concert review

The Journal Pavilion
8/6/08
Albuquerque, NM

This year on the Projekt Revolution tour in Albuquerque, N.M., Linkin Park headlined (no surprise considering that they formed Projekt Revolution), with opening acts Atreyu, Ashes Divide and Street Drum Corps.

Let me start off by saying that I’m not the biggest Linkin Park fan. Yes, I loved them in high school, but I quickly grew out of the witty raps by Mike Shinoda and the screaming by Chester Bennington.

But I must admit – last night Linkin Park delivered quite a set. The sound was perfect, and the drummer, Rob Bourdon, stole the show with his drum solo. In fact, driving to the middle of nowhere (where the Journal Pavilion is located) was worth it just for those few minutes of drumming bliss.

Bennington was his whiney self, but I have to say that there were points in the show where he revealed that he actually is a good vocalist. He held notes longer on a few of the newer “ballad” type songs on their latest record, “Minutes To Midnight.” For once, he wasn’t just screaming his face off for an hour and a half.

And while I’m not the biggest fan of hip-hop, Shinoda’s raps are sharp enough to keep a crowd entertained. He, too, also impressed me with his vocal range. He didn’t just rap the whole night, he actually sang, and it was quite enjoyable.

Underneath the hate and bad-ass attitude of the members of Linkin Park, there’s a cute little boy band waiting to emerge.

Really, though. If you have the chance to go to Projekt Revolution this year – I recommend it.

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