“The Official Review”: 6^th International LPU Summit in Camden, NJ 8/17/12

I’m back where I belong; with the palm trees and the sun setting in my backyard. I’ve been home for three days now; currently suffering from an extreme case of PCD (Post-Concert Depression). I had the fantastic opportunity of attending the 6^th International Linkin Park summit in Camden, NJ this past week.

And for the record, I don’t do things like this. I’m supposed to be putting my money towards ‘important’ things like marketing/management textbooks, parking passes for school, a new battery for my phone, an oil change for my car, customized gifts for him and gifts for my best friend’s 21^st birthday in a few days. But instead I decided to get on a plane by myself and fly across the country to see one of my favorite bands play in an unfamiliar city with 200 other eager fans.
And I’m so glad I did…

The Road To The Summit

It all started on Thursday 8/16. I arrived early in the morning in Philadelphia, PA after a smooth, red-eye flight from LAX. I jumped in a cab and headed towards the fancy Hyatt hotel where I was sharing a room with two of my close friends, and a group of about 25 other fans from the LPU. I was sitting in the hotel’s front lobby at 7am, charging my phone and trying to figure out what to do for three hours until the others arrived, when conveniently, LPU front man Adam waltzed out of the elevator. He suggested I come to the Music for Relief activity that was being held at the Camden Greenway at New Camden Park. So I took a cab to the park and met up with about 20 other LPU volunteers to help clean up the area.

Photo: LPU

We literally picked up truckloads of trash for a couple hours and afterwards, sat down with some free sandwiches and warm cookies, courtesy of the “Linking Parks with People” Camden Greenways volunteer organization. The volunteer coordinators were kind enough to give me and my friends a ride to the train station where we then took the subway to the east side of Philadelphia. We toured the town for a bit, relaxed in the pool at the Hyatt, and enjoyed the weather and scenery of the city.

Photo: LPU

Later that evening, a large group of LPUers who had booked a reservation at the Hyatt arrived and met up in the lobby. We exchanged names and numbers, matched faces with Twitter profiles, and took a group journey to the Revolution House for a fun-filled dinner. After a few hours of storytelling, laughter and drinks we all trekked back to the hotels, and parted ways to our rooms to prepare for the big day ahead.

The Summit

We woke up before the birds did to make sure we were all ready to go to the Sequehanna Bank Center the morning of the event. With a half-dozen cabs ready to go at 8am, all 20 something of us literally raced over the Camden bridge to the entrance of the venue where the rest of the LPU was eagerly lined up outside. They gave us our exclusive 2012 Summit laminates, wristbands, and opened the doors to let us all in shortly after 9:30.

Inside the venue there were several tables lined up with different activities for the guests to partake in. They had a raffle table which included some awesome prizes, such as a private backstage tour with Mike & Phoenix, an official group photo with the band, and a chance to win the fully loaded Linkin Park Dell laptop. I bought $20 worth of raffle tickets to try and win a picture with the guys or the Dell, but ended up with no such luck… There was also an auction table with one of a kind autographed CDs, plaques, a Shinoda-decorated guitar case, and a skate deck. Summit goers were also able to personalize their own plain t-shirts with special heat-pressed decals, courtesy of Neighborhoodies. I got my free t-shirt made with the MFR symbol on the front, and a hot pink LPU logo on the back.

Linkin Park crew members led small groups of us on tours of the crew bus, the backstage production room, the band’s dressing rooms, as well as the front of the pit area where the setup crew were building the stage for the show that evening. My tour group went with Jim Digby the production manager and we got to go backstage and see the set-up and production room. Sean the guitar tech had also set up Brad’s guitar case and each of us were allowed to pose for pictures and play with Brad’s awesome guitars.

For lunch, the entire lot of us boarded three open, double-decker tour busses and headed to the Hard Rock Café in Philly. The café had reserved the entire restaurant for the LPU and had Linkin Park and Incubus music videos playing on the screens throughout the room. A courteous lunch was provided, and after we all had our fill of bacon cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and chocolate chip cookies, we left to go back to the concert venue where Linkin Park was waiting for us.

The Meet and Greet

Once we all arrived back at the summit, we were seated in rows on the floor of the main room where the band was going to make their special appearance. The guys finally came out and treated us all to a special, acoustic performance of “The Messenger” and “IN MY REMAINS”. A few of the fans in the audience were able to ask questions, and after that, the crowd lined up for the official meet and greet with the band.
The meet and greet was a little different than the conventional ones for normal shows. There was no table for the guys to sit at. Instead everyone stood next to each other and each one of the guys came to us and signed our stuff. It was a more personal experience because they got to walk around and interact with all of us face to face.

It was my first time meeting the band, and I was more anxious and excited than anything. Joe was up first. He was my favorite. He was funny and awkward and he made me feel comfortable because he’s so mysterious and strange. Then Phoenix and Brad came together. They were both really nice and easy to talk to. Then Rob came up after. He told me he really liked my drawing that I had brought to get signed. Then I got flustered and didn’t know what to say. He talked a lot more than I thought he would… Then Chester was walking down towards us. He was the coolest. He’s really tall and skinny and pale. He said something to me, but I forgot because I was distracted by his fancy, shiny earrings. But I told him I was from LA and he gave me a high-5. Then Mike was last. He was in kind of a hurry, so I didn’t really get to talk to him all that much. He was a lot smaller than I thought! But they were all really nice and friendly.

It all was so fast! I didn’t get any pictures with them, and I forgot to ask them for handshake/hugs. That was my only regret. We weren’t really supposed to. And I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable or overstep my boundaries… But if/when I get the chance to meet them again I’ll definitely try to make it a little more outstanding.

The Show

Never in my life have I had a better spot in the pit at any live show. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. I was on the barrier, dead center, right in front of Mike’s keyboard. I couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to be standing right there.

The show itself was great, as expected. Mutemath was fun, energetic, and entertaining. And after having to cancel my plans to see Incubus twice in the past, I finally got to see them live, and they were fantastic. The third time is the charm.

Linkin Park’s set was really amazing. The setlist was one of the best I’ve seen, even though they switched out my favorite song at the last minute. The added pyro and fog effects really gave the stage a nice atmospheric feel, and the crowd’s energy was incredible. You could really sense that the people had been waiting for this show for a long time, and the band reciprocated our excitement to the fullest.

I remember turning around and looking back, and all I could see was this giant sea of thousands and thousands of people; some drenched through their socks, with hands held high, while lightning lit up the dark sky across the river. In that moment I thought about how each one of those fans, as well as all of my friends back home in LA, would probably give up anything just to be in my place. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It was so surreal. Definitely a humbling moment I will not forget.

Next In Line

I have a few more weeks until Linkin Park returns to their home territory in here SoCal. My team of friends and I will be ready and eager to take down the Honda Civic Tour once they do. I still need to replace the limited edition LP Civic Tour pick I lost on the night of the summit after all… Maybe if I smile pretty enough I can grab another one from one of the crew…

A big thanks to Irene amd Jason for adopting me on your anniversary weekend, and to Mike Da Man, the Belgian ambassadors, and all of the other east-coast LPU soldiers I had the wonderful pleasure of getting to know. Thanks for making me feel like a friend and part of a special family. And to the ones I never really got the chance to spend time with, I hope we can meet again someday soon.

I’m so glad I made the trip out to the summit; If not for meeting the band, then for the love of the music and all of its awesome fans. And if for nothing else, just to say I was there. Until we meet again.

• Dayna

Adie: Everyone say “Thank You” to Dayna for the great review! She made too many awesome pics to include in the review, so check the gallery below for more! We will get 2 more reviews from the Summit, so stay tuned! Also, we’ll hear more from Dayna when Linkin Park play Chula Vista!

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