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Linkin Park: Their Top 7 tunes

Linkin Park have been around since the late 90s, breaking out the height of the nu metal craze that also brought us Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, Slipknot, Staind and P.O.D.

And where are those bands now? More than a decade later, Linkin Park have managed to remain on the charts, adapting their hard rock sound to incorporate electronica, hip-hop and Asian musical influences.

And in November, South Africans will have the opportunity to see the 6-piece out of California play tow massive stadium dates on 7 November at Cape Town Stadium, and in Johannesburg on 10 November at the FNB Stadium.

Get all the ticket details and Computicket purchase rules here.

There has never been a better time to revisit the best of Linkin Park, so here are the Channel24 team's picks for the best Linkin Park songs SA audiences can look forward to seeing the band perform live!

Sam Brighton:

Numb (from Meteora)
The track and the literal video tackle teen angst and pressure head-on. The lyrics are effective because there’s no dilly-dallying: "All I want to be is more like me and less like you". It’s refreshing and it feels good to sing along to it when you’re really pissed off at someone. 



What I’ve Done (from Minutes to Midnight)
The keyboard intro is haunting and the song is melodically very strong, making it a fantastic radio track. It also sounds like Chester’s voice is stronger  and well trained compared to earlier tracks like Crawling.



Shaheema Barodien:

Papercut (from their debut album Hybrid Theory)
For anyone not that familiar with metal during their formative years, the opening riff from Papercut, coupled with the menacing rap verse from Mike Shinoda and high octane chorus from singer Chester Bennington was the most exciting thing that had ever been heard. "It's like I'm paranoid lookin' over my back, It's like a whirlwind inside of my head" voiced a generation of those who just didn’t have the words to express their growing pains. And it still sounds as mighty today as it did in 2000.



Faint (Meteora)
No one really does shouty-singing like Chester Bennington. How he’s kept it up all these years without losing his voice forever remains a mystery. And on this very danceable rock stomp it is put to use, exclaiming, "I won’t be ignored!" The disaffected youth, who've just realised it's OK to blame everything on their parents, had just found a new hero.



One Step Closer
It’s hard to argue that Linkin Park's best stuff was also their first releases, like their debut single which kept very close to the sound of early influences like Korn and Nine Inch Nails. Today the agro-filled refrain of "Shut up! Shut up when I’m talking to you!" may sound a bit silly, but as the new millennium dawned, lyrics such as "I need a little room to break, coz I'm one step closer to the edge and I’m about to break" was actually profound.



Jean-Marie Korff:

Crawling (Hybrid Theory)
If you didn’t have this song on a cassette tape or didn't head bang to it at the high school sokkie, you were totally uncool… But seriously, as one of the songs on their debut album, this was a real gem when it was released. Rock, rap, electro and of course the screaming makes for a winning combination.



In The End (Hybrid Theory)
Red wine, tears, a broken heart… Oh yes I remember this one. A Linkin Park classic so to speak. The song's lyrics combined with the catchy melody makes for a great sing along hit.



* Which Linkin Park song are you most excited to see them perform live in South Africa? Let us know us your thoughts and get published!
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