March 8, 2008
Salt Lake Tribute

The American public lost one hour of sleep Saturday night because of the transition to Daylight Savings Time.

The E Center crowd likely lost one additional hour of sleep that same night because the ringing in their ears just would not stop.

The three-pronged guitar attack of Linkin Park, Coheed & Cambria and Chiodos were loud and spirited Saturday night, aiming to destroy the best laid plans of earplugs.

Linkin Park, who burst into the scene in 2001 with "Hybrid Theory," the best-selling album of that year, were the night's headliners after continued success in the rap-metal world. The band is touring in support of their latest best-seller, "Minutes to Midnight," a more mature affair that diversifies their old and frankly tired approach of woe-is-me lyrics with soft-to-loud dynamics.

The band was able to entertain a larger-than-usual crowd because of an innovative set design. The design, with rotating and ominous video screens perched above them, allowed the band to be seen from 360 degrees. Thus, about a thousand fans were seated behind the band.

The interplay between the musicians was tight and focused, with guitarist Brad Delson and drummer Rob Bourdon notably driving the steamroller approach of Linkin Park. Mike Shinoda proved to be the newest hardest working man in show business, juggling rapping, keyboarding and guitar-playing while appearing to have the most fun. (Turntablist Joe Hahn, however, looked like he didn't have enough to do, given the band's back-to-rock-basics approach. Give this guy a happy fun ball or something.)

While the crowd seemed satisfied, the most disappointing part of the band's performance was lead signer Chester Bennington. Randy Jackson would have called Bennington's singing "pitchy": during the sagging mid-point of the concert, when the band tackled its softer (and blander) songs like "Shadow of the Day," Bennington consistently sang off-key and couldn't handle the lower notes. Chalk it up to a tiring tour and the demands on Bennington to scream most of the band's songs.

Coheed & Cambria, which played a 50-minute set immediately before Linkin Park, came close to being the highlight of the night despite not being allowed to have the bells and whistles of Linkin Park's staging. It is not often that you see a hard-driving rock band have two female back-up singers, but the band's performance worked, especially because of the synthesized flourishes that nourished the band's melodies. Arena tours are new for Coheed & Cambria, but expect to see them headlining in the future.