Words and photographs by Sugarwolf

Linkin Park’s “From Zero World Tour” stopped at Golden 1 Center on September 17, marking the band’s first performance in Sacramento for well over a decade. For many, it was the first opportunity to see the band in its new form, with singer Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara standing in for the late Chester Bennington. Armstrong’s vocal abilities were quickly on display during the opening moments of the show. The new singer treated the band’s vast catalog with reverence as she gently weaved her own vocal personality into the music’s original emotional core. At several moments throughout the evening, Armstrong ceded space to the crowd, letting them sing iconic choruses inducing the entire arena to pay tribute. Singer Mike Shinoda remained a steady anchor, moving between rap, melody, and instrumentation. His familiarity on stage helped stabilize the band’s identity. The show’s production was visually bold, using lighting, synchronized video panels, lasers, and fog to punctuate the band’s emotional peaks. An in-the-round stage design was used, and members rotated continuously across the stage’s footprint to interact with crowd members at all corners of the arena. For fans who walked in with nostalgia for the past, this latest iteration of the band seemed determined to show they won’t be confined by it.