Linkin Park \’Burn Indy Down\’

by Reggie Edwards Linkin Park and Incubus are considered two of the most iconic rock bands of our time. They have written some of the biggest hits of the last 15 years and continue to grow in popularity. That’s why when the lineup for the 2012 Honda Civic Tour was announced over the summer with the two headlining and Mutemath opening for them, it was almost guaranteed to sell out and be at the top of the summer tour list along with Mayhem and Warped Tour. \"\"\"\" We had a chance to stop off at the Indianapolis show and we were not disappointed one bit. Mutemath opened with a beautiful psychedelic rock set that had the crowd captivated and ready for Incubus. \"\"\"\" Incubus, if you’re a fan of them, put on a great set. They played virtually all of their hits and even threw in some covers, \"\"including Lionel Richie’s “Hello” (I\’m still bewildered by that one) and meshing “Pistola” with Rush’s “Tom Saywer.” They played a whopping 18 songs on the night, something you’d expect from a co-headliner. My only thing is that whenyou’re playing a tour with a dynamic and heavy band like Linkin Park, the fans want a hard, fast-paced set and that’s something Incubus failed to deliver. I know they\’re known for their softer psychedelic funk rock but still, play something to get the crowd moving. I was so calm with Linkin Park came on that it was tough to really get going. Linkin Park ended the night with one of the best sets I’ve seen all summer. Let me set the scene for you: Beastie Boys hits started blasting over the PA, footage of Linkin Park streamed on the giant LED backscreen. The capacity crowd all singing together to the Beastie Boys. Then the lights went down and the hard electric guitar and bass began blaring and the sound of “With You” from Hybrid Theory blasted. Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda strolled onto stage and it…had…begun. \"\"\"\" Going straight into “Faint” off of Meteora after that, the crowd was already enthralled by the legendary rockers showing us what they were made of. With the exception of “Points of Authority” and “Crawling” they played every song you could want them to play.\"\" If anyone had any thoughts that Linkin Park had “lost it” or aren\’t what they used to be, they set straight all doubters that night. Bennington’s screams still sent chills down your spine and Shinoda spitting raps on the mic sent me straight back to 2000.  They haven’t lost a beat, not one step- that was evident on the encore of “Lost in Echo,” “Papercut” and “One Step Closer.” I loved how they incorporated the new record into the show- bringing the heat- literally- with their performance of the lead single off of Living Things, “Burn It Down,” as multiple flames shot up from the stage. Add that to the sparks shower that rained down onto stage to finish the night with the final song- “One Step Closer,” and every Linkin Park fan’s night was complete.