Linkin Park delivers powerful concert, despite travel warning

M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta

Teen rock idols Linkin Park hypnotized over 25,000 of their fans in a stunning performance at Karnaval Beach in Ancol Dreamland Park, North Jakarta, on Sunday, ignoring the updated warning against travel to Indonesia issued by the United States government.

Several performers from the United States canceled their performances here following the travel warning. Among them were hip hop artist Missy Elliot, rock group Limp Bizkit and British heartthrob Gareth Gates.

Promoter Nephatya said that the main reason that Linkin Park decided to perform in Indonesia -- they touched down in Jakarta on Friday after performing in Portugal -- was the fact that Indonesia stood as the largest market for the band in Asia.

Concertgoers, mostly teens, had been waiting under the scorching sun since 1 p.m. although the concert itself only kicked off at 4 p.m., an hour later than scheduled. The sextet rock band electrified fans with their blend of searing guitar work, turntable scratch and catchy songs.

Very often the concertgoers joined vocalist Chester Bennington in singing the choruses of the 18 songs.

During Faint, one of their singles in the latest multiplatinum album Meteora, the ground literally shook when the crowd was up on its feet, jumping and dancing to the beat.

However, the enthusiasm made the crowd unmanageable, causing dozens of young people standing close to the stage to faint after being pushed against the security wall from behind.

Some others had collapsed earlier after waiting too long under the blazing sun.

When members of the group wrapped up the evening with their last song One Step Closer and walked off stage, concertgoers stood in disbelief and shouted "More..more..." However, the band remained out of sight.

The Los Angeles-based rock act consists of Bennington and Mike Shinoda on vocals, Brad Delson on guitar, Rob Bourdon on drums, Phoenix on bass and Joseph Hahn on sample programming.

Linkin Park stands out among hip metal genre performers such as Korn, Staind and P.O.D. for their combination of hard rock guitar sound, Bennington's New Wave crooning and Shinoda's rhyming lyrics and hip hop beat.

The band has delivered Hybrid Theory, Re-animation and Meteora in the past four years. The three albums received multiplatinum awards in many countries, including Indonesia.

In 2002, Linkin Park received the Grammy Award in the best rock performer category.