Last night (August 11th), nu metal icons Linkin Park played at the United Center in Chicago, IL as their most recent stop on their From Zero World Tour. What makes this show special in particular is that the band brought out Tim McIlrath of Chicago's own Rise Against, to provide guest vocals for one of LP's most popular songs, "One Step Closer".
The performance opens up as usual with Emily Armstrong singing the first verse, then Mike Shinoda and McIlrath join her during the first chorus. McIlrath takes the spotlight for the second verse, with Armstrong and Shinoda returning for the second repetition of the chorus. The angsty bridge of "Shut up when I'm talking to you" shows off both Armstrong and McIlrath's screams, which compliment each other well. The Rise Against frontman is no stranger to harsher vocals, as can be heard on their track "State of the Union" from 2004. The song closes out with all three singers performing the chorus one last time together before McIlrath exits the stage.
Both bands rose to fame in the early 2000's, and though they are categorized under different genres, McIlrath's surprise appearance didn't feel out of place. In fact, Rise Against opened for Linkin Park on the third leg of The Hunting Party Tour in early 2015. Whether or not this collaboration leads to the bands working together again the future remains to be seen, but for now we are left with this stellar live rendition of "One Step Closer".
Check out the full video here:
To find a show near you, click here for the remaining From Zero World Tour dates.
