Emily Armstrong on drums, Mike Shinoda in the fan pit – Linkin Park’s first evening in the Allianz Arena delivered unforgettable moments.
The Allianz Arena is filled with rock guitars and several thousand fans sing in chorus at the same time. No, FC Bayern Munich isn’t back yet – but they are Linkin Park. On their first of two evenings in Munich, they show what fans can expect on Friday, June 12th.
The pop-up
There has been speculation for weeks about what special Linkin Park have come up with for Munich. After all, they sold fish sandwiches for Hamburg. So what should the pop-up in Munich have in store? Pork knuckles and sauerkraut? Markus Söder would have liked that – but Linkin Park decided to cooperate with FC Bayern Munich. There are very special jerseys to buy at the merchandise shops. The connection to FC Bayern makes sense.
Bayern fans’ hearts must have jumped a little faster on the first evening of the show when Emily Armstrong showed up in an FC Bayern jersey. But it wasn’t just the showing of colors that was a special feature of the show. The singer could also be seen on the drums during a song: Armstrong grabbed the drumsticks and delivered. Multi-talented instead of multiple accusations – the lead singer, who had to face Scientology accusations at the beginning of her Linkin Park career, now seems to be accepted by almost all fans.
Anyone hoping for real contact with the Linkin Park stars could be lucky on the second evening of the show. According to the Munich “Abendzeitung”, Mike Shinoda jumped into the pit in front of the stage towards the audience during an energetic freestyle mix of “Step Up” and “Remember The Name”. He even gave one fan his signed cap. You have to be lucky.
Chester Bennington and the band’s legacy
The only criticism from some fans: the lack of appreciation for former frontman Chester Bennington. No image displayed and no memory from the stadium microphone commemorated him. Linkin Park could learn a few things from the German rappers BHZ, who wave a “Long live Pablo” flag at every performance.
In the end, there is still an unforgettable evening for many – one in which they heard Linkin Park’s greatest hits, both old and new. After all, a setlist packed with songs like “In The End” or “Numb” can hardly disappoint.