Linkin Park play first show of reunion tour: “This is not about erasing the past”

nme.com:

Linkin Park played the first show of their reunion tour last night (September 11) – check out fan footage, the full setlist and more below.The new iteration of the band took to the stage at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California to deliver a 26-track set – including classics such as ‘Crawling’, ‘One Step Closer’, ‘Numb’ and ‘What I’ve Done’.It came after the group launched their comeback during a live-streamed event last week.

The event saw Mike Shinoda and co. debut Emily Armstrong (formerly of Dead Sara) as their singer, and announce a new album called ‘From Zero’ (pre-order/pre-save here).Speaking to yesterday’s crowd, Shinoda explained that this version of Linkin Park was “not about erasing the past” following the controversy surrounding Armstrong stepping in to replace the late Chester Bennington.He said that playing to new fans who haven’t seen them live before was “part of why we’re back out here”.“We are thrilled to be back out here.

It is not about erasing the past – it is about starting this new chapter into the future, and coming out here for each and every one of you,” Shinoda continued.“We love playing for you guys, we love writing this music – we’re very fucking excited about the new record.

So thank you guys very much – we’ve had an incredible night with you. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”Elsewhere, Linkin Park gave ‘Friendly Fire’ its live debut.