Recommendations of the Editorial team
Linkin Park’s performances at the Hamburg Volksparkstadion (June 1st and 3rd) show how lively the concert season is in major German arenas. First Metallica, now the next US rock giant.
A long outdoor music season lies ahead of us. League football ended early in the year. Afterwards, stadium capacity becomes available – cities compete for event bookings. The Bundesliga season doesn’t start again until the end of August.
When the Californians take the stage in Hamburg today, a circle closes. The band, which played at German festivals in the broad afternoon at “Katzentisch” in the early 2000s, has become an international headliner.
The voice is different than back then, but many songs remain. A large part of the audience has probably been following the nu-metal crossover troupe since their first European appearances.
Territorial protection clauses do not apply to Linkin Park
Linkin Park’s newfound greatness isn’t just evident in their solo shows. Many festivals agree on strict territorial protection clauses with headliners. These so-called “Radius Clauses” prevent a headliner from giving further concerts in the same region – or even nationwide. This is intended to secure ticket sales.
Different rules now apply to Linkin Park. The US band will also be visiting other German cities in the near future, although they are headlining at Rock am Ring and Rock im Park. In addition to the solo double concert in the north, there will be two more shows in Munich.
This underlines the enormous demand and shows: Linkin Park has now reached a position that makes it possible to set conditions. Good news for fans – instead of traveling across the country, they can use several options. Germany was one of the band’s most important markets early on.
Seven years of silence, then a spectacular comeback
After the death of singer Chester Bennington in 2017, Linkin Park largely withdrew from the public eye. In the following years, anniversary albums, a best-of album and, in 2024, the single “Friendly Fire”, which came from the recordings of “One More Light”, were released. However, many fans no longer believed in a comeback as an active band.
That changed on September 5, 2024: At a highly acclaimed appearance in Los Angeles, Linkin Park performed live again for the first time in seven years. At the microphone was the new singer Emily Armstrong, who previously worked with the rock band Dead Sara. She introduced the new single “The Emptiness Machine”. The comeback album “From Zero” has been announced.
In addition to Armstrong, drummer Colin Brittain is now part of the permanent line-up. Original members remain Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and Brad Delson. Delson focuses on studio work and is represented at concerts by Alex Feder.
According to Mike Shinoda, Armstrong did not join the band through a traditional casting process. Rather, the collaboration developed organically over the years. Shinoda and Armstrong had already made music together in 2019, and the other band members joined them later. Another new addition came with drummer Colin Brittain after founding member Rob Bourdon withdrew.
Targeted return marketing campaign
A complex marketing campaign ran in the run-up to the comeback. In November 2024 they played their new single “Heavy Is The Crown” at the “League of Legends World Championship” in the Docklands Arena in London. The event was sponsored by Mercedes.
In addition to the additional income from this gaming world championship, the management also had new, younger target groups in its sights. The musical and business metamorphosis has been evident in the Stellingen district since today.
_____________________________________________________________
Why does Campino think that sometimes it’s good to just keep your mouth shut? Why does he sometimes feel like a drinks delivery man? He provides the answer in our cover story about the Toten Hosen’s big farewell, exclusively in issue 06/26. And that’s not all: the magazine includes the world exclusive 7-inch single “Always just loved” – on which Sven Regener from Element of Crime also contributed. You can easily order the ROLLING STONE edition here.
