Concerts Reviews
Somewhere I Belong: Linkin Park’s Epic Show in Omaha
Simply put, this was one of the best concerts I have ever attended. I don’t usually write concert reviews in the first person, but I think this is a special case. I believe my experience seeing Linkin Park is similar to many fans. I was initially supposed to see the band eight years ago, but unfortunate circumstances prevented that. Like every other LP fan, I never thought they would return to the stage. When they took the stage almost a year ago for their return, with two new members in tow, it was one of the greatest musical moments of my life. The experience of seeing LP perform again on the TV in my college apartment was only beaten out by seeing them live in Omaha.
When the countdown started at ten minutes, the emotion and excitement in the room ramped up immediately. Every tick meant that we were one second closer to two hours of the best music in the world. With four minutes to go, “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen rang out over the speakers. When the final note from Brian May’s guitar was played, the lasers on the stage beamed out with a sound melody underlayed by “Castle of Glass”. I stood in the photo pit waiting for the band to come out, and one by one, Mike, Emily, Dave, Joe, Colin, and Alex, Linkin Park took the stage in Omaha.
The record scratches and samples for “Somewhere I Belong” bellowed from Mr. Hahn’s pads, and the show began. Mike’s rapping and Emily’s screams bellowed out loudly with the voices of thousands of backup singers. Generally, with my earplugs in, I can barely hear the crowd, but there was something different about that night while in the pit. I heard everything. I heard the crowd singing “Lying from You,” I heard the crowd erupt with excitement when “New Divide’s” opening hit, and I heard Emily loud and clear on “The Emptiness Machine,” even if I was halfway across the venue putting my camera gear away.
Act II of the show was filled with hits, both old and new. It started off with “Catalyst” and “Burn it Down,” and burn it down they sure did. For those that are also Fort Minor fans in addition to LP fans, you sure were happy, not only was “Where’d You Go” played, but so was “Remember The Name.” This was a personal highlight for me as I remember listening to RTN almost every day during football and track workouts in high school. This is another way in which many Linkin Park fans can relate to my experience, because I am sure that almost everyone has a similar story about an LP or LP-related song being a hype song to their life soundtrack. There was also something special about this portion of the show. Mike went down to the crowd when he saw a young fan’s sign. That fan asked him to sing “Step Up,” which Mike obliged. “Step Up” hasn’t been played officially as a part of the set for LP in over 20 years. I’m sure a verse or two has been sung in a mashup over the years, but it is extremely rare to hear it, and this Omaha crowd was really lucky.
No LP show would be complete without “One Step Closer,” and this show would be no different. Looking around from my seat, the amount of og LP fans erupting from their seats when the iconic opening riff began to be played was tremendous. This reenergized crowd would not slow down for the rest of the night. There was even the chance for more audience participation when Mike asked another young fan, this time decked out in all pink, to pick a number that would decide how Colin would play drums for “Numb.” In the end, it was the reggaeton version which, for some reason, worked a lot better than I thought it did.
As with every Linkin Park show, there was a fake-out before the encore. As the band retook the stage for a three-song encore consisting of “Papercut,” “In The End,” and “Faint,” nobody was in their chairs. It was the perfect way to end the night and cap off one of the best live performances I have ever seen. 12-year-old me never thought that I would get a chance to ever see Linkin Park again. 20-year-old me will never forget this night.
The From Zero world tour has dates scheduled across the year for at least the next year. If you were worried about this not being the same Linkin Park you grew up with, you can put those worries to rest because, just like for me, this might be one of the best shows of your life.
Upcoming From Zero World Tour Dates:
August 31, 2025 | T-Mobile Center – Kansas City, MO #
September 3, 2025 | Ball Arena – Denver, CO #
September 6, 2025 | Footprint Center – Phoenix, AZ #
September 13, 2025 | Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, CA !&
September 15, 2025 | SAP Center – San Jose, CA &
September 17, 2025 | Golden 1 Center – Sacramento, CA &
September 19, 2025 | Moda Center – Portland, OR &
September 21, 2025 | Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC &
September 24, 2025 | Climate Pledge Arena – Seattle, WA &
October 26, 2025 | Venue TBA – Bogota, CO
October 29, 2025 | Venue TBA – Lima, PE
November 1, 2025 | Venue TBA – Buenos Aires, AR
November 5, 2025 | Venue TBA – Santiago, CL
November 8, 2025 | Venue TBA – Rio de Janeiro, BR
November 10, 2025 | Venue TBA – São Paulo, BR
November 13, 2025 | Venue TBA – Brasilia, BR
November 15, 2025 | Venue TBA – Porto Alegre, BR
More information here.
Check our our favorite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
LINKIN PARK
All Photo Credit: Ryan Renger
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Goldfinger Keep the Pit Moving and the Shoes Flying in Vancouver
On April 17th, the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver felt like a ska-punk time warp, with California punk legends Goldfinger supporting their new album, Nine Lives.
Sullvn got things rolling with a set that didn’t waste any time. Within minutes, hats were flying into the crowd like it was a merch-based game show, and the vibe quickly turned into organized chaos. They brought to the stage Dicky Barrett, former frontman of Mighty Mighty Bosstones for their hit “Raise a Glass”.
Next up was Broadway Calls, proving once again that a three-piece can absolutely shake a room. Their brand of fast, hooky punk tore through the crowd, with songs like “Call It Off” and “Back to Oregon” landing like instant jolts of energy. By the time they wrapped, the room was fully ready for Goldfinger.
Right away, frontman John Feldmann started doing crowd math. “How many of you are under 20?” A few scattered hands. “Over 40?” A lot more hands. He laughed and proudly stated that to still be doing this 32 years later as the best feeling in the world. This wasn’t a band clinging to nostalgia… but they also weren’t about to ignore it.
From there, it turned into the kind of chaos Goldfinger shows are known for, a non-stop blur of songs, crowd surfers, and, of course, the sacred tradition of shoes flying through the air. Somewhere along the way, footwear stopped being optional and started being part of the performance. Pairs were held up like trophies, launched across the room, or lost to the pit entirely. If you managed to leave with both shoes still accounted for, honestly, that’s a personal victory. The setlist leaned into exactly what people wanted. “Here in Your Bedroom,” “Chasing Amy” “Counting the Days”, all the hits, all loud, all sung back at the band like it was a group project. The floor barely stayed still for more than a few seconds, and the security team definitely got their steps in from the steady stream of crowd surfers.
During “Mable,” they pulled fans up on stage to dance, turning the whole thing into a slightly chaotic, very wholesome party. And then… “Superman.” The reaction was instant. Like, no hesitation, full-body nostalgia. The second it started, it felt like half the room got mentally transported back to playing Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 in their living rooms. Suddenly, everyone knew every word (even the ones they probably didn’t know they knew), and the energy somehow went up another level. It wasn’t just a highlight, it was the moment.
When it wrapped at the Commodore Ballroom, the place was wrecked in the best way – sweaty, shoeless, and buzzing. Still, no one seemed in any hurry to leave.
Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
GOLDFINGER
BROADWAY CALLS
SULLVN
All Photo Credit: Heather Horncastle
Concerts Reviews
LIVE REVIEW: Face to Face with Sevendust in Riverside, Iowa
For close to thirty years, Hard Rock’s Sevendust has graced hundreds of stages all over the world, playing sell-out shows to rabid fans. The band, fronted by LaJon Witherspoon, has been recognized for its soulful vocals, hard-hitting riffs from Clint Lowery and John Connolly, thumping bass from Vince Hornsby, and monstrous drum sounds and screams from Morgan Rose. Riverside, Iowa was treated to the full Sevendust experience on Friday night.
The Riverside Casino Event Center has played host to events ranging from poker tournaments to keynote speakers, but on Friday it served as the setting for an amazing night of rock. The show started off with Iowa City–local band NonGrata. NonGrata has become very well known in the Eastern Iowa music scene, having opened for bands like Alien Ant Farm, Norma Jean, Archers, and will be opening for DED this summer. Blending groovy guitars with crisp clean vocals and harsh screams, the band delivers a sound that makes you want to jump out of your seat and stage dive. Although Sevendust was the main attraction on Friday night, everyone enjoyed NonGrata. They were a great choice to open the show and get people excited before Sevendust took the stage. NonGrata will be playing shows in Eastern Iowa throughout the year, and Midwest locals should take the chance to see a new band.
After an hour pre-show delay due to the weather, fans were itching to get out of their seats as anticipation for Sevendust taking the stage rose. Riverside was the second show of the One Tour, but there was no sign of early tour woes as the band broke right into Home. The 1999 track off the album of the same name was a great opener, carrying a hint of nostalgia and a whole lot of feeling. Witherspoon made an early effort to cross from side to side, ensuring every fan had the opportunity to interact with him. Stage presence is always among the highlights of a Sevendust show. Fans know they are going to get two things when they go to a Sevendust show: amazing music and plenty of interaction. The great music kept rolling as the second track of the night was a crowd favorite, Denial. The band was joined by hundreds of backup singers who knew every word, creating an ambiance that added essential energy to the environment.
The band seemed emotional in response to how well they were received by the Riverside crowd. After spending significant time in Europe to start the year, Sevendust said it was good to be home. Because these were among the first U.S. shows of the year, American fans had not yet had the opportunity to hear songs from the band’s upcoming album, One, live. The first chance came with the third song of the night, Is This the Real You. Although the Riverside crowd had never heard the song live, that did not stop them from singing along. Sevendust also played two other new tracks from the forthcoming album, Unbreakable and Threshold. Both sounded great live, and anticipation for the new album is high. Based on the reactions to the new material, the album will likely be well received when it comes out in two weeks on May 1.
The focus on new music did not stop Sevendust from breaking into its classics. The setlist was full of songs a Sevendust show would be incomplete without; Praise, Enemy, Waffle, and Black all had their place in the night. It truly was the complete Sevendust experience. The night could not end, however, without an encore of Rumble Fish and Face to Face. Even though the crowd was treated to a 15-song main set and a two-song encore, they still yearned for more. Unfortunately, all good shows must come to an end, but with 25 dates left on the One Tour, there will be plenty of opportunities to see Sevendust again this year.
One comes out May 1.
Check out our favorite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!
Upcoming tour dates:
4/20 – Indianapolis, IN
4/21 – Lexington, KY
4/22 – Birmingham, AL
4/24 – Mobile, AL
4/25 – Destin, FL
4/26 – Atlanta, GA (supporting Alter Bridge)
4/28 – Dallas, TX
4/29 – Oklahoma City, OK
More information on the band’s website.
SEVENDUST
NONGRATA
All Photo Credit: Ryan Renger