No matter what Linkin Park does from here on out, vocalist Chester Bennington will be remembered forever as one of the prominent voices of this generation. The gateway for many a music lover to experience what was likely one of their first favorite bands they connected to, Linkin Park was once a very tiny band that nobody knew – and that record labels had rejected time and time again.
Months before Hybrid Theory had released, the band played a show at the Mason Jar venue in Phoenix, Arizona, where it appears (according to LP Live) that most of the songs from the upcoming album were actually played for the first time. It’s important to remember that even Linkin Park started out as a local band, and your favorite band likely had humble beginnings as well. You can check out the full live set below, complete with tracklisting. Of particular note is the sheer power of Chester Bennington’s vocals – even in his early days, he had the poise to be a star. And the crowd knew it, too.
Interesting facts about this show, all according to LP Live
– Before ‘In The End’, Mike promoted an early LPU-style “Bags of Fun”, for (as Chester calls them) “the 3 craziest fuckers in the house”.
– Chester sang part of ‘Esaul’ (the demo for ‘A Place For My Head’) during the chorus of ‘A Place For My Head’.
– To pump up the crowd and get them to jump, Chester screamed ‘Get up! Get up! Get up when I’m talking to you!’ during the bridge of ‘One Step Closer’.
– One of the first instances of Chester vomiting (or pretending to vomit) on One Step Closer can be seen at this show, on ‘One Step Closer’, where Chester sings, “One Step Closer to the edge and I’m about to raaablarrarghraraa!”
Other Notes:
– This show was not a part of a tour, it was for the radio station 98KUPD which played a lot of Linkin Park songs when they were just getting started. Many of Chester’s friends and even some of his family in were attendance.
– This is the first known performance of these ten Linkin Park songs.
– This is the first known audience recording of the band and the first DVD too.
Show Stats:
18th played in 2000
18th played for Hybrid Theory Tour
1st played in Phoenix
1st played in Arizona
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