23.10.2001 Albany, NY, Pepsi Arena

[felipeintheend]

I finally got to see Linkin Park live on October 23rd. I had to drive 2 and a half hours to get to the show in Albany because they weren’t playing any closer to my city. I also went by myself because none of my friends are crazy about Linkin Park and I didn’t get my ticket till the last minute anyway. I didn’t mind though, just as long as I got to see them on stage. I had been to Albany’s Pepsi Arena earlier this year when I saw U2 but the directions I had didn’t really help me get to the place. Once I did get there I couldn’t find anywhere to park for free so I ended up parking by a meter. I was two hours early and out of money since I spent it on the meter and gas, so I waited outside the arena until 6pm. A few people came up to me and asked if I had any extra tickets but I didn’t. I saw a couple kids wearing Linkin Park t-shirts but I think the majority of kids that I saw were there to see Staind. They were selling some Linkin Park t-shirts in front of the doors and maybe if I had the money I would have bought one but I can’t really see spending 40-50 dollars for a t-shirt when you can buy it at Hot Topic or somewhere.

So anyway, at 6pm we started getting patted down so I had to stick my camera in my bra or else they would have made me throw away the batteries and film which happened to the girl in front of me. So there’s a trick for the girls, stick your camera in your bra, they won’t even notice and they can’t pat you down on your chest or butt anyway *lol* I didn’t have a general admission ticket so I couldn’t go on the floor. I wasn’t very close to the stage but I was on ground level and I could tell who was on stage. The arena was packed and kids kept jumping over the barricades to get on the floor once the concert started. I don’t know what the big deal is anyway, stupid security. Actually, my dad works as a security guard at our arena so I guess I shouldn’t say that. While we’re on the topic of security guards, have you ever noticed how annoyed they look to be there? You just know they hate the band playing and wanna get the hell outta there.

Anyway...Deadsy was first, I didn’t even know they were playing. I’m not a fan of their’s, I’ve never heard any of they’re stuff but they weren’t too bad, if your into nu-metal. After they played for half an hour, Static X played, I didn’t know they were gonna be there either. If you’re a Static X fan, you may not wanna read what I have to say about them. I don’t like any of they’re songs, I think they sound like shit. All they do is scream and make a ton of noise, I’m sorry but that’s my opinion. By the time they were through and Linkin Park finally came out, I had the worst headache ever. Whether it had to do with the noise or not eating all day, I don’t know but I pushed it aside when Linkin Park came out.

When the curtains rose, Joe was at his turntables, Rob was behind his drums and Phoenix and Brad were standing on stage. Then Mike and Chester came out and they started off with “With You,” at least I think they did, my mind is a blur. They played almost all the songs off of Hybrid Theory and they did “Step Up.” Mike played guitar on “Crawling” and one other song. By the way, Joe and Mike did shave they’re heads *lol* and Brad has a broken foot. During some of the songs, he sat down. Mike got the crowd singing along and waving they’re arms in the air, everyone seemed really into it. Chester was in the mosh pit during one of the songs and at one point, he jumped on Phoenix’s back and ended up on the floor *lol* They’re performance was just how I imagined it would be. They played with so much energy and enthusiasm, you can see they love being up on stage. I just wish it had lasted longer cause I didn’t want it to end. At the end of the show, they did “One Step Closer” and Aaron Lewis from Staind came out and sang Chester’s vocals for the end of the song. Then it was all over. I stayed for Staind and after they were done, I headed home because my headache was really getting to me. So unfortunately I did not get to meet the band. There were so many people there and I didn’t know where they would be anyway, I just couldn’t deal with the aggravation. Am I kicking myself over not staying, of course, but like I said, I couldn’t handle the pain. To make matters worse, I had to drive home in a rainstorm in the pitch black. Am I happy I went? Was it worth it? Of course, I’d do it again in a second and next time, I will meet Linkin Park.

 

Source: http://web.archive.org/web/20011124035334/...on/concert.html

[Geki]

That's crazy that they played in Albany since I live about less than an hour away...I should have went to this show!!! Although, I was in like 5th grade so....haha.