Linkin Park, Korn thrill Cricket crowd
By KELLY WILSON
Tribune
Sept. 2, 2004

The strong stench of marijuana lingered in the air, enveloping the thousands of people who came out for the Projekt Revolution tour Wednesday at Cricket Pavilion, even after rapper Snoop Doog left the stage at 7:30 p.m.

But the joint-toting crowd did more than smoke out. They rocked out.
Especially when rap-metal thrashers Korn and Linkin Park took the
stage.

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis – who was attired in a signature black
kilt, black tank top and black boots – and Co. riled the crowd up with
songs like "Embrace," "Right now," "Got the Life," "Blind,"
"A.D.I.D.A.S." and "Falling Away From Me."

The singer – who even played the bagpipe at one point – growled his
lyrics like a man who was possessed by Satan and flailed around the
stage. But more surprising than the singer’s antics was the band’s
choice of cover songs. They treated fans to covers such as a twisted
metal version of Cameo’s 1986 hit "Word Up" and an amped-up rendition
of Pink Floyd’s "Another Brick in the Wall."

"I loved that the band covered old material," Lance Hendricks, 21, of
Tempe, said. "It kept their act fresh. Especially when they did 'Word
Up.' That was awesome!"

Though nearly anyone sat through Korn’s nearly one-hour set, it was
clear that the audience came to see headliners Linkin Park, who put on
one heck of a show.

The band unleashed nearly two hours of sonic fury that included tracks
such as "One Step Closer," "Points of Authority," "Crawling," "In the
End," "Somewhere I Belong" and "Breaking the Habit." While lead singer
Chester Bennington shared Arizona memories throughout the band’s set
and reminisced about seeing concerts at the pavilion, rapper Mike
Shinoda acted as the group’s cheerleader, encouraging the crowd to sing
along to the choruses and throw their hands in the air.

Linkin Park, who scored the viewer’s choice award at Sunday’s MTV
Video Music Awards, left the audience in awe once again when they
closed their set.

"The band was incredible," Rob Symo, 28, of Mesa, said. "They’re one of
those bands who are 10 times better live than on their album. The magic
happens for them on stage."