9. Linkin Park

THE O2 ARENA

10 NOVEMBER 2010

I’m writing this with a notebook from 2010 open in front of me, flipping through the words I scribbled in the days after the show; words that, even back then, couldn’t quite keep up with the energy in that room. But I am fifteen years later, re-reading my own notes, knowing the world shifted only a few short years after this gig.

That shine I felt back then, and that pure adrenaline on the page, is now tinged with something else: the knowledge that Chester Bennington, the man who held twenty thousand of us in a trance that night, wouldn’t stay with us for much longer.

So, let’s revel in the moment and let his memory burn bright. Imagine the stage lit up, huge screens blasting neon fever dreams over us in a collective electric prayer. Mike Shinoda throwing verses out like lightning bolts, weaving us into crescendos that carry us up with each wave, only to bring us crashing down as the crowd roars like a revival meeting. We weren’t just fans; we were disciples in the Church of Chester, hanging on his every cry.

Tracks like “Iridescent” and “Numb” radiated from that stage, drowning us in an ocean of sound and fury. It wasn’t just a gig; it was a masterclass in stage presence, pure combustion and command. You didn’t have to be a die-hard fan of Linkin Park to see it, just watching Chester work the stage was enough, his raw intensity impossible to fake, his voice a direct hit every time. Oh, Chester, you’re missed more than ever. Thanks for taking us there, and for those moments of release when we forgot everything except the music.