Linkin Park Brisbane Review: Band Return To Australia After 13 Years

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Published March 5, 2026 by Ned Tepper

Linkin Park’s Brisbane show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Tuesday (March 3rd) marked the band’s first Australian performance in 13 years, and the sense of occasion was obvious from the moment fans began filing through the doors.

You could tell the anticipation was thick, when I was lining up, a fan in front of me was caught trying to sneak a flask past security, don’t do this people. It doesn’t end well! It was the first time I’d seen something like that in years, but it summed up the mood.

For many, it had been more than a decade since they last saw the band on Australian soil, I last caught them at Soundwave 2013, and stepping into the arena again for this tour very much felt like watching a new chapter unfold.

Polaris ignite the stadiuum

Australian metalcore favourites Polaris had the job of warming up a packed arena, and honestly? They did an amazing job, these guys are fast becoming a favourite, the Australian scene really is in safe hands with the likes of Polaris.

From the moment ‘Nightmare’ opened their set, the crowd responded quickly, the Sydney band looked genuinely stoked to be there, feeding off the energy bouncing back from the floor and stands.

Tracks like ‘Hypermania’, ‘Masochist’ and ‘Lucid’ landed especially hard, with the band pushing the crowd into early singalongs and pits long before the headliners even stepped on stage, by the time they closed with ‘Inhumane’, the crowd was well and truly awake.

A new era for Linkin Park

When Linkin Park finally took the stage, after a ten minute countdown (maybe the longest 10 minutes ever), the scale of the production was immediately obvious, the visuals were nothing short of spectacular. Massive screens, sweeping lighting rigs and lasers cut across the arena with a futuristic aesthetic that at times felt like the soundtrack to the end of the world, it’s easily one of the most impressive visual setups I’ve seen at an arena show.

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Much of the curiosity surrounding this tour has centred on Emily Armstrong, who steps into the role of lead vocalist following the passing of Chester Bennington, Armstrong proved more than capable of carrying the weight of the catalogue.

She brought plenty of personality to the stage, balancing the emotional intensity of songs like ‘Crawling’ and ‘Lost’ with genuine charisma and fun moments between songs.

Another highlight came when Mike Shinoda handed a fan (who had travelled from Sydney) in the front row a signed hat, drawing huge cheers from the crowd.

Musically, the band moved comfortably between eras, with classic cuts like ‘One Step Closer’, ‘Numb’ and ‘In the End’ triggered massive singalongs, but the newer material never felt out of place. For me, ‘The Emptiness Machine’ stood out as one of the night’s strongest moments, proving Linkin Park aren’t just leaning on nostalgia.

Polaris Setlist

Nightmare
Dissipate
The Remedy
Hypermania
Masochist
All of This Is Fleeting
Lucid
Inhumane

Linkin Park Setlist

Somewhere I Belong
Points of Authority
Up From the Bottom
Crawling
The Emptiness Machine
The Catalyst
Burn It Down
Over Each Other
Where’d You Go
Waiting for the End
Castle of Glass
Two Faced
Joe Hahn Solo
Empty Spaces
When They Come for Me / Remember the Name
Casualty
One Step Closer
Lost
Stained
What I’ve Done
Overflow
Numb
From the Inside
Heavy Is the Crown
Bleed It Out