Linkin Park takes the stage in front of a packed crowd at the CHI Health Center in Omaha, Nebraska, on Friday, August 29, 2025. Photo by Pam Whisenhunt.

REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY PAM WHISENHUNT | Go Venue Magazine

Friday, August 29 marked the seventeenth-year return of Linkin Park to Omaha, Nebraska as they played the CHI Health Center. A lot has happened for this band in the last seventeen years, such as releasing four more albums with Chester Bennington, to the tragic passing of Bennington in 2017, and then the reformation of the band with new vocalist and drummer, Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain, respectively. It was a celebration of the old and the new, with fans from the beginning to the new fans that weren’t around the last time they came to town.

Jean Dawson from Los Angeles, CA was the opener. Mike Shinoda handpicked him to open up this tour, so his excitement for Jean Dawson had me intrigued. And he was quite impressive. Just a genuine performer. He had a great backing band with him: guitar, drums, bass, and keyboards. It was new wave, punk, and funk. Most of the audience dug what he was putting out. I expect big things coming his way in the future.

Finally, we were ready for the return of Linkin Park. Sometimes, you may never know what a band’s chemistry will be like after a long hiatus. This version of Linkin Park seemed like a band that’s been together for ten years, maybe more. It sounded fresh as ever. And I think having it in the round really helped that. The combination of the old and new was quite exhilarating. The original members, Mike Shinoda, turntablist Joe Hahn, and bassist Dave Farrell, still have the passion to perform like they did when they started. The first song they performed was “Somewhere I Belong”, which was the perfect introduction for Emily Armstrong to the Omaha crowd. She crushed it the whole night, both clean singing and screaming. Truly, one of the best crowds I’ve seen an artist; they were locked in the whole time. The highlight of the set had to be Mike Shinoda remembering “Step Up”, a demo from the Hybrid Theory days, a request from a young fan from the audience. They brought these giant video boards that were above them and had these lasers interact with them. It was quite a visual experience. Whoever had doubts about this iteration of the band should have a breath of relief because these musicians were performing at their highest level. It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. I highly recommend seeing Linkin Park live, especially if you dug From Zero.

All images © Pam Whisenhunt

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