Live Review: Linkin Park – From Zero World Tour in Australia
28th October 2025 at Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Photos by Jeana Thomas Photography
Review by Jeana Thomas
Thirteen years had passed since Linkin Park last played Melbourne and the anticipation inside the arena was impossible to miss. Veteran fans in worn Hybrid Theory shirts mingled with a younger crowd ready to capture every second on their phones. The energy felt like a strange but perfect blend of nostalgia, curiosity and collective release.
For many of us, Linkin Park was the band that cracked open the door to heavier music in the early 2000s. Their mix of rap, metal, electronics and emotional honesty rewired what rock could sound like. With Mike Shinoda delivering razor-sharp verses and the late Chester Bennington unleashing one of the most emotionally raw voices in modern rock, the band became a generational touchstone. After Chester’s passing in 2017, silence surrounded the band for years. The arrival of their 2024 album From Zero signalled not just a return, but a fresh chapter.
First on stage were Sydney metalcore heavyweights Polaris and they wasted absolutely no time shaking the arena awake. Frontman Jamie Hails prowled the massive stage with fierce confidence, unleashing thunderous screams that echoed across the venue. “Nightmare” and “Dissipate” hit like a sledgehammer, while “The Remedy” had even the seated sections nodding along. Watching guitarist Rick Schneider and bassist Jake Steinhauser bounce off each other while Dan Furnari drove the rhythm with machine-level precision made it clear why Polaris continue to rise in Australia’s heavy scene. A surprise wall of death and circle pit during “Inhumane” sent shockwaves through the floor and I would say startled a few unsuspecting arena regulars. Every great moshpit seems to have its unofficial mascot and somehow it’s always the person in the banana suit. Just when the circle pit hits full speed, there he is, a six-foot piece of fruit sprinting past like it’s the most normal thing in the world. No one knows who they are, where they came from, or how they manage to survive the chaos, but the moment that banana starts doing laps, you know the pit has officially reached peak energy.
Having caught Polaris previously at Knotfest in Melbourne 2025, I already knew they could command a huge crowd outdoors in full festival chaos. That set was relentless – circle pits, dust flying, thousands of metal fans losing their minds under the sun. Seeing them here in an arena setting was a different beast entirely. The sound felt tighter, the lighting amplified the drama and the band looked completely comfortable filling every inch of the stage. Tracks like “The Remedy” and “Masochist” translated brilliantly to the larger space, pulling in plenty of curious Linkin Park fans who clearly weren’t expecting something quite that heavy.
Darkness eventually swallowed the stage and a countdown ticked. Every second tightened the tension. Zero hit. Lights exploded. “Somewhere I Belong” erupted and the arena instantly turned into a giant sing-along.
The show from Linkin Park unfolded like a four-chapter rollercoaster rather than a straight run of songs. The opening hit hard and fast, dropping the crowd straight into a wall of riffs and roaring singalongs. The second section shifted gears, leaning into moodier moments and letting the emotional weight of the songs breathe. Then came the explosive third act, where the band cranked the intensity back up – bigger drops, louder chants and a moshpit that refused to slow down. Finally, the closing stretch felt like a victory lap, stacked with fan favourites that had the entire arena yelling every word. It was structured chaos in the best way – four distinct waves of energy that kept the night constantly building rather than ever letting it settle.
Centre stage stood Shinoda, still effortlessly switching between nimble rap flows and melodic hooks. Attention quickly shifted to new co-vocalist Emily Armstrong, whose arrival marks the band’s boldest evolution. Rather than mimicking the past, she injected her own gritty intensity into songs like “Burn It Down” and “Lost.” Her voice carried power and texture, especially on the newer material where the band clearly feels energised.
Tracks from From Zero, including “The Emptiness Machine” and “Up From The Bottom”, landed with massive impact live, drenched in synth layers, punchy hooks and stadium-ready choruses. Meanwhile, older favourites triggered tidal waves of nostalgia. “One Step Closer” flipped the arena into full nu-metal chaos, fists punching the air across every section, heads banging.
Midway through the set, the production dialled up another level. Linkin Park unleashed a barrage of strobes, sweeping beams, smoke beams and massive LED visuals that pulsed with every beat. Confetti cannons blasted skyward during the big anthemic moments, raining colour over the crowd while lasers carved through the haze above the pit. It wasn’t just a backdrop – the lighting and effects moved with the music, amplifying every drop, scream and chorus into something huge.
One of the night’s most chaotic (and brilliant) moments came when Emily Armstrong threw herself straight into the crowd, trusting a sea of hands as she surfed across the pit with a huge grin, still belting lyrics while the crowd carried her like a rock-and-roll relay. Meanwhile, back at the barricade, Mike Shinoda took a very different route into the crowd, hopping down to greet fans face-to-face. In a moment that instantly became someone’s lifelong bragging right, he spotted a fan named Eileen and handed her a Linkin Park cap – the kind of quick, spontaneous gesture that sends the surrounding fans into meltdown. The hat appeared to be signed inside, turning an already cool moment into pure gold. One minute the pit was chaos, the next it was cheering for Eileen, who suddenly owned the most coveted hat in the building.
Closing moments arrived through a rapid-fire encore featuring “Papercut,” “In The End,” and “Faint,” where Armstrong’s raspy scream ripped through the arena.
Crowd connection was a big part of the night, with the band constantly pulling fans into the moment and turning the moshpit into a living, breathing wave of movement and voices. The shift to new vocalist Emily Armstrong took a little adjusting for some die-hard fans of Linkin Park, but the overall mood in the arena felt overwhelmingly supportive. Rather than trying to recreate the past, the band struck a balance – acknowledging where they’ve come from while confidently leaning into the next chapter.
Confetti still floating, voices blown out and adrenaline buzzing, Linkin Park left Melbourne sweaty, hoarse and grinning, the kind of night you don’t forget.
Tickets to the remainder of the virtually sold-out tour are available from Live Nation Australia
Sheldon Ang Media would like to thank revolutions per minute, Live Nation Australia and Linkin Park for the Press Accreditation.
Linkin Park in Melbourne 2026. Photo by Jeana Thomas Photography / Sheldon Ang Media
About the Writer: Originally hailing from Western Australia, Jeana Thomas now thrives in the vibrant city of Melbourne. Amidst the hustle of her role in a prominent teaching hospital, she also navigates the dynamic world of entrepreneurship as the owner of a medical transcription company. Beyond her professional endeavours, Jeana finds solace and joy in the rhythm of music, the allure of travel and the artistry of photography, with a particular passion for wildlife photography.
About SAM: Sheldon Ang Media (est. May 2022) have been accredited to over 200 of the hottest acts including Taylor Swift (ERAS Tour in Sydney), Coldplay (Perth Melbourne), Backstreet Boys, KISS, Iron Maiden, RHCP and P!NK with reviews shared by the likes of Suzi Quatro, Belinda Carlisle, Roxette, Tina Arena, UB40, Delta Goodrem, Leo Sayer and Tina Arena on social media. The founder has interviewed rockers Suzi Quatro, Ace Frehley (KISS), John Steel (The Animals), Frank Ferrer (Guns N’ Roses), Phil X (Bon Jovi), Andrew Farris (INXS), and over 70 other artists. He’s also a contributor on Triple M Radio as a music journalist.
