LINKIN PARK
Fiserv Forum – 8/25/25 – Milwaukee, WI
©Justin Nuoffer/NuofferMedia.com
On a cool Milwaukee evening, nothing could top this moment: Linkin Park was finally in town for their first-ever headlining performance. As surprising as that sounds given the size and impact of their career, it was true, and the city was more than ready.
On the side of the Fiserv Forum, the building’s name illuminated the night sky. Down below, fans packed the Deer District, waiting to stream through the massive glass doors. Across the street, restaurants buzzed, patios overflowed, and downtown felt alive. The crisp fall air only added to the excitement.
Inside, security moved quickly and lines flowed smoothly. Fans with bowl or upper-level seats rapidly took the escalators, while the rush to the floor sent a wave of people through the center entrances. Within minutes, the arena was packed. The stage sat in the middle of the floor, a rectangular setup with stairs on each end. On the north side, a long walkway stretched out with fans on both sides. Above hung two enormous four-sided video boards, surrounded by a lighting rig and fog jets. It was an elaborate, striking setup.
As the countdown ticked away on the screens, the crowd grew louder and more restless. This new era of Linkin Park was about to begin. Vocalist Emily Armstrong, drummer Colin Brittain, and touring guitarist Alex Feder were the fresh faces, and the band was primed. When they finally hit the stage together, the arena exploded. Linkin Park was back.
The show was designed to run consecutively in five acts. For Act One, Linkin Park opened with “Somewhere I Belong” and “Points of Authority.” Diving straight into their classic material, fans instantly sang along at full volume. The sound was sharp, and the band played with the cohesion of a group that’s performed together for decades.
Moving into “Stained” and “Crawling,” that signature Linkin Park feeling washed over the crowd. It was the same rush you felt the first time hearing “Crawling,” complete with goosebumps. All the nostalgic energy surged back just in time for “The Emptiness Machine,” a track from their newest album From Zero. Armstrong took command in her own style and flair with her arms waving and voice soaring. The new vocalist was fully in her element.
With the small intermissions, Joe Hahn remained behind his turntable and keyboard setup, tapping and mixing melodies. This was a common occurrence throughout the show. He built the atmosphere.
Here is where the night really took off. Act two was packed with hit after hit and unforgettable moments. Opening with a shortened version of “The Catalyst” and leading into the arena anthem “Burn It Down”, the only things louder than the music were the screams and voices of fans singing along to the timeless lyrics. Moving quickly into one of the newer tracks, Armstrong added her guitar to the mix for “Up From the Bottom” and showed off her overall skills as a musician. The connection to the track was strong and undeniable.
Continuing their march through a heavy catalog, Shinoda stopped to ask, “Do we have any Fort Minor fans in here?” Naturally, the crowd erupted as the intro to “Where’d You Go?” filled the arena. Arms swayed side to side during the ballad, and with a quick transition, the band moved seamlessly into “Waiting for the End”. The softer side of the band was a massive success with the Fiserv Forum crowd. Smiles and affection filled the room until Linkin Park flipped the mood and jumped into pure bounce and fun with “Lies Greed Misery” and “Two Faced”.
As the last note of “Two Faced” rang out, everyone but Hahn and Shinoda left the stage. The pair stood at their keyboards, letting the music flow from their fingertips. Shinoda grabbed his mic, walked down the stairs, and circled the stage high-fiving fans. He stopped at a young fan holding a sign asking for his keychain. Mike praised it, offered to swap it for his hat signed by the entire band, and snapped a selfie before continuing. Soon after, he stood on the barricade in front of the eager crowd and said he wanted to share some words he wrote. He then rapped the first two verses of “It’s Goin’ Down” as the band transitioned smoothly into a mashup of “When They Come for Me” and “Remember the Name”. The arena bounced with every bass kick.
As if to prove once more how quickly they could flip the script, the fan favorite “Given Up” literally shook the floor of the venue. Small pockets of moshing broke out. The song’s famous Chester scream became a defining moment for Emily Armstrong, whose performance further cemented her as the band’s new vocalist. The legendary seventeen-second scream was met with roaring anticipation, and she nailed it, hunched over with both hands gripping the mic. Phoenix’s joyful grin was hard to miss, and the moment gave him space to lay down the bass line for the smash hit “One Step Closer.” The very song that started it all. Their first single off the diamond-certified Hybrid Theory. This was vintage Linkin Park: a mix of hip-hop, rap, metal, and punk, blended into one hybrid band.
The energy was nuclear. The crowd exploded with happiness and joy as the band tore into the track. It was clear from the way they danced across the stage that Linkin Park themselves felt something pure in this moment. For many fans, hearing “One Step Closer” live was a lifelong dream, and the connection between band and audience was unlike anything you could ever imagine.
Act Three and Four provided a ton of contrasts. Kicking it off with “Lost,” with just Armstrong singing and Shinoda on piano. The simplicity was breathtakingly matched by the blue and purple shades of light rolling overhead, and then they blasted into the full band performing. A track that was forgotten by the band for decades has, without a doubt, found a new home within the live show. Its impact was immediately noticeable and meshed well with “Good Things Go” and “What I’ve Done” that completed Act Three.
A beam zipped down over the middle of the stage and random electronic sounds filled the air once the beams of light flashed across the stage. This was Linkin Park’s “Kintsugi” transition into Act Four. Shinoda stood behind a keyboard with a light on him. The visuals were spectacular. Using the prodding “Overflow” as a setup to a moment where the entire show stopped for more fan interaction. Shinoda announced proudly that this was where a fan got to pick a number of 1, 2, or 3. And that was how Colin Brittain started the next song. Armstrong picked out a pair of twins and told them to pick a number on the count of three. They both picked two and everyone started laughing at the chance they actually picked the same number. The band revealed the number two was a ska intro to “Numb.” The laughter continued as they accomplished the task easily and blended the chorus into the normal album track, but went right back to the ska for the outro. Their humility and creativity were overwhelmingly welcomed and enjoyed. Even Armstrong commented, “That’s a fun game.”
With the vibes at an all-time high, Linkin Park unleashed their diamond-certified single “In the End.” Shinoda delivered devilishly good vocal control, and Armstrong encouraged the crowd to sing the parts for her. The participation wasn’t an issue. The emotional grasp the song has takes over, leaving it impossible not to sing along.
Allowing “Faint” and its heavier nature to close the act couldn’t have worked out any better. The riffs alone got the blood pumping and had the small circle pit thrashing with more vigor than at any point in the evening. Bennington’s vocal parts are iconic, and Armstrong unleashed screams he would’ve been proud of. Her vocal control and strength put the naysayers on notice. She is the real deal, and there is no argument to be had.
The band was so cohesive, even an hour and thirty minutes into the setlist, they performed an extended outro that seemed very off the cuff and let Shinoda and Feder riff off each other while Phoenix and Brittain controlled the flow into their final break.
Saving perhaps their best and most energetic for last, Linkin Park retook the stage and fired into “Papercut.” With beams of light wrapping around the entire stage, Phoenix bounced and jived with his bass while taking his stand. Behind him, Shinoda and Armstrong sang the lyrics in unison. The moment cemented the new chapter’s legacy.
Proceeding to “A Place For My Head” and “Heavy Is the Crown,” they dished out every ounce of heart and energy left in the tank. Never standing still for too long, the band moved across the stage, engaging with fans at every turn. “Heavy Is the Crown” is the second release from their latest album, From Zero, and has already become a fan favorite. The Milwaukee crowd ate it up, begging for more. And they got it, one more.
The band gathered at center stage, all smiles, as a blast of laser-like beams cut through the fog-filled arena. Closing with “Bleed It Out” was an up-tempo adventure. Starting together in the center, the entire band clapped along with the guitar riff, then split apart once the chorus kicked in. By then, it was clear they were simply having fun. Hahn roamed the stage with a video camera, projecting up-close shots onto the video boards, a perfect finishing touch.
As the outro music played, the band left the stage one by one. Hahn and Shinoda, however, lingered. They greeted fans, signed items, and soaked in the moment. Shinoda even ran the length of both sides of the barricades, high-fiving as many fans as possible. The venue remained electric.
Check out the Linkin Park concert photo gallery below:
We know the band’s history. We know the loss of Chester Bennington, a passing that shook the world. His words and spirit remain, carried forward by the band that shared them with us. Now, Linkin Park has started a new life. The new additions have made a massive impact, and the outpouring of love from Milwaukee proved it: they’ve locked down the city, and the state of Wisconsin as believers. From Zero couldn’t have been a more fitting title for this moment in time.
