2026.01.20 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

[LPLStaff]

We’re back with the second show of the From Zero World Tour in 2026 and this time, the band returns to a location they HAVE performed in before, but quite a long time ago… Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates!

 

We're sold out, again! That's about... one million... five hundred thousand.... billion... sold out shows on this world tour so far.

 

Linkin Park’s first show in Abu Dhabi came back in fall 2010, when they wrapped up the first European leg of the A Thousand Suns Tour and performed a very rare setlist… so rare in fact that it was performed just twice ever. This iconic setlist was performed at the second night of the band’s first LPU Summit at London’s O2 Arena - just two days prior to their arrival in Abu Dhabi.

 

Linkin Park's debut UAE performance - Abu Dhabi 2010

 

Starting with Fallout and The Catalyst, the opening run is pretty much a dream for Linkin Park fans with what followed: What I’ve Done, Papercut, Wretches & Kings, Lying From You, Given Up, No More Sorrow, and From The Inside. Phew. Three of the larger “quiet” songs - Iridescent, Leave Out All The Rest, and Shadow Of The Day made it into the set and the encore featured When They Come For Me, New Divide, Bleed It Out, and One Step Closer.

 

Seriously, look at that set. Who wouldn't kill to see something like that? The good news is that you can listen to the full show below, edited and mixed by Linkin Park's great sound team of Pooch and Dylan!

 

Lucky for Linkin Park fans, both the London O2 arena night 2 show (and that entire tour) and this Abu Dhabi show were released as DSPs…remember those? The Digital Souvenir Packages back in that era were out quickly after shows and allowed fans worldwide to live through each performance by the band. With how hyped every show is in this new era, wouldn’t it be nice to see those return?

 

A DSP of a great show... turn it up!

 

The Catalyst wouldn’t return to open another show after these two performances until the beginning of the 2017 One More Light World Tour, when the Fallout/Roads Untraveled Intro went into The Catalyst at two shows in South America - Argentina and Brazil. So to date, if you’ve ever seen The Catalyst open a show…. consider yourself quite lucky as it has just happened four times!

 

This show in Abu Dhabi in 2010 came before a second show in the Middle East, in Tel Aviv, Israel - Linkin Park’s only show in Israel. This time, the Middle East once again received two shows with Linkin Park’s first show ever in Bahrain kicking off this leg of the tour. After Abu Dhabi, they will perform in India in what is one of the most anticipated countries for the band to visit ever.

 

The band’s only other stop in the Middle East came in somewhat of a less-publicized visit to Saudi Arabia at the end of 2024 when they played the Soundstorm Festival in Riyadh with Eminem. Surprisingly, Given Up was included in this (very) shortened set of 18 songs.

 

So in their third trip to the region, Abu Dhabi gets its second show! This time, the band will play at the Etihad Arena which is pretty popular internationally for foreign bands visiting the area. This show sold out in ONE DAY, which takes place literally almost next door to where Linkin Park played in 2010 for the Formula 1 Grand Prix. This will be the only arena show of the tour, just like Sakhir was the only amphitheater show of the tour, as the two India shows will be outdoors. LP could have likely added a second show here and sold that out as well, but they probably didn't know the demand ahead of time and had already penciled in the logistically challenging India shows. But maybe next time!

 

Sakhir, Bahrain to kick off the tour saw a familiar setlist for fans - Set A, but with the rotation songs of Points Of Authority, Crawling, Over Each Other, Lies Greed Misery, IGYEIH, Stained, and From The Inside. Unfortunately, nothing new showed up to kick off 2026 and we know many of you, like us, are looking for the band to add in some more of the back catalog to the show - a lot of fans are requesting tracks like With You, Blackout, and Shadow Of The Day. It is possible we may have to wait a while for this to happen with Linkin Park as this is just a short four show run.

 

Here's the fan-favorite From the Inside from Sakhir - we need a live release of this song on the tour!

 

Hopefully they do touch on a few more back-catalog songs at some point this year, as some of the areas they visit in Europe will be full of familiar fans that followed the 2025 touring. And we’re also keeping an eye out for Let You Fade and Unshatter, two tracks played in 2025 that did not show up in South America and Mexico to end the year and also did not show up in Sakhir. Are these tracks gone for the moment, gone permanently, or will they sporadically appear throughout the year? And whatever happened to Keys To The Kingdom?

 

Perhaps the biggest surprise in Sakhir came in the form of the recently-viral Stranger Things show, where the band played the theme song as the intro of In The End!

 

Looking to Abu Dhabi, we can expect some obvious rotations here - Lying From You, New Divide, and Castle Of Glass should be almost 100% locks. We could see Given Up, Good Things Go, and other standard rotation tracks pop in as well, or in India too. The big question remains of what other songs they could bust out and when. And for that, we’ll have to wait and see!

 

Bahrain's set to start the leg of the tour... we'll definitely see some different songs show up in Abu Dhabi.

 

In other news related to the show, Linkin Park hosted a From Zero Night in Abu Dhabi the night before the show for fans traveling in. Of note, a core group of fans from Russia made the journey down to see the band. We heard through the grapevine that fans were treated to giveaways, including autographed items by the band, merch, and more... and the special From Zero LP logo from the album cover made an appearance too - not bad!

 

LP's From Zero Night, one of the many fan events they have done on the From Zero World Tour. Could a return to the LPU Summits be in order for the band next album cycle? Let's see.

 

What do you think they'll play in Abu Dhabi? We're going with Set B with Lying From You, New Divide, aaaand.... Good Things Go.

 

After this show, the band makes their big, highly anticipated debut in India with two shows, Bengaluru as a headline show and then a rare full festival show (2 hour slot) at Lollapalooza India in Mumbai. We can't wait - and Dylan will be there to see those shows... hence him stepping away from the show thread, but that's ok - we've got it covered!

We'll see you all on LPLive socials at show time and back here in the thread after the show - we're looking forward to a good one!

 

P.S. - don't forget, we're sending a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the one and only Rob Bourdon today! This is Linkin Park's first show on his birthday without him, and we're sending all the good vibes and wishes to Rob. We miss you Rob, we're grateful for you, and we're grateful for everything you've given us over time. A big Happy Birthday to you!

 

 

Wherever you are Rob... rock on!

[ivan_astahov]

Its good to see your again

 

My first LP show since 2015 (although I've seen Mike's in 2018). Oh how I missed it... can't wait

[SFNL14]

Holy shit what a night. This was a dream come true for me. Band was amazing tonight

[RentEznor]

God that ATS setlist.

 

Don't want to be too nostalgic but damn, half forgot how great we already had it at the time.

Edited January 20 by RentEznor

[LPLStaff]

2 hours ago, RentEznor said:

God that ATS setlist.

 

Don't want to be too nostalgic but damn, half forgot how great we already had it at the time.

 

Yeah agreed. We had it great at the time and everyone was too busy saying "but where's APFMH?!"

 

That show right now would be a KILLER set. Fallout and Catalyst opening into What I've Done? Shit. Wretches, No More Sorrow, Given Up mid set with Lying From You AND Papercut? Shiiiiit.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

1 hour ago, LPLStaff said:

 

Yeah agreed. We had it great at the time and everyone was too busy saying "but where's APFMH?!"

 

That show right now would be a KILLER set. Fallout and Catalyst opening into What I've Done? Shit. Wretches, No More Sorrow, Given Up mid set with Lying From You AND Papercut? Shiiiiit.

People complained about the ATS sets being slow, too many mid tempo songs in the middle. 

 

 

 

Edited January 21 by JZLP-Benningstrong

[Stewe]

Full show 

 

https://youtu.be/Hdrs9JcpcKs?si=qy57LpByQkGpmB0x

Edited January 21 by Stewe

[robot-boy]

For most of my life, to see Linkin Park perform live felt like something that belonged to another world. 
 

Growing up in India while the band was releasing the music that defined my teenage years, it never crossed my mind that I could one day travel to another country to watch them perform. And yet, on the night of January 20th, 2026 at Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi, that dream turned into reality.
 

I attended with my brother - who discovered Linkin Park alongside me all those years ago - and my wife, who has seen how deeply this band’s music has stayed with me over the last decade, through Chester’s passing, the band going silent, and then slowly finding their way back.
 

From the moment we arrived, the atmosphere was charged. The crowd was buzzing. It felt like thousands of people had brought pieces of their younger selves with them. It was the energy of people reconnecting with a soundtrack that shaped entire phases of many of their lives.
 

The arena was sold out, but it never felt overcrowded. The design of Etihad Arena deserves real credit. The steep, vertical seating makes you feel closer to the stage while keeping sightlines completely clear. From our front-row upper-tier seats just off centre, we had an uninterrupted, panoramic view of the entire production — something I definitely wouldn’t have had if I’d chosen standing.
 

Given how Linkin Park’s studio tracks are polished and layered, I expected the live versions to feel rawer. They did — but not in a way that felt lacking. Instead, the band poured everything into performance and production. The show was divided into chapters with cinematic interludes, massive laser sequences, and seamless transitions that made it feel more like an an immersive audio-visual experience than just a rock concert.
 

The sound was phenomenal. Even from the upper tier, it was crystal clear. The bass had weight without being muddy, vocals cut through beautifully, and there was none of the echo you often get in big venues. It genuinely felt like the music surrounded us rather than blasted from one direction.
 

It was great seeing Mike on stage, clearly enjoying himself. Emily brought a fresh dynamic that worked very well live. But for me, the real standouts were Colin Brittain and Alex Feder. Every drum hit and guitar riff felt physical. I could feel the energy rising up through my legs into my body. Their playing wasn’t just tight — it was visceral. They gave the songs a live urgency that made it a true concert experience.
 

The classics, of course, hit hardest. In the End, Numb, and Faint turned the arena into one giant choir. But it was Bleed It Out, the closing song, that detonated the place. At one point, the entire arena was clapping in rhythm — thousands of hands in perfect time, echoing through the building. It was communal. You could feel it. 
 

I have to say that the newer material held its own. The setlist integration was smart — the tour is clearly doing what it’s meant to: bringing casual fans and the nostalgia crowd into the band’s new era.

Being up high turned out to be a gift. The lighting design was stunning, especially the intro to Act I and the transitions between Acts III and IV. From above, you could see the full geometry of the lights, the stage, and the crowd — the full architecture of the performance unfold.

I do wish they’d used side screens; the overhead cubes and backdrop were great, but side screens could have made it even more immersive.

Still, I have zero regrets about choosing seats over standing. One of the most beautiful parts of the night was realising just how global this fanbase is - people from everywhere, different languages, different backgrounds, all singing the same lyrics. As someone who grew up in India loving this band from afar, being in that mix felt surreal in the best way.

But ultimately, the concert for me was emotion over everything else. The intro alone sent chills down my spine. Faint and Bleed It Out did it again later in the night. 

There’s also a layer of complexity that comes with seeing Linkin Park now. Hearing these songs without Chester is something you can’t ignore. His voice shaped so many of these tracks and so many of my memories. There’s a strangeness in knowing I’ll never see him perform with them live. But I’m also grateful that Mike, Brad and the team chose to keep going, to evolve, and to give fans like me the chance to experience this music in a new way rather than not at all.

When the show ended, I felt hyped, emotional, and greedy for more. I’ll definitely see them again. Maybe next time in a massive open-air European stadium, or hopefully one day back in India where fans like me grew up loving them from afar. I still wish I could have been at their first India show — representing that fan base would have meant a lot.

But this night was still something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. This is a night that lived up to years of anticipation, a dream turned into reality.