the best time. Whether it was the fully-masked drummer or the keyboardist who never stopped jumping, they all looked thrilled to be onstage.

After announcing, “My name is Jean Dawson and we’re going to play some fucking rock music!” he indeed did with “Rock A Bye Baby,” which he said just came out, and “Die for Me.”

Dawson closed his set with some more growls in “Darlin’” and “THREE HEADS*” before saying farewell to the early crowd, who had filled in quite nicely by then.

While fans chatted, got drinks and merch, and began ramping up their excitement for the headliner, a 10-minute countdown began on the video screens, eliciting a loud cheer. As it ticked down to four minutes, music started to play. Then at one minute, the arena crowd started making noise – cheering, yelling, howling, waving cell lights.

And then…. the countdown ended and the lights cut off. A single laser beam of light shot down from the ceiling to the center of stage. The crowd was immediately silent, and the hushed anticipation was insane!

One by one, the members of Linkin Park began appearing on the circular stage: Colin Brittain (drums, and the other newest member), Dave “Phoenix” Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (turntables, synthesizers), and Brad Delson (guitar). Brittain began pounding a drumbeat for the “Inception Intro” that only fueled the frenzy the crowd was projecting and then… I had a moment.

EVENT PROMOTIONAL PHOTO

I have always been a LP fan – saw them when they first broke, bought all the CDs back in the day. When Chester Bennington passed in 2017, I was of course saddened.

But when I heard the guys were moving forward, I was interested to see what they would do. I love “From Zero” and how it sounds like Linkin Park, but it is fresh and now – with the spirit of the band I love.

The reason I point this out is because I went into this show with zero expectations. Imagine my surprise when co-vocalists Emily Armstrong and Mike Shinoda hit the stage and I TEARED UP. Why am I CRYING? Where did that come from? There was just such a powerful feeling in that arena, with this band, and the journey we were about to go on.

Ok, emotions off.

Armstrong and Shinoda took opposite sides of the stage and launched into a screaming singfest that would go on for the next two hours.

The band had the setlist divided into acts and Act I began with “Somewhere I Belong” and the cheers that rang out when the song began were deafening! The duo made good use of the stage – hitting both sides, front and back, and the video elements and lasers were gorgeous. As they moved into “Points of Authority,” any moment without singing was met with screams from the audience.

“Crawling” had a singalong that was insanely loud but had space for Armstrong to do the vulnerable lyrics, which gave me goosebumps. Screaming or “regular” singing – she’s got it handled.

After “New Divide,” Shinoda greeted the audience: “Thank you for supporting the band this last year. We are so grateful for the support on the new music, like this one,” and they began “The Emptiness Machine.” Obviously the crowd was loud when it came to singing the older hits, but they continued to prove they knew the “From Zero” tracks as well.

As Act I wrapped, the laser beam returned and a light show led us into Act II with their “Creation Intro.” Once the band returned to the stage, they launched into “The Catalyst” and “Burn It Down,” which had the pit jumping like they were on pogo sticks. When they song ended, another “Linkin Park! Linkin Park!” chant erupted.

While Shinoda had been hopping onto keys and grabbing a guitar throughout the set, Armstrong grabbed a guitar for “Up From the Bottom.” She put it aside for the next song and Shinoda had her stand on a monitor, then gestured like, “Look! Here she is!” and the crowd went nuts! The entire band looked like they were having a fantastic time and it was wonderful to see the lack of egos.

A cover of Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go” was followed by “Waiting for the End” and “Lies Greed Misery.” DJ Joe Hahn had time to show off his skills and Shinoda shared the rap-sing style he is famous for.

It looked as if everyone in the pit had their hands raised in celebration and then Shinoda challenged them to create a massive mosh pit. The crowd obliged and kept it going through the incredibly catchy “Two Faced.” Once again, I loved hearing the crowd scream the lyrics to new stuff and Armstrong’s own screams did not disappoint.

We got some more of Joe Hahn’s DJ magic during a solo break with drummer Colin Brittain helping out. “Empty Spaces,” “When They Come for Me,” and “Remember the Name” had moments of Shinoda doing solo keys with Brad Delson on guitar.

Then Shinoda left the stage to walk around the GA area, shaking hands, giving high fives, and upon meeting a woman who created her own LP outfit, giving away a signed LP hat. He rapped a verse from the pit but then made his way back to the stage and we were treated to the PHENOMENAL performance of “IGYEIH” with Armstrong finishing the song on the stage floor, rolling and screaming.

Despite what had to be exhausting, Armstrong was ready to go into “One Step Closer” moments later, which featured a major crowd singalong on the “Shut up!” portion.

The band disappeared and the crew rotated all of the equipment 180 degrees – I had previously been looking right at the drums, and now I was looking at the keys. Chants of “Linkin Park” began again and Act III was ready to begin.

Shinoda and Armstrong were onstage alone, with Shinoda playing piano and the fans lighting up the arena with their phones as they started “Lost.” After the first chorus, the entire band joined them and it was time to be loud again. “Stained” and “What I’ve Done” closed out Act III and then darkness returned.

This time, the laser beam began to cut through the block video screens in a surprisingly realistic fashion. Seriously, whoever did the visuals for this tour is fantastic.

After “Overflow,” Shinoda said he has been picking different genres of music for the band to play the next song. Being in Nashville, he chose Johnny Cash style for the into to “Numb” and they finished it with a little country jam.

“In the End” featured another loud singalong from the fans and “Faint” had the crowd jumping, almost shaking the arena. With a big guitar finish and strobe lights flashing, it seemed like the end of the show, but a repeating music bit continued and the lights kept flashing, so we knew that meant there was more.

Suddenly a cheer started to roll across the arena and we saw LP again, now giving us “Papercut” and another loud singalong.

Ok, here is the part I have been waiting for. The first time I heard “Heavy is the Crown” and Armstrong’s scream at 1:45, I wondered if she could do it live.

She had already impressed me all night, but THIS was what I was anticipating for months… and she delivered. Not just from the comfort of the stage, but from the pit as fans grabbed and hung onto her.

As she made her way back to the stage, Shinoda said, “Thank you so much. We love you Nashville!” After thanking opener Dawson and all the crew, LP closed the night with “Bleed It Out.” A standing ovation of cheers that lasted several minutes ensued before the band finally disappeared into the night.

Linkin Park is continuing their From Zero World Tour with stops in Denver, Seattle, Sacramento, and Los Angeles (Intuit Dome on September 13th) before they head to South America, Australia, and Europe – putting them on the road well into 2026! This is definitely not one to miss!

SHOW PHOTO GALLERY

by Stephanie Pepper Photography

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SID 250823 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR