Linkin Park performs at a concert of The Hunting Party Tour. (Photo/China Daily)
The innovative sounds of Linkin Park return to an eager audience in China this summer.
For Zhao Yilin, the summer of 2000 was memorable. For the first time, Zhao, then 12 years old, listened to the songs of American rock band Linkin Park and was overwhelmed by their hybrid of rock, rap and electronic beats.
"Jay Chou (one of the biggest Taiwan pop icons) released his debut album that year. All my classmates were listening to his music. But I became a diehard fan of Linkin Park since then," says the 27-year-old Hunan native, who works at an advertising company in Beijing.
He will have another unforgettable summer this year because he will go to the Linkin Park concert in Beijing, which will be held at Beijing Workers' Stadium on July 26. As part of The Hunting Party world tour, the band will also perform in other cities around China, including Nanjing, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Chongqing in July.
"I am really excited that they will come to Beijing," says Zhao, who flew to Hong Kong in 2013 to watch the band's concert and bought the most expensive ticket at 1,288 yuan ($208). "It's a pity that I didn't get the most expensive ticket this year because the tickets sold out fast. But I believe being part of their live performance is fantastic."
The band members, who performed in Shanghai in 2007 and 2009, are also looking forward to performing in front of people who have never seen their live shows.
"We had a great time in China. We're looking forward to coming back and repeating that success and sharing our music with our massive fan base in China," says the band's DJ and programmer Joe Hahn in an interview with China Daily. "We're used to touring everywhere in Europe and Asia. Cultures may be different, but the fans are the same in terms of the universal emotion that they get from the music and what we get back from them."
Titled after the band's sixth studio album released in June 2014, The Hunting Party concert is set to feature songs from the new album, as well as the band's classics like Somewhere I Belong, Breaking the Habit and In the End.
"Every song comes together differently. In the band, Mike (Shinoda) is definitely our principal songwriter when it comes to music. Mike and Chester (Bennington) do a great job collaborating lyrically. But we do have the openness and the ability for every band member to bring in ideas and have those be heard," says the band's bassist, David Farrell.
