Linkin Park delivered a four-song set ahead of the UEFA Champions League final in Munich on Saturday night (June 1), continuing their return to the live stage with performances of “The Emptiness Machine,” “In the End,” “Numb,” and “Heavy Is the Crown.”
Taking the stage at Munich Football Arena just before kickoff between Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan, the band’s appearance served as a high-profile preview of their upcoming world tour, which supports their latest album, From Zero, released last year.
The set marked another major step in the band’s evolution following the addition of vocalist Emily Armstrong, who officially joined the lineup last September. Armstrong’s debut sparked conversation online, including public commentary from the late Chester Bennington’s family and discussion around her past professional affiliations.
From Zero is Linkin Park’s first studio album since 2017’s One More Light, released just months before Bennington’s death.
At the band’s first show with their new lineup last year, co-founder Mike Shinoda addressed the crowd, saying, “We are thrilled to be back out here. It is not about erasing the past. It is about starting this new chapter into the future and coming out here for each and every one of you.”
Shinoda expanded on that sentiment during a guest appearance on The Tonight Show, explaining, “I think the important thing for us is that we never set out to, like, ‘Let’s bring the band back’ or ‘Let’s find a singer.’ That was never our intention or our goal.”
The album debuted at No. 1 on all of the above charts last November, except for the Billboard 200 and Top Album Sales, where it arrived at No. 2. Following its deluxe reissue with additional tracks on May 16, From Zero recently returned to Top Album Sales (at No. 5), Top Hard Rock Albums (No. 4), Vinyl Albums (No. 8), Top Alternative Albums (No. 9), Top Rock Albums (No. 15), Top Rock & Alternative Albums (No. 17), Indie Store Album Sales (No. 17) and the Billboard 200 (No. 71) charts dated May 31.
The North American leg of Linkin Park’s upcoming tour is set to kick off July 29 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The run will include stops across the U.S. through August and September, including a major date at Dodger Stadium with Queens of the Stone Age, before it wraps Sept. 24 in Seattle.
