A NIGHT TO REMEMBER: MY FIRST CONCERT!
That’s Emily …the lead vocalist of Linkin Park. I totally stole this picture off of Google..I hope they don’t sue me.
Okay, so I lied. I have been to a concert before.
It was the summer of 08.” I had just graduated middle school and my friend and I were ready to make this summer a memorable one.
Word around the neighborhood was that Keyshia Cole was coming to perform at Wingate Park, here in Brooklyn. The Keyshia Cole. And the best part? It was free! Free?? Yea..count me in.
By the time we got there, it was so packed, we ended up all the way in the back — drowning in a sea of giants. I could hear her beautiful voice on the speakers, but from where I was standing, she looked like a speck of dust on that stage.
I still had a good time, but it was as if I was just listening to her on headphones. Thank God I didn’t pay for that.
So yea that one ..didn't even count.
Earlier this year, my cousin sends me a text out of the blue. “You wanna go see Linkin Park perform live in July?'"
I mean, ..I guess?
Linkin Park is my favorite rock band — I became a fan off their first two albums . I never got to see them live while Chester was still here. That’s one of my biggest regrets.
So, when I heard they had a new lead vocalist, I wasn’t sure how I felt. It didn’t really excite me. It just didn’t feel the same. Did I want to see them live?…I really didn’t know. I had a lot of time to think on it though.
Summer came by fast and I finally made up my mind.. We’re going.
It was July 28th and we still didn’t have our tickets. My cousin came up with this brilliant plan to wait until the last minute and buy them at the box office for cheaper. I wasn’t sure if that would actually work — or if we were even going at all.
Well, it worked. Floor tickets for only $80. How lucky were we?
The seats were even better than expected when we got there. Not too close to the stage, but close enough to see the band. And for this price? who’s complaining. (These fools next to us paid doubled what we did. I’m kidding. Kinda)
That was my first time inside a stadium. As I looked around, the place was filled with people.
5 minutes left on the countdown, I had no idea what I was in for— I was nervous and excited.
Then the stage lit up, the smoke machines went off, and the band started arriving. The instruments kicked in and the crowd began to roar. The energy? Two words. In-tense.
But it wasn’t just the crowd — the music was on another level too.
Live, you get to hear everything — the guitar, the drums, even the little details you skip in headphones. At one point, I saw Mike Shinoda’s veins popping out of the side of his neck. He was determined to use his last breath to finish the verse:
God bless us everyone,
We're a broken people living under loaded gun.
And it can't be outfought,
It can't be outdone,
It can't be outmatched,
It can't be outrun.
Whew. The dedication. The passion. You could see it.
And the vocals? Emily can scream. Like, really scream — and hold it.
She gets a lot of slack for having to fill Chester’s shoes. It’s so much easier to judge someone’s talent through a screen but in real time? It's a different experience watching that level of intensity. They sound just like the studio versions.. but even more alive. Pure artistry.
It was a childhood dream come true.
I was screaming my little Oreo heart out.
Singing. Shouting. Whatever — it felt amazing.
And when they performed “From the Inside,” the entire crowd was in sync.
A wave of voices echoing, arms swaying in the air — full case of nostalgia.
It’s crazy how a song can take you right back to a certain moment in your life.
The memories. The feeling. The emotions that comes flooding in. That’s the power of music.
I almost forgot how deep their catalog is. Even the newer songs — especially "Over Each Other" — had me locked in.
Would I go see them again?
Duh!
And for a random Tuesday night?
Definitely a night to remember.
xo,
A song I didn’t get the chance to hear, but one I love deeply. Brace your ears. 🫣
