Linkin Park delivered a powerful return to Australia in Melbourne on Sunday night, with Emily Armstrong stepping into the band’s new chapter alongside Mike Shinoda for the first local show in 13 years.
by Paul Cashmere
For the first time in more than a decade, Linkin Park returned to Australia, opening their 2026 visit with a packed house at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on March 8. The tour marks the band’s first Australian performances since 2013 and their first with new lead vocalist Emily Armstrong.
Any uncertainty surrounding the band’s return vanished quickly. The 14,500 capacity venue was effectively full for the opening Melbourne show, a strong vote of confidence for a band entering a new era following the death of Chester Bennington in 2017.
The change in line-up inevitably raised questions about how Linkin Park would translate their catalogue live without the voice that defined so many of their biggest songs. The band’s previous Australian tours in 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2013 all featured Bennington front and centre. What became immediately clear on Sunday night was how central Mike Shinoda has always been to the structure and direction of the band.
Shinoda, who co-founded Linkin Park in 1996, remains the group’s musical engine. While Bennington’s powerful vocals often drew the spotlight during the band’s peak years, the Melbourne show reinforced Shinoda’s role as the creative anchor, guiding both the sound and the pace of the performance.
Into this dynamic steps Emily Armstrong, best known as the singer of Los Angeles rock band Dead Sara. While Dead Sara released three albums and built a strong reputation on the US rock circuit, the band never reached the global audience that Linkin Park commands. That changed when Linkin Park approached Armstrong with the challenge of stepping into one of modern rock’s most demanding roles.
Based on the Melbourne performance, the decision looks justified.
Armstrong approaches the material with intensity and emotional force, delivering the aggression and vulnerability that defined many of Bennington’s performances while maintaining respect for the original arrangements. The interplay between Armstrong and Shinoda becomes one of the defining elements of the show, at times resembling a vocal duel that drives the energy of the performance forward.
A key challenge for any new vocalist joining a band with such a widely recognised catalogue is the treatment of classic material. Linkin Park’s early records, particularly 2000’s Hybrid Theory and 2003’s Meteora, remain among the most influential rock albums of the 2000s and continue to resonate strongly with fans.
From the opening moments of Somewhere I Belong, the first major reference point of the night, the band made it clear they were committed to presenting the songs as fans remember them. Armstrong performs the material faithfully, never attempting to reshape the songs around herself, a choice that was clearly appreciated by the Melbourne crowd.
The setlist blended the band’s established catalogue with music from From Zero, the group’s first album to feature Armstrong and new drummer Colin Brittain. Brittain joined the band for the project after long-time drummer Rob Bourdon chose not to return for the reunion.
Roughly a third of the set drew from From Zero, giving Armstrong and Brittain a solid platform within the show. Songs such as Up From The Bottom, The Emptiness Machine and Two Faced integrated comfortably alongside the established hits, reinforcing that Linkin Park’s sound remains recognisable even as the line-up evolves.
Elsewhere in the show, the band revisited key moments from across their catalogue including The Catalyst, Burn It Down, Waiting For The End, Castle Of Glass and What I’ve Done. The performance also featured a solo segment from Joe Hahn, followed by the combination of When They Come For Me and Remember The Name, a nod to Shinoda’s Fort Minor project.
The closing stretch of the concert delivered a run of the band’s most enduring tracks. Numb, In The End and Faint drove the crowd response to another level before the encore delivered Papercut, Heavy Is The Crown and Bleed It Out to finish the night.
Audience reaction throughout the show was enthusiastic, with fans clearly ready to embrace the band’s new era while celebrating the songs that built Linkin Park’s global reputation.
The reception for From Zero and the response to Armstrong’s performance suggest that Linkin Park may still have significant momentum ahead of them. The group formed almost three decades ago, yet the Melbourne show demonstrated that their catalogue remains deeply embedded in modern rock culture.
If the energy at Rod Laver Arena is any indication, Linkin Park’s next chapter could be as active as any period in their past.
Linkin Park – Melbourne Setlist, March 8, 2026
Act 1
Somewhere I Belong (from Meteora, 2003)
Lying From You (from Meteora, 2003)
Up From The Bottom (from From Zero, 2024)
Crawling (from Hybrid Theory, 2000)
The Emptiness Machine (from From Zero, 2024)
Act II
The Catalyst (from A Thousand Suns, 2010)
Burn It Down (from Living Things, 2012)
Over Each Other (from From Zero, 2024)
Where’d You Go (from Fort Minor, The Rising Tied, 2005)
Waiting For The End (from A Thousand Suns, 2010)
Castle Of Glass (from Living Things, 2012)
Two Faced (from From Zero, 2024)
Joe Hahn Solo
When They Come For Me / Remember The Name
IGYEIH (from From Zero, 2024)
One Step Closer (from Hybrid Theory, 2000)
Act III
Lost (from Meteora, 20th Anniversary Edition, 2023)
Good Things Go (from From Zero, 2024)
What I’ve Done (from Minutes To Midnight, 2007)
Act IV
Overflow (from From Zero, 2024)
Numb (from Meteora, 2003)
Let You Fade (from From Zero, 2024)
In The End (from Hybrid Theory, 2000)
Faint (from Meteora, 2003)
Encore
Papercut (from Hybrid Theory, 2000)
Heavy Is The Crown (from From Zero, 2024)
Bleed It Out (from Minutes To Midnight, 2007)
Linkin Park – From Zero World Tour Australia And New Zealand 2026
with special guests Polaris (AU) and Vana (NZ)
Tuesday March 10, Melbourne, Rod Laver Arena
Thursday March 12, Adelaide, AEC Arena
Saturday March 14, Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
Sunday March 15, Sydney, Qudos Bank Arena
Wednesday March 18, Auckland, Spark Arena
Tickets available via the official Linkin Park website.
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