Linkin Park at Download Festival Review

The Main Stage was bustling tonight for the arrival of Linkin Park, with fans chanting and screaming in anticipation.

Just ahead of the legendary band’s arrival on the Main Stage a security guard became an unlikely hero as the cameras focused on him, with the eager mob cheering every time he appeared – he looked bemused to say the least, but when he made the signature Download devil horns he received a huge wave of cheers and basked in the adoration of the audience.

After 15 minutes of tension-building anticipation, the stage finally darkened and it was time for the arrival this year’s final headliners – Linkin Park.

The sound of Papercut emanated from the sound system, reverberating through the crowd, who lapped it up enthusiastically.

“How the fuck are you doing out there Donington?” Chester Bennington yelled, with every single person out there screaming their affirmation back.

“This is a good fuckin’ lookin’ crowd!” he shouted to more cheers.

The screen behind the stage was filled with Linkin Park’s signature digital videography, interspersed with live footage from the show.

The visuals provided an immense backdrop to a storming set, Mike Shinoda’s flawless rapping complementing Chester’s vocal perfectly.

A huge drum solo had the fans jumping up and down, before it morphed into a bass-heavy guitar-fuelled anthem.

Every instrument is given its own weight in a Linkin Park live show: drums, bass, guitar all resonating deeply, coming together to create a complex sound we’ve come to know to be their trademark.

“I can’t believe you have this much energy after three days of hard rockin’!” Chester yelled, with the crowd giving every last ounce of their energy to the band.

The lighters came out for the more subdued Iridescent, the perfect song for the hazy dusk evening. The mood was euphoric as the song built momentum, a magical moment as gold light was projected out onto Donington Park.

Cameras flashed everywhere as they launched into a show-stopping rendition of Numb, just one of the highlights of the hour and 40 minute set, which was over all too soon.

Chester leapt into the crowd for the entirety of Breaking the Habit, happily interacting with his eager fans.

Synths and lasers brought the ravers in everyone out for The Catalyst, the fans by now in a state of well-deserved euphoria.

Crawling was epic, as were the other classic fan favourites like In the End, with the entire crowd singing the lyrics back to them.

There’s no doubt Linkin Park deserved to be the closers of the festival, topping off what was yet another legendary year at Donington Park.

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