Concert gave inkling of Linkin Park's potential

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jan 31, 2002 by Bill Reed

The Projekt Revolution Tour proves two things: Linkin Park can't carry a concert by themselves quite yet. But they are smart enough to share the weight with other bands and put together a good show.

Colorado Springs had the first peek at one of the biggest tours in the country, as a sold-out crowd at the World Arena chose the state of revolution over the State of the Union on Tuesday.

Adema got it started with a half-hour outburst of driving rock. Lead singer Marky Chavez yanked off his shirt and spewed angst on chest beaters like "Drowning" and "Freaking Out." Adema's infectious rhythms and heavy melodies were worth hearing.

Next up was Cypress Hill, and the L.A. rap-rock innovators proved worthy of the reputation they've built over a decade of making music and trouble. They opened their hour-long set with an old school rap look - rhyme spitters B-Real and Sen Dog out front, with Muggs in the DJ booth and Eric Bobo pounding the drums.

After a tour through older hits such as "Insane in the Brain" - B- Real's high whine complemented by Sen Dog's low growl - they brought out the band. The guitarists and the first upright bassist I've ever seen in a jersey and gold chains launched a frenetic jam on "Cock the Hammer," and performed impressive versions of newer hits "Trouble" and "Rock Superstar."

Of course, music isn't the only thing Cypress Hill is known for. Puffs of marijuana smoke began rising from the crowd as soon as Cypress took the stage. And when rapper B-Real whipped out the four- foot-long glowing green bong and vaporized some herbals before "Hits from the Bong," Cypress Hill threatened to blow the other bands off the stage.

"They're a hard act to follow," acknowledged Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington. It's a gutsy move for LP to tour with a band they idolized as elementary-schoolers, and when they walked on stage the fresh-faced Linkin Park sextet looked like teen poseurs. But as the concert rolled on, they rose to the challenge.

It's easy to see why Linkin Park sold 5 million albums last year. The double-pronged attack of Bennington's vocals and Mike Shinoda's rapping keeps their sound in constant flux. DJ Joe Hahn adds layers of sound without being intrusive. And they have solid musicians on guitars and bass.

But the star is Bennington. With his legs buckling beneath him like a rag doll, an entire world of Gen Y futility flows through his tortured voice. His best work was on "In the End," Bennington wailing as he hung over the front row touching ecstatic fans.

The problem is that Linkin Park has only one album to draw on. Instead of playing songs from the next album or reworking tunes on "Hybrid Theory," they reproduced hits exactly as they were recorded and left the stage after an hour.

But Linkin Park showed signs of growing into their stardom. The show climaxed with "One Step Closer," as the refrain "I'm about to break" poured over the pulsating crowd again and again. With sweat and emotion flowing, Linkin Park sounded like real rock stars for the first time.

REVIEW

WHAT: Projekt Revolution Tour, with Linkin Park, Cypress Hill, Adema and DJ Z-Trip

WHERE: Colorado Springs World Arena

WHEN: Tuesday night