Rocking on: Linkin Park comes roaring back to life with new singer at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center

It’s been a long road back for Linkin Park, one of the biggest bands of the 21st century.

After lead singer Chester Bennington died by suicide in 2017, the alt-metal powerhouses that mixed hard rock with hip-hop went on an indefinite hiatus, with their future uncertain.

But after meeting Dead Sara singer Emily Armstrong in 2019, Linkin Park secretly began working with her. Then, on Sept. 5 — almost 24 years after they dropped their diamond-selling debut “Hybrid Theory” — the group announced its return, with Armstrong becoming co-lead vocalist with Mike Shinoda and Colin Brittain replacing Rob Bourdon on drums.

Late Linkin Park singer’s son slams dad’s replacement over Scientology: ‘Erased my father’s legacy’

However, the decision to have Armstrong replace Bennington was met with some controversy, including backlash from the late singer’s son, Jaime . On his Instagram stories, he wrote about how it “quietly erased my father’s life and legacy … during International Suicide Prevention Month.”

Jaime called out Armstrong for her alleged ties to Scientology and past support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson (who she has since denounced, admitting that she “misjudged him”). “You have betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans,” he wrote.

Still, all that didn’t stop Armstrong from receiving a warm welcome at Barclays Center on Monday night as Linkin Park performed one of just six shows that the band is doing worldwide before releasing “From Zero,” its eighth studio album — and first without Bennington — on Nov. 15.

Linkin Park announces ‘From Zero Tour,’ Barclays Center show. Get tickets

And the LP was previewed with new single “The Emptiness Machine,” which already tops the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay chart. If Monday night’s concert was indication, fans were eager for new music.

However, the big test would be how Armstrong was received as the vocal presence of Linkin Park faves that had belonged to Bennington. And she passed it — from her whisper-to-wail on the Grammy-winning “Crawling” to her emo feels on “Meteora” hit “Breaking the Habit” to her raw raging on the “Minutes to Midnight” singles “What I’ve Done” and “Given Up.”

It’s a smart move that a female would invite less comparison with Bennington . Armstrong never feels like she’s imitating him, and it’s clear that she’s got her own chops.

And, although there is definitely a different dynamic, her interplay with Shinoda feels easy and natural. They paired up for some haunting harmonies on the piano-driven “My December.”

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But for now, Armstrong’s stage presence as frontwoman is a bit of a work in progress, and she defers to Shinoda as the soul of the show.

And he delivered: From the time they hit the stage with “Somewhere I Belong,” Shinoda was clearly happy to be back where he belongs, hyping the crowd up with his rap attack as well as his own croon on singalong tunes such as “Leave Out All the Rest.”

“It is not about erasing the past,” said Shinoda during the first concert of this mini-tour at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles last week. “It is about starting this new chapter into the future and coming out here for each and every one of you.”

And, by the time they roared through “Numb,” “In the End” and a ferocious “Faint” back to back, it was clear that this new, different Linkin Park is still very much a force to be reckoned with.

If you are suicidal or in emotional distress, consider using the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

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