Football wasn’t the only thing exploding in Munich over the weekend. Linkin Park stormed the Allianz Arena on Saturday night (May 31).
There they delivered a punchy, high-stakes kick-off show before the UEFA Champions League Final—and yeah, they showed up like it actually mattered.
In front of a 64,000-strong crowd that later watched Paris Saint-Germain obliterate Inter Milan 5-0, Linkin Park reminded the world why they’ve still got arena-filling power, even post-Chester. Their set tore through old and new, cracking open the vault for In the End and Numb, while folding in The Emptiness Machine and Heavy Is The Crown off 2024’s From Zero. No filler, no awkward transitions—just a straight-up flex of a band that’s been through hell and back and lived to play louder.
This marks another major step in Linkin Park’s carefully retooled return. After years of silence following Bennington’s death, 2024 brought From Zero and the announcement that Dead Sara’s Emily Armstrong had officially joined the band as lead vocalist. While her voice is obviously different, it hits with the same kind of fire Chester brought—raw, emotional, impossible to ignore. And judging by the crowd in Munich, fans are here for it.
Last year, it was Lenny Kravitz pre-gaming Wembley. Before that, Anitta brought the heat. But Linkin Park playing the prelude to Europe’s biggest football match, I mean it’s a different energy entirely. Bigger stakes, bigger riffs, you know the drill.
The move also signals UEFA’s ongoing effort to bring actual edge to its entertainment bookings—less sterile halftime pop, more acts that mean something. Linkin Park aren’t just legacy; they’re still in motion, still rebuilding, still refusing to fade out quietly.
And after a set like that, one thing’s certain: whether it’s stadiums, festivals or whatever’s next, Linkin Park are officially back in the game.
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