Linkin Park came roaring back on Thursday night (Sept. 5), with Billboard’s exclusive digital cover story diving into the mega-selling rock band’s surprise return. Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain have joined the band as co-vocalist and drummer/co-producer, respectively; their new album, From Zero, will be released on Nov. 15; they’ll be playing six arena shows across four continents, beginning next week; and they’ve got big touring plans in 2025.
And the band kicked everything off in riveting fashion with a livestreamed performance from the Warner lot in Los Angeles on Thursday night, playing a small for hardcore fans for a little over an hour. The set marked the first Linkin Park performance in seven years, following singer Chester Bennington’s tragic death in 2017.
Following an intro that included bits of “Castle of Glass” and “The Requiem,” the band ripped into “The Emptiness Machine,” which will be the lead single to From Zero. Armstrong appeared onstage midway through the song to deliver her second verse, as a reveal for who would be joining Mike Shinoda as the band’s other lead vocalist.
Linkin Park then performed a mix of their biggest hits (“In the End,” “Numb,” “Crawling”) and fan favorites (“Lying From You,” “Waiting for the End”). They also gave “Lost,” the re-discovered single from their Meteora 20th anniversary set last year, its live debut, with Armstrong leading a piano version of the top 40 hit.
The band will kick off its six-date arena tour next Wednesday (Sept. 11), in Los Angeles. Until then, check out the setlist to Thursday’s intimate performance, and watch the full performance below:
Intro: “The Requiem,” “Castle of Glass”
“The Emptiness Machine”
“Somewhere I Belong”
“Crawling”
“Lying From You”
“The Catalyst”
“Waiting for the End”
“Numb”
“One Step Closer”
“Lost”
“What I’ve Done”
“In the End”
“Faint”
Encore:
“Papercut”
“Bleed It Out”