Credit: @laraissav on Instagram Linkin Park is on to the next leg of their 2025 From Zero world tour! After three nights playing to the energetic Mexican crowds of Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey, the band has moved on to their Asia leg. First up is a double night in Saitama, Japan, at the Saitama Super Arena. These will be the 28th and 29th full performances by Linkin Park in Japan. The band has had a strong relationship with their Japanese fans for a long time: the band has surprised Japan with several live debuts, worked with Japanese anime studio Gonzo for the "Breaking the Habit" music video, released "Issho Ni" through Music for Relief in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the Tohoku region, and producer and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda is a quarter Japanese himself—just to name a few things! It's safe to say that Linkin Park loves their fans in Japan. Linkin Park played their first shows in the island nation supporting Hybrid Theory in 2001, performing a three-date run in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya in May of that year. The band then returned to Japan for every subsequent album cycle until The Hunting Party. Most of the band's visits to Japan have consisted of multiple dates and locations, even including a performance in Okinawa in 2009. Linkin Park live in Tokyo, 2001. "With You" was the opener for their first Japan performance. In 2017, during the One More Light cycle, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda also visited Tokyo as part of their promotional circuit, performed a stripped-down piano version of "Heavy" for an appearance on Nippon TV's late-night News Zero segment. Linkin Park also booked a three-date stop in the country in November, as part of the One More Light world tour. However, due to the untimely death of Bennington, the band cancelled these shows. Linkin Park took several months to cancel these Japan shows—even though the entirety of the North American tour was cancelled—stating that they "sincerely wished to play, even in the wake of Chester's passing" when ultimately deciding to cancel on October 2, 2017. Linkin Park participated in Live Earth, a worldwide climate change benefit concert series in 2007, with a performance in Chiba. A great performance of "Faint" as a closer! However, the band's most famous Japan performance was undoubtedly in Tokyo during the summer of 2006, their only touring of the year as they took a break from the Minutes to Midnight sessions. The band played in Tokyo just before their participation in Japan's Summer Sonic festival, held simultaneously in Chiba and Osaka over two days. At their Tokyo performance, the band brought two debuts out of left field: the first-ever performance of the Xero song "Reading My Eyes" as Linkin Park, as well as the live debut of the brand-new track "QWERTY." Following this performance and the subsequent release of "QWERTY" for the sixth Linkin Park Underground CD, the song became legendary among fans, becoming such a favorite that it would eventually see an official release last year as a single for the singles compilation Papercuts. This fan video splices together the only video recordings of the "Reading My Eyes" debut with the official live audio recording released on Linkin Park Underground 6. The fan Linkin Park brought on stage, Kotaro, says "Shinkyoku yacchau tte"—"They're going to play a new song!" Looking to Saitama specifically, the band are no strangers to the area. Linkin Park played a similar two-night run at this same venue in 2007, with opener support from Japanese metal band Dir en Grey and pop-punk band Yellowcard. The band played many of the live staples of the Minutes to Midnight era over the two nights, including "The Little Things Give You Away" with its extended keyboard intro, the "Pushing Me Away" piano version, and "Points of Authority" featuring a verse of the Fort Minor song "Petrified." This time around, however, the band is playing without any opening support! Full audio of the first day in Saitama in 2007, starting off with a bang with a "No More Sorrow" opener. Uploaded by Linkin Park Live. This short Asia leg is the second regional run for Linkin Park on their 2025 world tour, after the three Mexico shows last week. The Mexico shows introduced three rotating setlists, changing the song serving as the "theme" for the transitions ("CASTLE OF GLASS" for Set A, "Iridescent" for Set B, and "BURN IT DOWN" for Set C) and rotating two setlist slots—one in Act 2 and the other in Act 5 (the encore). Set A, which opened up the From Zero 2025 world tour in Mexico City, featured "Casualty" and "A Place for My Head." Set B, which Linkin Park used for their first-ever appearance in Guadalajara, rotated in "Keys to the Kingdom" and "Lying from You." And most recently, on Wednesday in Monterrey, the band brought out Set C. This version of the setlist rotated in "Given Up," which had been cut for the full-length shows following the debut of "Casualty" in Dallas last year, and brought back the Meteora single "From the Inside." The band transposed "From the Inside" up from the key of C-sharp minor to D-sharp minor for this performance, its first time being played since 2017. In fact, the last time "From the Inside" was performed live was during the band's last show with vocalist Chester Bennington, on July 6, 2017, in Birmingham, England. The last performance of "From the Inside," over seven years ago. Wednesday night's performance of the song. Emily's final scream was quite impressive! Mike Shinoda, Emily Armstrong, and Colin Brittain also appeared today on Nippon TV's DayDay entertainment talk show. The three performed an acoustic version of "The Emptiness Machine," with Brittain on acoustic guitar and Shinoda on keyboard, and also participated in a few talk and activity segments. The full episode, though it is mostly in Japanese. "The Emptiness Machine" starts at 12:52! Will there be any surprises in store for Japan on for these two shows? Could there be a possibility that they bring back "QWERTY" in honor of its debut in Japan and recent single release last year? We're excited to see what the band has in store for Japanese fans! Remaining shows on this Asia run: February 16 – Jakarta, Indonesia Are you going to any shows on this run? Are you attending any shows this year? If so, have you let people know in the LPA meetup thread? Come discuss in our forums!
If there was ever an appropriate time and place to bring back "QWERTY," it's now. It's officially released, a single at that, and the band is back in Japan. Please Mike! WE WANT QWERTY 2025
I know, I know, they have two more shows for it (well, only one in Japan). Let's hope #justiceforqwerty AND ALSO Two Faced was insane in Saitama byu/sirixsb inLinkinPark
I've said it once and I'll say it again: this is Joe's era. What an icon. I'd love to see them do an actual instrument swap at some point. That would be so fun. They have some more straightforward songs that I feel could make it work! And we all know that Colin can definitely do it!
Would be sooo cool. Also, I wonder why they do not many covers. I mean, imagine Sabotage (again), or Killing in the Name Of (or Wake Up, (damn imagine that).
I mean i can understand it. I would also love to hear Wish or stuff, that was great. But nowdays they already leave a lot of things out i wish they would play so that would be not my priority anymore
It's been seven years of hearing bands cover Linkin Park waiting for their return. There's a time and place for covers and right now Linkin Park should play Linkin Park IMO.
They only did "Sabotage" because MCA passed away in 2012. LP is also notoriously picky with songs they cover, every band member has to be keen on them Besides that, the catalog is so big - the singles alone could probably fill a headline show - that they would be cutting a song to include a cover
Yep. The setlists are large enough now and the stress of putting new music live is high actually. I know they wouldn't do it. When I saw Em making several covers in the past I thought, maybe she brings some of that flavor. But I understand perfectly the situation and state of things. And now for a lesson in rhythm management, #justiceforqwerty. Edit, sorry I forgot: RIP MCA.