Chris Willman editor Linkin Park is back and it means business. The reconstituted band, with Emily Armstrong stepping in to a lead singer role, played its first full performance since the death of former frontman Chester Bennington on Wednesday night at L.A.’s Kia Forum.
And if there was any thought that the very short international tour the group is embarking on would just be a repeat of the abbreviated livestream set they did to announce the new lineup last week, that was put to rest with a packed 27-song show that came in at just a hair over two hours.
The Forum show included all of the hits the band did as part of that 50-minute livestream, which was webcast from a soundstage in front of a small live audience.
But it also included 10 songs that weren’t performed in that teaser show, including some relative obscurities and two songs, “Keys to the Kingdom” and “Friendly Fire,” that had never been done live in any context before, with or without Bennington.
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