Last Sunday, Linkin Park brought their “From Zero World Tour” to Paris’ La Défense Arena for their first French show since the tragic passing of Chester Bennington in 2017. Ctrl Alt Music was there to witness the legendary Nu Metal band’s grandiose return.
A Very Divisive Opener
British quartet Sleep Token took the stage as the opening act for the Paris stop, just days before the start of their own tour. This choice has sparked mixed reactions among the 40 000 fans present to a fully sold-out La Défense Arena, highlighting the “love it or leave it” response that Sleep Token has been receiving since their chart-topping album last year. On one hand, their die-hard fans were ecstatic about the addition of a Paris date, especially since the city had initially seemed overlooked when the band announced their upcoming tour. On the other side, lots of Linkin Park fans were disappointed, finding the unique brand of haunting, atmospheric alternative metal too calm for an opening act.
While both known for powerful, deeply emotional lyrics, Sleep Token’s dark, ritualistic scenography and lack of crowd interaction left a part of the public perplexed, expecting a more high-energy, traditional opener .However, Sleep Token’s devoted fanbase was ecstatic to experience a brief but deeply personal seven-song set, featuring some of their most iconic hits. The band even treated fans to ‘Vore‘, a song that didn’t make the cut on their American “Teeth of God” tour’s setlist.
Setlist: The Offering – The Summoning – Vore – Rain – Alkaline – Granite – Take Me Back to Eden
Linkin Park is Back!
Linkin Park’s electrifying return to the stage proves they’re still masters of Nu Metal, bringing fresh energy and powerful nostalgia to their devoted fans. After their unexpected hiatus in 2017 following the tragic loss of Chester Bennington, the band stunned the world on September 5th with the announcement of their comeback. Now, they’re joined by Emily Armstrong, lead singer of Dead Sara, and drummer Collin Brittain, known for his work as producer and writer for bands like Papa Roach, 5 Seconds of Summer, and One Ok Rock.
Their set kicked off with ‘Somewhere I Belong’, immediately firing up the crowd, followed by crowd favorites ‘Crawling’ and ‘Points of Authority’ during which Emily got lost on the last chorus, but quickly got back on track with the support of the rest of the band. The set continued with ‘Lying from You’ and ‘New Divide’, and then came ‘The Emptiness Machine’, the first of three new singles introduced with Armstrong, which showcased her unique vocal range while honoring the band’s original sound.
After a quick breather through the ‘Creation’ intro, blending hints of ‘Castle of Glass’, the band moved into high-energy performances of ‘The Catalyst’, ‘Burn It Down’, ‘Waiting for the End’, and finally, ‘Castle of Glass’. Songs from Linkin Park’s later, often divisive albums received an equally energetic response. The crowd didn’t skip a single beat and sang with their whole chest the lyrics, just as the rest of the concert. Then came two solos, a scratching solo from Joe Hahn, their DJ, and a mashup from Mike Shinoda, blending ‘When They Come for Me‘ and Fort Minor’s ‘Remember the Name‘.
One of the standout moments came when Emily performed ‘Over Each Other‘, debuting it for the first time ever live. Before starting, Mike Shinoda read a heartfelt message in French that Emily, admittedly shy, had written for the crowd, thanking everyone for their support. This intimate moment quickly transitioned into ‘Lost in the Echo’ and the iconic ‘Given Up,’ igniting massive mosh pits—even though Emily chose not to attempt the legendary 17-second scream. The energy only grew with ‘One Step Closer’, finally unleashing the crowd.
In the concert’s third act, Linkin Park took a more emotional turn with a stripped-down short rendition of ‘Lost’ on piano, followed by ‘Breaking the Habit’ and ‘What I’ve Done’. This sequence led beautifully into the final act, with ‘Leave Out All the Rest’, ‘My December’ and ‘Friendly Fire’ before closing with the ultimate classics ‘Numb’, ‘In the End’, and ‘Faint’.The encore delivered the night’s final surprises, including ‘Papercut’ and ‘Heavy Is the Crown’, another single from their upcoming From Zero album, dedicated to finalists BLG and T1 of the League of Legends World Championship, for which the song served as an anthem. The band wrapped up the night with an epic performance of ‘Bleed It Out’, sending fans home with the thrill of a perfect comeback.
As for me, I’ll go wipe my tears of emotion off that I couldn’t stop through the whole concert and catch you all in the next pit!
Setlist:
Act I: Inception Intro A (with elements of “Castle of Glass”) – Somewhere I Belong – Crawling – Points of Authority – Lying From You – New Divide – The Emptiness Machine
Act II: Creation Intro A (with elements of “Castle of Glass”) – The Catalyst – Burn It Down – Waiting for the End (2024 intro) – Castle of Glass – Joe Hahn Solo – Empty Spaces – When They Come for Me / Remember the Name (Mike solo) – Over Each Other (live debut; Emily on guitar) – Lost in the Echo – Given Up – One Step Closer
Act III: Collapse – Lost (shortened; Mike and Emily piano duet) – Breaking the Habit – What I’ve Done
Act IV: Kintsugi – Leave Out All the Rest (2017 version) – My December (acoustic) – Friendly Fire – Numb (with “Numb/Encore” intro) – In the End – Faint (extended outro)
Encore: Resolution Intro A (with elements of “Castle of Glass”) – Papercut – Heavy Is the Crown – Bleed It Out