If the band’s electrifying RDS performance was anything to go by, Linkin Park are consummate masters in rocking the kids ™. What is perhaps less obvious is that their particular brand of rock sometimes rings of a certain sterility and, in some places artlessness – nowhere more so than on this live album/DVD. Perhaps it really is impossible to capture the energy of a band like Linkin Park on CD or DVD (the Pro-tools treatment and quick mix at Pulse Studios, LA, doesn’t help matters). But consider if you will, Chester Bennington’s tried-and-tested onstage banter at the Texas Stadium: “I wanna hear everybody in the house who knows the words of this next song to sing loud and proud, I wanna hear the voices of the beautiful people of Dallas…”. With that heard, a weird analogy begins to form…Linkin Park are simply a great pop group with more piercings. In much the same way that Westlife articulate the feelings of lovelorn pre-pubescent kids, Linkin Park are adept at doing the same thing for those in the throes of hormonal distress and adolescent woe. Is there really that much of a difference between the sheep-like mentality of hysterical kids at Busted concerts, or that of those who applaud wildly at the opening strains of ‘Somewhere I Belong’, or who solemnly intone the lyrics of ‘Numb’, ‘Crawling’, ‘Paper Cut’ or ‘In The End’ on this DVD?
All Linkin Park need to do now is release the Unplugged album in time for next Christmas, and pop whoredom is pretty much theirs for the taking.