Linkin Park and the race to remain relevant
By Richard Dangle
It’s hard to say whether Mike Shinoda knew back in the mid-90s that his band made up of a bunch of high school friends would still be around a decade later. “Rap rock” or “nu metal” bands were a dime a dozen during a critical turning point in the band’s career (Korn and Limp Bizkit immediately come to mind, to name a couple).
Even after the departure of vocalist Mark Wakefield and the recruitment of Chester Bennington in the late 90s, the future for the band that would become Linkin Park looked all but finished. The band suffered rejection after rejection from record labels and –just when all seemed lost- they snagged a contract with Warner Bros. Records and released their debut album, Hybrid Theory, in late 2000. The record become the best-selling album of 2001, garnered three Grammy nominations, and seemingly catapulted the band into the world of mainstream success overnight.
Perhaps it’s the blending of several musical genres that allows Linkin Park to still remain successful, where other similar acts, such as Limp Bizkit, have seen their star status shine brightly for a moment, before completely imploding on themselves.
This mashing together of genres is especially visible on the band’s most recent album, Minutes to Midnight. Despite debuting at #1, many fans of the group criticized the album for the change in sound felt throughout the album – which drops much of Mike Shinoda’s rapping in favor of a more melodic and straight-up rock approach.
“We've always been known for mixing a lot of different genres of music and not pigeonholing ourselves in one particular sound, but by doing so, we've kind of pigeonholed ourselves into our sound," frontman Chester Bennington told MTV when asked about the different tone in the album.
Still, the band was all too happy to oblige fans at Nationwide Arena last Friday when it played song after song from Hybrid Theory and Meteora, highlighting the nu-metal sound that made them popular in the first place.
Mike Shinoda, who looked like he had just stumbled out of a frat party in a nice, untucked Oxford shirt, and frontman Chester Bennington took to opposite ends of the stage to bounce raps and vocals off of each other during the show. Though the band played for slightly over an hour, concertgoers probably didn’t notice how much time had passed once the band’s set was over, given that the played one song right after the next, barely taking time to catch its own breath.
One of the interesting features about the concert was that audience members had the option of purchasing a special “digital souvenir package” that the band has been offering on every stop of the tour.
Here’s how it works: customers have the option of adding the $15 package when purchasing their tickets. If they opt for it, they receive a digital tour program of the concert, along with original photos taken from the ticket-holder’s specific show. The real kicker, though, is that customers also receive a full MP3 recording of their show, which they can download online after it ends. Even those who aren’t fans of Linkin Park have to admire that innovation during a time when record labels are becoming increasingly Nazi-esque about their artists and the distribution of MP3s. Music fans should be so lucky to see other artists adopt similar practices.
Originally Published: Issue 623 - February 20, 2008
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