Linkin Park in Hamburg: Great show and pure millennial nostalgia

“From Zero” is the title of the tour with which Linkin Park returns to the stage seven years after the death of Chester Bennington. Everything back to zero. If that is even possible for a band of this size. On Sunday, Linkin Park gave its only tour concert on the European mainland in the Barclays Arena in Hamburg. The 15,000 tickets were sold within minutes. The expectations among the fans are immense, especially for the new front woman Emily Armstrong, who is taking Bennington's place at the microphone.

But it is not just the anticipation that is clearly felt immediately before the concert in Hamburg. The fans' longing is also huge. Even during the set-up after the support act Grandson, chants of “Linkin Park” can be heard repeatedly throughout the hall. Many of those present have obviously traveled a considerable distance to experience the comeback live. French flags can be seen in the stands, and in the beer queue, snippets of conversation can be heard in Danish and Italian as well as English. In front of the stage, a young man is standing wrapped in a Real Madrid flag. He has traveled from Spain with a friend. Why he is wearing the flag remains an open question; my Spanish and his English are not sufficient to explain it.

The first sounds of the opener “Somewhere I Belong” are quickly drowned out by cheers. As if the audience were finally hugging a loved one again after years of absence – and not letting go again. Emily Armstrong reads the room and leaves the singing of the second song “Crawling” to the audience, who are still completely surrendering to the joy of seeing each other again.