Following last week’s whirlwind announcement of Linkin Park’s reunion phase alongside new singer Emily Armstrong, the nu-metal band officially kicked off their “From Zero World Tour” last night (September 11th) at Inglewood, California’s Kia Forum.
While the Forum performance technically followed last week’s secret livestream concert, which introduced Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain into the lineup, it nevertheless marked the first official Linkin Park tour date since 2017. The band kicked things off with the familiar “Somewhere I Belong,” and continued with a cavalcade of hits like “One Step Closer,” “Numb,” “In the End,” “Bleed it Out” and more.
The night also included a performance of Linkin Park’s pop-punky “The Emptiness Machine” single, which precedes their forthcoming FROM ZERO reunion album, while the band likewise delivered the first-ever live performance of gentle ballad “Friendly Fire,” the lead single from this year’s Papercuts (Singles Collection 2000-2023). Additionally, The Hunting Party’s “Keys to the Kingdom” got its live debut.
Linkin Park also delivered deep cuts, with the group performing “When They Come for Me” for the first since 2014, “My December” for the first time since 2008, and “Given Up” made its way back into their setlist for the first time since 2015.
You’ll find all the setlist details down below via setlist.fm, as well as a collection of fan-shot concert footage from the Forum up above and down below.
The show was the first date of Linkin Park’s brief world tour, which will bring them to New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul, and Bogota between now and November. You’ll find more info here.
The Linkin Park reunion has not been without its controversies, especially in light of Armstrong taking the place of the late vocalist Chester Bennington. Just shortly after the band announced their return, it was highlighted online that Armstrong was a member of the Church of Scientology, and had shown support for actor and convicted rapist Danny Masterson during his sexual assault trial in 2023.
In particular, The Mars Volta vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala and his wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, one of Masterson’s victims, were vocal in their disapproval of the lineup change, claiming Armstrong had also been part of the Church’s intimidation campaign against various witnesses during the trial.
Armstrong took to her Instagram stories last weekend to deliver an temporary post that explained she went into the trial to support her friend Masterson, but realized during testimony that this had been a mistake.
Since the announcement of FROM ZERO, Linkin Park’s founding guitarist Brad Delson revealed that he would no longer be touring with the band. Guitarist Alex Feder is playing in his stead.
Linkin Park setlist 9/11/24:
Somewhere I Belong
Crawling
Lying From You
Points of Authority
New Divide (with “Moscow Intro”)
The Emptiness Machine
The Catalyst
Burn It Down
Waiting for the End
Castle of Glass
Joe Hahn Solo
When They Come for Me / Remember the Name
Lost in the Echo
Given Up
One Step Closer
Lost
Breaking the Habit
What I’ve Done
Leave Out All the Rest
My December
Friendly Fire
Numb
In the End
Faint
Papercut
Keys to the Kingdom
Bleed It Out