BURBANK, CA (Warner Bros. Records) -
Linkin Park is storming America's premier outdoor venues with Projekt Revolution, the most anticipated tour of the summer featuring an unprecedented line-up of top talent gathered together for a day-long musical uprising.
Joining Linkin Park on the tour, which kicked off with two capacity shows in Ohio, are such legendary artists as Korn and Snoop Dogg, as well as The Used and Less Than Jake. Also on hand for the tour's Revolution Stage are Ghostface, Funeral For A Friend, M.O.P., Downset, newcomers No Warning and more.
As expected, the headliners of the tour have been joining each other for sets along the tour: Snoop Dogg, Korn's Jonathan Davis and The Used's Bert McCracken have all jumped onstage during Linkin Park's set. And fans in Holmdel, New Jersey got a special surprise when Jay-Z joined Linkin Park onstage for "Dirt Off Your Shoulder"/"Lying From You" and "Big Pimpin"/"Papercut"/"Jigga What"/"Faint" at Friday's (7/30) show at the PNC Bank Arts Center.
"When we had the opportunity to develop our own tour, we wanted it to reflect our eclectic taste," remarks Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson. "We chose the name because we wanted the tour itself to be revolutionary and we wanted to tap acts that we thought were leaders on the cutting edge or breaking ground musically."
It's working according to Ellen Scally of Livonia, MI, who arrived three hours before the doors opened to make sure she saw her musical heroes, The Used. Ellen had this to say about The Used, "The Used f------ rock, they're sick tight." It's a sentiment that was echoed by her friend Jackie Brow, who couldn't wait to check out No Warning on the Revolution Stage.
Beyond offering some of today's most exciting and inciting music, Projekt Revolution (presented by WRFF) features the Revolution Village where WRFF and other tour partners have each brought interactive and experiential activities for concert-goers to explore in an outdoor setting. Sobe's Adrenaline Rush, Major League baseball and Blockbuster's GAME RUSH are all represented and have brought the fans a new element of fun in the live concert experience.
"Linkin Park is amazing! They rock and Projekt Revolution does too. I love the fact there is so much to do before the show," commented Mike Davidson of Waterford, MI about his favorite band and the Revolution Village. "Everything about today is cutting edge," he adds.
It's a description that aptly fits Linkin Park itself, who has released two history-making studio albums for Warner Bros. Records, including 2004's multi-platinum, "Meteora." Projekt Revolution will be the last chance for Linkin Park fans to see the group live before they return to the studio to begin work on a new album, scheduled for release in 2005.
A recent stop on the Projekt Revolution tour - at the DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan - took the band and their tour mates to new musical heights before an ecstatic crowd of over 16,000 fervent fans, prompting Gary Graff of the Oakland Press to report that "The most enthusiastic concert crowd of the summer head-banged its way through eight hours of charged hard rock and hip-hop, from the pulverizing sets of Linkin Park, Korn and The Used to the party-starting ska-punk of Less Than Jake. The variety made Projekt Revolution feel like Lollapalooza with added testosterone."
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada native Bailey Northcott saw fit to make the trip down to Buffalo on Tuesday. "It's been really fun and all the bands have been great, I'm glad I made the trip! I scored lots of free stuff too from the Village!"
Some initial reviews:
The Democrat & Chronicle, Jeff Spevak (6/28); "As famed spoken-word artist and heroin addict Gil Scott-Heron once noted, 'The revolution will not be televised.' But without the assist of today's relentless video channels, you wonder whether anyone would even be aware there was a revolution in the first place. The Projekt Revolution Tour certainly implies there is one...in the minds of the 10,000 at Darien Lake, the night clearly belonged to Linkin Park and Korn...Korn is now simply a pretty good band. Davis' swirling bagpipe call to arms at the opening of 'Chutes and Ladders,' and the massive sway of arms held overhead, is a compelling sight. So too is calling on the crowd to give the finger, and its choice of covering Pink Floyd's 'The Wall,' which fell right in with Korn's theorem of oppressed youth...A musically smart band, its (Linkin Park) intent is to break down the walls between hip-hop, classic rock, electronica, metal and grunge, creating something everyone can understand."
Chris Varias, MTV.com (7/27): "Linkin Park thundered their way into the outdoor-festival season Friday with the kickoff of Projekt Revolution 2004, which this year features the biggest lineup in its three-year history. Headliners Linkin Park were joined by Korn, Snoop Dogg, The Used and Less Than Jake on the main stage of the Riverbend Music Center Amphitheater...both Korn and Linkin Park delivered walloping sets, with Linkin Park going an additional 15 minutes past the 11 p.m. Riverbend curfew...Snoop ingratiated himself with the local crowd early and often, wearing a Ken Griffey Jr. Cincinnati Reds jersey and calling a hometown musical icon to the stage. 'Got an uncle in Cincinnati,' Snoop howled. 'I want to bring out my uncle, Bootsy Collins!'"
Christopher Blagg, Boston Herald (7/31): "It seems promoters knew what they were doing pairing the rage-filled metal of Korn and the suburban teen angst of Linkin Park with the laid-back, feel-good delivery of hip-hop veteran Snoop Dogg, because the youthful crowd screamed itself joyously hoarse..."
The tour, which will continue all summer, includes the following dates:
8/11 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach
8/13 - Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
8/14 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/17 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
8/18 - Tampa, FL - Tampa Bay Amphitheatre
8/20 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
8/21 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/22 - The Woodlands, TX - C.W. Mitchell Pavilion
8/24 - Bonner Springs, KS - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/25 - Maryland Heights, MO - UMB Bank Pavilion
8/27 - East Troy, WI - Alpine Valley Music Theatre
8/28 - Somerset, WI - Float Rite Park Amphitheatre
8/30 - Englewood, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
8/31 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
9/1 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
9/3 - Chula Vista, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
9/4 - Devore, CA - Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen
9/5 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
