San Diego had quite a few events last week, Comin Con topped with MTV’s first Fandom Awards 29 July, Linkin Park rocking the stage just before premiering Mr. Hahn’s debut film MALL at Nerd HQ.Thanks to the Linkin Park Underground and Music for Relief, Fan Fest was yet another great reunion of friends and fans for a great show.
Driving down from Los Angeles, we arrived to San Diego in the early afternoon, screaming and cursing at the one-way streets and lack of parking, screaming even more at the expensive lots. We eventually settled with the parking where we had parked for last year’s LPU Meet Up, walking down to explore the sights of Comic Con and hunt down the gate LPU and Music for Relief supporters were to enter. Despite the heat, a lot of fans were already lined up at the other entrance, all with their Comic Con badges, some still in costume from this Halloween Costume Shop.
The wait was not long at all as more and more LPU and MFR ticket holders arrived, many new faces now friends, and even better- soundcheck! It sounded great and had a lot of us getting even more excited, especially those there for their first Linkin Park experience. The stage was still being set up but could be seen from the side, most heading over for a sneak peek.
Seven o’clock eventually came by, check-in nice and smooth, all of us receiving our Fan Fest badges as souvenirs. Inside Petco park, it wasn’t just the stage for the award ceremony and show- food and drink booths were set up, an enormous blow-up slide and carnival ride towering over us, smaller booths all around. We, of course, we straight for the barricade.
The award ceremony was fun, many celebrities from the shows either I or my friends obsess over coming out to either present or receive, my favorites probably Tyler Oakley and Tyler Posey; enough of that, though. You’re reading this for Linkin Park.
Our host was drowned out by the cheering and screaming, our hands up immediately at the familiar keys’ and steady clapping from Given Up. It’s personally one of my favorites live, the energy just so great, and a quick glance behind me always making me smile as a whole pit has their hands up, clapping as Chester roars. Goosebumps is an understatement.
They jumped into Points of Authority right after, Mike controlling the crowd’s arms to the beat. When the lights darkened and focused on Mike’s piano, it was then you could hear a few of the new fans around us asking “What song is this one?” as he used The Catalyst and Requiem introduction to bring in Guilty All the Same. The energy of this song live is definitely what has made me grow to love it.
Wastelands took us on a sharper beat, tons of fans moving to it whether they knew the words or not. Even with the small gap in between songs for the filming, Wastelands still flows perfectly into Until It’s Gone, this song honestly better and better every time I see it live. And when Brad started coming out on the center stage reaching out into the pit, we lost it, screaming as we looked up at him playing.
We were given our favorite Faint to get back into our familiar sense of power and energy from Chester after Until It’s Gone, given an even better ending to the night with One Step Closer– having Chester come out on center and scream at you to shut up absolutely surreal, Mike replacing him to finish up front. It may have been a short set, but it didn’t matter when your night ended like that.
We were hardly given enough time to even wipe the sweat off when ticket holders for Mr. Hahn’s premiere of MALL had to start heading next door to Nerd HQ. You can check out the Q&A HERE and drool over One Step Closer below. More pictures below the video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1OW9-McqQs
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