A few missing links

Californian nu metal group Linkin Park finally returned to Thailand on Friday for their third concert in seven years. Here as part of a world tour to promote their latest CD “A Thousand Suns”, their venue of choice was Aktiv Square, in Muang Thong Thani, where they’d performed in both 2004 and 2007.
Those who turned out for their sold out Bangkok debut will remember the energetic vibes of that evening, with more than 40,000 fans flocking to the expanded venue. The band, who had only released two albums at the time, rocked their fans to the core and considerably increased theit fan base in the country.
Though Linkin Park’s fans in Thailand continue to be loyal and the band itself has influenced many Thai rock bands over the years, their second concert, also organised by BEC Tero Entertainment, in 2007 saw a more modest turn out. The third show, this time organised by Penada Entertainment, attracted an even smaller crowd.
The first hint that trouble may be on the way came when a seasonal monsoon downpour showed no sign of stopping, paralysing the Bangkok traffic. Wet, agitated and perhaps drunk on Chang beer, fans became even more impatient with the unexplained delay. Thai opening acts Sweet Mullet and Ebola were supposed to finish their sets by 8.30pm, but Ebola didn’t even hit the stage till 8pm only to announced grumpily and with an unnecessarily bad attitude that they would be playing till 8.45pm.
Another wave of dead air followed, and the fans grew more impatient. Fans in the back zone started yelling to their peers in the front to “close your umbrellas!” The request was ignored as the rain was still pouring and the retorts and insults flew back and forth – almost causing a small war – until the rain finally stopped, and Linkin Park appeared on stage at almost 10pm.
But where was bassist Phoenix? Some fans noticed the missing member but most were busy screaming their hearts out in welcome for their beloved band. We later found out that their arrival had been delayed by bad weather in Singapore and that Phoenix had become ill, hence his replacement by technician Ted throughout the concert.
Linkin Park’s repertoire included a good mix of songs from all their albums. Fans were treated to hits like “The Requiem”, “Papercut, “Empty Space”, “When They Come For Me”, “Waiting For The End”, “Numb”, “Breaking The Habit”, “What I’ve Done” and “Crawling”.
The stars of the show were singer Chester Bennington and rapper/guitarist Mike Shinoda. The two added layers of live spirits and energy to the hyped up repertoire. And they were real entertainers and crowd pleasers. Musically, the band was as good and professional as ever, only this time they were more confident and mature.
As the band was gearing up for an encore, the skies opened and down came the rain again. After a brief pause, Linkin Park sent off their fans with “Fallout”, “The Catalyst”, “In The End” and “Bleed It Out”.
The next day, Penada Entertainment sent out an “apology note” to followers on their Facebook page, citing “unforeseen circumstances” and “communication problem with the band” for not explaining the delay. Fans were not happy also about the sound system and the presale rain poncho they were supposed to collect at the booth but couldn’t because the organiser had somehow sold them to other customers. Many were also not happy that smoking was allowed at the venue.
The organiser was also bombarded with hundreds of angry comments from concert goers. Some compared Linkin Park’s concert to the put on for small time Thai bands, show and with the previous shows organised by BEC Tero Entertainment. Many asked for their money back and refused to accept Penada’s excuses, making it clear that they would never go to a Penada concert again.
An empty threat? Only time will tell.