Projekt Revolution Tour, Part Two - Linkin Park

After attending my first Projekt Revolution tour last year, the Linkin Park concert definitely exceeded my expectations. Coming not long after the release of their most recent record, Minutes to Midnight, it was one of the earlier opportunities to hear many of the new songs live as well as enjoy a lot of the old ones. With this year's tour wrapping up their M2M touring cycle, their final single, "Leave Out All The Rest", and one of the last dates on the schedule, they certainly went out with a bang. While there really wasn't much in new material, the entire concert was non-stop energy with very few breaks. There were a few new intros to classic songs, a couple of remixes, changed-up setlist, and a surprise or two that kept things fresh and interesting. The entire band puts so much of themselves in the performance for the fans, it never dragged and it was actually surprising when the concert ended. Add to that their second consecutive year offering a digital download of the show, and that makes for a truly memorable experience. Picking up where I left off in Part One, Linkin Park was, of course, the highlight of the experience.


Their set started out big with a visually impressive introduction by the three-man Street Drum Corps that included an amazing percussion cadence, lighting work, and an industrial look and sound that precluded the surprising opener, "One Step Closer". Usually used as the closer, the song really energized the crowd and the set from the get-go. Other favorites like "Lying From You" was remixed a little bit and "Somewhere I Belong" kept the energy flowing. While PR'07 opened up with an exciting intro to "No More Sorrow", it was still great to hear it again. The guys didn't have much to say, instead leaving the music to do the talking for them. However, Mike did briefly mention wanting to go out (of the tour) the right way before heading into "Papercut" which just caused even more crowd reaction. As the first track off of their debut album, Hybrid Theory, it gives a nice first impression of the band and is always fun to hear live. Points of Authority also had a surprising remix/intro with Mike Shinoda's hip hop side project, Fort Minor starting things off with a verse from "In Stereo". They even went into this nice rock freestyle that changed things up a little bit. They didn't stray too far from the rock vibe, but it was a change of pace.

Mike Shinoda's musical talents include piano, guitar, rapping, and singing.

They went into "Wake" with an exciting new intro, which just built up more excitement for "Given Up". Although "From The Inside" may not be one of their bigger songs, it's one of those concert favorites that's always really great to hear live. They slowed things down a bit in their next section of songs, but changed it up from their set. After going into their current single, "Leave Out All The Rest" with Mike on keyboard, they went into another popular hit, "Numb". But perhaps my favorite song in the whole concert was "The Little Things Give You Away". It's the last song on Minutes to Midnight and has so many amazing little details and an ethereal atmosphere that I've rarely heard captured as well as this performance. With Mike starting out with a piano intro, it all just gelled perfectly. Chester's vocal work was spot-on and Rob's drum solo built up to Brad's guitar solo. In the studio recording, Mike layers his voice to create a three part harmony with Chester to finish the song. Bassist Phoenix normally joins in to recreate this, but it has never sounded so amazing until now. "Breaking The Habit" was moved around, but ended instead with Chester singing the chorus a capella. "Shadow of the Day" is another great slower tempo song from M2M that closed out their mini-section.

Mike Shinoda (left, rhythm guitar) and Phoenix (bass) playing together.

Mike once again changed things up a bit by adding a verse from "Hands Held High" to the intro to "Crawling". This was one of the first songs I heard from the band, so it's another song that's great to hear live. It was made even better when Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave returned the favor from earlier in the show and came out to sing with Chester. They officially ended their set with "In the End", but came out for an encore with a new intro to "What I've Done". Another live favorite, "Faint" closed out the encore, and a handful of people actually started to leave. But then another drum set was set up at the front of the stage where Rob Bourdon proceeded with an amazing drum solo. That led into a great finish with "Bleed It Out", which really fit with the overall tone and energy. It was made even more exciting when Street Drum Corps came out again to join the band with marching band percussion instruments in tow. While they had their own percussion break, Rob joined the group to close out the song in this epic drum finish that was pure adrenaline. It ended on a great note that had the sold-out crowd cheering.


It may not have been packed with new material or anything revolutionary, but it was a concert for the fans that never felt old or stale. The new changes and additions were fun and all of the big songs were played. I was hoping for a couple of down tempo tracks like "My December" or "In Between", but Linkin Park played non-stop and kept the crowd excited and the energy coming. The elevated stages, varied instrument positioning, and the amazing light work all added to a great experience that felt unique from the previous year. The entire Projekt Revolution tour is really solidifying its position among the other great music festivals and offers a nice injection of alternative rock.

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Projekt Revolution Tour, Part One - Opening Acts

Many artists have started their own music festivals to showcase favorite bands, particular genres, or sometimes just a certain atmosphere or feeling that other tours don't necessarily exude. Projekt Revolution is no different and was first started up by Linkin Park in 2002. Originally intended to mash up different genres similar to the band's diverse musical make up, it has since become a more rock-oriented show after returning last year from a brief hiatus. Projekt Revolution 2007 was my first, and it nicely showcased smaller artists on its second Revolution Stage while showing the bigger names on the Main Stage. Featuring artists like Mindless Self Indulgence, HIM, and My Chemical Romance, it was jam-packed with star power and great music. The tour also "went green", donating portions of their ticket sales to their Music For Relief charity and using bio-diesel in their tour buses to reduce emissions. With Linkin Park's most recent album, Minutes to Midnight just recently released, their concert felt new and exciting. With this year's festival, they took everything a step further with their charities, the music, and the excitement. Headlined by Linkin Park and Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Audioslave, it definitely had a distinctly different feel. While LP was the main attraction, the other bands also put on a really strong showing.



Projekt Revolution 2008 was the first to tour outside North America and featured exclusive bands like The Used, N.E.R.D., and Jay-Z. The US tour bands stayed closer to rock than hip hop, but it was still a great show. I unfortunately missed the Revolution Stage in its entirety, so I didn't catch Atreyu, 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights, or Armor for Sleep. I did see most of the Main Stage, but missed the first performance of Street Drum Corps as people were coming in. Things really started off with ASHES dIVIDE, which features frontman Bily Howerdel of the Tool offshoot, A Perfect Circle. I was mostly unfamiliar with the new band, but they are described as "at times very atmospheric and moody, and at other times very heavy riff-driven with tribal-like drums." From what I saw, that statement actually holds true. They could do a slower and slightly mellow song and it wouldn't sound out of place with a bigger, heavier song. One of the tunes that fits perfectly is their new single, "The Prey". It features some catchy melodies with some fun riffs. Their first single, "The Stone" shows how it can be a little heavy and atmospheric at the same time. "Forever Can Be" is also a good example of something a little lighter but full of emotion. As their first tour, ASHES dIVIDE made a nice impression. They had problems maintaining energy and crowd reaction, but that was more likely attributed to their early spot on the stage, smaller stature, and inclusion of mellower songs in their set rather than an all fast-paced, up-tempo affair. They recently released their debut album, Keep Telling Myself It's Alright and are definitely worth looking into.


Busta Rhymes was supposed to appear on the Main Stage, but he left the tour early due to "complicated business matters". I was disappointed to miss his performance but wasn't really a huge fan. I was interested in how well The Bravery would do, and they didn't disappoint. I'm mostly a casual fan, but they had this stage presence that commanded your attention. A nice variety of songs were played from their two albums, The Bravery and The Sun and the Moon. One thing that stood out to me versus their studio recordings is their great bass-heavy sound. It made everything sound bigger and better, even though their music isn't exactly my favorite. They opened with "Swollen Summer", a nice energy-packed song that continued the pace throughout. Their most recent single, "Believe" has seen some decent radio airplay, but lead singer Sam Endicott showed his strong personality when he messed up the lyrics during their performance and was joking that his lyrics "were like jazz." He also pointed how well-read the crowd was when he dedicated "Time Won't Let Me Go" to the audience and the characters in the novel/film adaptation of The Outsiders. Songs like their debut single, "Honest Mistake" still had that great 80s-like New Order vibe and "Every Word is a Knife in my Ear" was just pure fun. They may not have been my favorite, but this NYC-based group gave a lot of energy and personality that made for a really good set.

Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park teamed up on the song, "Hunger Strike".

Most people probably know Chris Cornell best from his days with Soundgarden and the recent supergroup, Audioslave, but he's just recently went solo and put on a great performance that showcased his chameleon-like ability and a setlist that had songs both new and old from his former bands and off his upcoming solo album, Scream. He really got the crowd excited when they played a pre-recorded strings arrangement of "Black Hole Sun" before his show started with "Cochise". He masterfully controlled the crowd, with virtually everyone on their feet for his set. A nice addition was during "Hunger Strike" when Chester came onto the stage to help sing the part normally done by Eddie Vedder. The new material also sounded really great, as "Watch Out" had a nice groove and a little R&B feel to it. Other hits such as "Like A Stone" was redone as a solo acoustic piece and "Be Yourself" had a nice drum build up and largeness to it. He even dedicated "Show Me How to Live" to his former bandmates in Audioslave. "Scream" is another new track that had this melodic beat very different from his previous work. As the name implies, it really displayed his command of the crowd. And of course, he finished it off with perhaps his most popular song, "Black Hole Sun". It still sounds fantastic years later, not to mention the amazing guitar solo. His show was like a marathon of energy and hits with new material stuck in-between. With Chris Cornell constantly changing form in each of his projects, I like where he's heading now.

While I wasn't as familiar with the bands in this year's tour as I was previously, they still put on an energetic show. I'm still disappointed to have missed some great acts, but I liked what I saw. With the tour coming to a close, they put on a great performance that came to a climax with Chris Cornell. Look for my review on Linkin Park's show coming soon.

UPDATE: Check out Part Two and my review of Linkin Park's performance now.

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Journey Triumphantly Returns in Live Show

This tour is a dream match-up for some. Combining some of the biggest rock groups of the 70s/80s, you not only get to see Journey revitalized with new singer Arnel Pineda but also get treated to opening acts, Heart and Cheap Trick. Much more than a wave of nostalgia, they really brought a lot of energy for a packed venue that gave back just as much. Although I unfortunately missed Cheap Trick's performance and half of Heart's due to traffic, what I saw was amazing and showed that they can still put on a great performance.


I was really disappointed to have missed Cheap Trick's show, but I was glad to at least catch half of Heart's. I've mostly been a casual fan, only familiar with their major singles and popular songs. But sisters Nancy and Ann Wilson really put on a great performance that was all energy. They really rocked out but also slowed it down when they needed to. They even dedicated one of their biggest hits, "These Dreams" to new Journey singer, Arnel Pineda. I'm not sure how full the venue was during Cheap Trick's performance, but it was already packed by the time Heart arrived. The crowd was going crazy as they played song after song. One of the highlight had to have been their performance of "Alone" as well as finishing things off with the fast-paced "Barracuda". And with the crowd pleading for more, they came back onstage for a couple more songs. They officially ended their set with "Crazy on You", which was a nice way to round things out for a great rock set. The Wilson sisters are still going strong and are gaining new fans with songs featured in both Guitar Hero II and III. While I wasn't as excited as some of the others in the audience, it was still a very fun show.

Journey debuted new singer, Arnel Pineda during their February 2008 performance in Chile.

Since Journey recruited Arnel Pineda to the group and showed off their rejuvenated sound with their latest album, Revelation, it's the best they've been since Steve Perry parted ways with the group in 1998. Previous lead singers felt more like poor imitations rather than the next evolution of Journey, and now Arnel Pineda brings a classic feel with some new energy. Their show started off with their new instrumental track, "The Journey", quickly segueing into Revelation's opening track, "Never Walk Away". While most of their new songs didn't get as big of a reaction as the classic material, this one of the few that were received better from the crowd. As they went into "Only the Young", they only reminded you that guitarist Neal Schon can still shred with a mini-solo. "Stone In Love" further solidified this fact as he kept on bringing the heat. Perhaps one of the bigger highlights of their performance for me was one of my favorites, "Ask the Lonely". While it may not be one of their more popular songs, it's a nice song that builds with Neal's solo as all five chime in for the chorus. But hearing "Separate Ways" live is an experience like no other. It had to be one of the more powerful performances that they put on. With the largeness of the drums, the ambiance of the keyboard, and the background of the guitars, it was all topped off by Arnel's masterful vocal work. The whole song just felt large and hearing live recordings just don't do it justice. Their new material was more hit-and-miss, as Jonathan Cain's great touch on the keyboard was shown on the ballad, "After All These Years". Other tracks like "Change For The Better" kind of shifted the momentum down a bit, but there was a nice balance of both new and old songs.

Journey began their 2008 Summer Tour in the UK.

While the momentum was a bit of a roller coaster, "Lights" was only the beginning of one of the high points. You could hear the crowd singing along, holding up lighters and cell phones. And as Jonathan Cain caught everybody's attention with an impressive keyboard solo, he went straight into "Open Arms". The entire venue was singing with Arnel's soaring vocals, which you could see that he was definitely in his element. And then they went into one of Arnel's best songs, "Faithfully". As one of the songs that originally caught the attention of Neal Schon when he discovered him on YouTube, he truly does it justice. "Wildest Dreams" and a song I was unfamiliar with brought the energy down a bit, but then they played fan-favorite, "Don't Stop Believing". They didn't disappoint here, although it didn't feel as powerful as some of the others. Instead of strictly sticking to the song list, they went into a little ditty with Neal Schon on guitar and Jonathan Cain playing a very impressive harmonica. You could see how much fun Journey was having on stage, as Arnel Pineda was dancing, meeting fans, and making some impressive and timely jumps off of the drum riser. They completed the set with "Wheel in the Sky" and "Any Way You Want It", which had everybody on their feet asking for more. As Arnel did formal introductions of all the band members, you can see how close they have become. They came out for an encore with "Escape" and "Lovin, Touchin', Squeezin'", which felt like great fanservice for the packed crowd. As they made their final bow, it only reinforced my excitement about Journey's future.

While there were some songs I was hoping to hear like "Mother, Father" or "I'll Be Alright Without You", it was still a phenomenal experience and worth every penny to see them live. They managed to cover most of the biggest hits as well as display some of the stronger tracks from Revelation. The pacing could have been better managed, but that was most likely attributed to more familiarity and passion for the classic songs rather than the new material. All five members of Journey really shined here and all of the old songs felt new again. Heart put on a great performance, and I'm sure Cheap Trick did the same. With a large amount of tour dates left to go, there's plenty of time to check them and see for yourself that they still got it.

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Death Cab Summer Tour Rocks With Rogue Wave

Death Cab For Cutie has energized their tour with a nice dose of rock. Their latest album, Narrow Stairs has gone away from the “urban meadow” atmosphere of the last couple records, and went with a more edgy sound. This has permeated throughout the show, as opening act Rogue Wave also brought a great rock attitude with an indie feel. Both bands brought a lot of energy to create a very entertaining show.




I was mostly unfamiliar with Rogue Wave until I saw their name with Death Cab. After sampling some of their songs before the show, I was very impressed with their live sound. While their album recordings sound a little more subdued, their performance rocked a little more. While the venue itself was a little larger than the size of an IMAX theatre, the lighting and stage effects made it feel more personal and intimate. They had a nice stage presence, but you could definitely see vocalist/guitarist Zach Rogue’s personality shine through. When some fans cried out for them to perform “Medicine Ball”, Rogue even went into a mini-performance of the song. Their set list had songs like “Bird On A Wire”, which displayed their nice indie rock sound.

One of the major highlights of their performance was this amazing drum interlude that had almost every member masterfully performing a cadence leading into “Lake Michigan”. Although “Harmonium” starts off their latest album, Asleep at Heaven’s Gate, it appropriately finished off their show. The song gradually escalated, with the line, ‘We better bust them out’ becoming a rally cry to close things out. After being inspired to pick up one of their albums, expect impressions of Descended Like Vultures in the future.


Death Cab For Cutie kicked things off with their latest opening track, “Bixby Canyon Bridge”. From there, everything was injected with a nice edge rock sound. Front man Ben Gibbard could be seen with a sense of liveliness, foregoing his trademark glasses and radiating energy with his guitar playing. The amazing lighting effects really helped set a distinct tone for each song. Songs like “The New Year” and “Photobooth” continued the energetic start, as they shifted gears a bit with new tracks, “Long Division” and “Gravevine Fires”. Their previous album, Plans helped put them in the spotlight, and single “Soul Meets Body” showed off a dazzling array of lights and colors. Acoustic song “I’ll Follow You Into The Dark” slowed things down a bit, only to escalate with their latest single “I Will Possess Your Heart”. Set on a dark stage with ambient light and a single white beacon, the song was complete with the four minute intro. Other popular tracks like “We Laugh Indoors” and “The Sound of Settling” also brought a lot of energy.

Like most concerts, Death Cab came back for an encore with “Title and Registration”. One of the more noticeable lighting effects came from the new song “No Sunlight”. The upbeat orchestration and somber lyrics were complemented well by the orange and yellow stage lights. Favorites like “405” and “Your Heart Is An Empty Room” were played, but the true finale was a stunning one. Set with a single spotlight on Gibbard playing piano, the constant energy that fueled the whole show was left for the beautiful “Transatlanticism”. The gradual build-up with the full band making their entrance was amazing.

As a whole, Death Cab For Cutie is starting on the right foot with their 2008 Summer Tour. Rogue Wave is a real gem that deserves a listen. Death Cab has infused their old and new songs with a lot of energy, featuring driving guitars, solid drum line, and hard-hitting melodies. With a nice mix of songs and styles, they put on a great show.

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