Linkin Park Live In London November 2014

Hey guys,

I'm back with the final instalment of my recent adventures in London.

This post is extremely long, but I hope you'll indulge me just this once. I don't get to have fun often anymore! If you actually want to keep reading, grab yourself a drink, put your feet up, and get comfortable! This might take a while...

We made it to the O2 in time to catch the last couple of songs from Linkin Park's support act 'Of Mice and Men'. I had never listened to their music before, but I loved what I heard. I'm going to have to check out some of their music. Any recommendations?

I was pleased to see how good the view was from our seats. We were in the closest tier to the stage, and even though it was a side-view, it wasn't restrictive. We had a great view! (Or, I would have if I hadn't been stuck behind two guys swaying and waving their arms like pre-teen girls at a boyband concert). 

It felt like an age before Linkin Park appeared on stage around 9pm, but believe me when I say they were worth the wait! The show started with a bang of drums, guitars, and twenty thousand fans roaring along to Guilty All The Same. I don't think I've ever been part of a louder audience! It was incredible to be a part of it.

They performed a great selection of songs from each of their studio albums, with early hits from Hybrid Theory, like One Step Closer and In The End, to tracks from their latest album The Hunting Party, such as Final Masquerade and Until It's Gone. They also performed a lot of mash-ups, which were amazing, although I wished they had performed more full songs because hearing just a verse or two of my favourites before they merged in to another was just plain cruel! For instance, one of the mash ups was Leave Out All The Rest, Shadow of The Day and Iridescent, which are three of my favourite songs of all time. They sounded great as a mash up but I wanted more, dammit! Haha! Yes, I've heard them all live before in full, but that's beside the point!

Hmm, I wonder if you can tell who my favourite is...

I'll let them off since the show was phenomenal!

One thing I love about Linkin Park, besides their amazing music, is how much they interact with their fans. It seems to be a tradition for Mike to jump in to the audience during In The End to sing with fans, and on this occasion, they invited about thirty fans on stage during the closing song 'Bleed It Out' to mark the end of The Hunting Party tour. Everybody looked like they were having a blast and it was so fun to watch. It actually made me a bit emotional! It was a brilliant end to an incredible show.

A blurry shot of Chester topless. You're welcome!

Joe giving Brad a piggy back ride around the stage during Bleed It Out to wave at fans.

It was hands down one of the best concerts I've ever seen. Linkin Park have yet to disappoint me. They sound even better live than they do on CD, and they sure know how to put on a good show. I'd even go as far as saying they're the best band I've ever seen live! I can't wait 'til the next UK tour; I'll definitely be going!

Here are a few videos I took. The footage isn't brilliant as I was shaky and the guys in front kept blocking my view, and the sound was booming from the base but you'll get the idea. If you watch them, be sure to turn the volume down first; the music will deafen you!

During the show, I tried so hard to stay on my feet so I wouldn't miss anything. It was a struggle as the pain was burning from my neck to my toes, but it was actually my wobbly legs that were causing the biggest problem. I'm not sure if it's the pain, medication, or weakness from being house-bound, but my legs shake constantly these days, and lately it's started to really affect my balance. It makes it particularly difficult to stay up right when I'm stood still and have nothing to hold on to. I kept losing my balance and had to hold on to my sister a lot so I didn't fall down and make a tit of myself. Thankfully, I didn't slip, and just took a lot of rests, but afterwards I had to pretty much crawl up the stairs to leave the arena. There weren't any hand rails to make it easier. One of these days I'll start feeling less self conscious of walking at a snail's pace like a frail old lady. I get embarrassed when I hold people up, even with the girls behind me.

Once we were outside, we headed back to Greenwich pier to get the boat back to the London Eye. We were surprised by how few people were aboard with us. Out of 20,000 people (at the gig alone), there were only around two dozen of us aboard! Why don't more people use it? I'd much rather embrace the cold and take a relaxing journey up the river than squash in to a hot, claustrophobic carriage on the Underground with hundreds of sweaty strangers.

Plus it gives you the opportunity to pose for photos with a giant penguin when you get back on dry land...

I would've given him a bear-hug, but I'd lost the ability to stretch my arms. It was a miracle I was still standing.

Remind me not to wear my black ankle boots with black leggings again; I look like I'm wearing suede wellies! Haha! I did get to wear my new (p)leather biker jacket from Dorothy Perkins, though, and it was surprisingly warm against the cold. It came in handy so I don't feel too guilty for putting it on my store card.

We walked back along the river-front to Westminster Bridge, where we hailed a cab, headed back to the hotel, and raided the vending machine for munchies. My pain was through the roof, so I crawled straight in to bed with a heat patch and a hot water bottle for my back, and we just spent the next few hours chatting until we fell asleep. Rock 'n' roll!

The next morning my pain was excruciating, but my little trip to London was and still is completely worth the pain it put me in. I had a fantastic time seeing one of my all time favourite bands live again and getting to see my best friend for the first time in almost a year. Even without the concert, all three of us still had a great time together in the city.

For me, it was so good to experience a little part of my old life again. I used to go to a lot of concerts, and visit London several times a year to shop, sight-see, and catch a show, and those things are what I miss most in life. I couldn't do anything on the same scale this week, but I'm proud of how much I managed to cope with. I might have some explaining to do to my physiotherapist this morning, but I don't care what the repercussions are; the memories of the great day will keep me smiling well in to the new year! 

Bring on the next one!

Thanks for reading!