Brigade Innovation Gardens, Bangalore, India23rd January 2026
Linkin Park - “From Zero World Tour” - Special Guests: Bloodywood
This night in Bangalore was never meant to be just another concert date. It marked a moment many fans across India had been waiting for over decades: LINKIN PARK’s first-ever live performance in the country. Not an additional tour stop, not a casual appearance, but a true India premiere. People travelled from all corners of the country to be there - some over vast distances. I was one of them.
A delayed flight meant landing in Bangalore only around 4:30 PM, followed by a direct dash to Brigade Innovation Gardens. I reached the venue shortly after 5:30 PM, leaving barely any time to arrive mentally before the first band was due on stage. There was no slow immersion into the atmosphere - just presence, focus and the realisation that this long-awaited moment was finally unfolding.
Bloodywood
Formed in New Delhi, BLOODYWOOD have become one of India’s most internationally recognised Metal acts. The band consists of Karan Katiyar (guitar, flute), Jayant Bhadula (vocals), Raoul Kerr (rap vocals), Roshan Roy (bass), Sarthak Pahwa (dhol) and Vishesh Singh (drums). Their sound combines Heavy Metal with Indian folk elements, socially conscious lyrics and an unmistakable live intensity.
Music & Performance
At around 6 PM, BLOODYWOOD took the stage - almost simultaneously with my arrival at the venue. Despite the tight timing, their impact was immediate. The band delivered a compact, focused and powerful opening set that locked the audience in from the first notes. Tracks like ‘Dana Dan’ and ‘Nu Delhi’ hit with force, driven by crushing riffs and rhythmic precision, while ‘Jee Veerey’ added emotional depth and contrast.
Production-wise, everything worked in their favour: Strong lighting, a clean and punchy sound mix, and a band fully in control of the stage. Closing with ‘Gaddaar’, BLOODYWOOD left the crowd energised and fully primed for what was to come. Looking ahead just two days, this moment gained even more weight. At Lollapalooza India in Mumbai, I personally saw Joe Hahn standing in the photo pit, closely following BLOODYWOOD’s performance. Mike Shinoda and Colin Brittain were also present, clearly making a point of not missing the set.
Having photographed that show myself, it was impossible to miss how closely they watched the band. The impression BLOODYWOOD had made in Bangalore clearly carried over. The Desi boys had done something very right - and they deserved every bit of that attention.
Setlist
01. Dana Dan
02. Nu Delhi
03. Aaj
04. Tadka
05. Jee Veerey
06. Bekhauf
07. Machi Bhasad (Expect a Riot)
08. Halla Bol
09. Gaddaar
Linkin Park
Few bands carry the cultural weight of LINKIN PARK. Formed in 1996, the band currently consists of Mike Shinoda (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Emily Armstrong (vocals), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave “Phoenix” Farrell (bass), Joe Hahn (turntables, samples) and Colin Brittain (drums). Their appearance at Brigade Innovation Gardens marked their official live debut in India, realised as part of the From Zero World Tour - a moment fans across the country had been anticipating for many years.
Music & Performance
After a short changeover, anticipation across the venue became almost tangible. When LINKIN PARK finally appeared on stage, decades of waiting condensed into a single release. From the pre-show sequence - ‘Thank U’ accompanied by the From Zero countdown - it was immediately clear that this night carried exceptional significance.
The band structured their nearly two-hour performance into clearly defined acts, guiding the audience through different emotional and sonic chapters of their catalogue. Early highlights such as ‘Somewhere I Belong’ and ‘Lying From You’ landed with enormous force, while ‘New Divide’ and ‘The Emptiness Machine’ seamlessly bridged past and present. Throughout the entire set, the sound remained impressively clear and powerful, supported by a lighting design that enhanced the atmosphere without overpowering it.
Moments of reflection alternated with explosive releases. ‘Waiting for the End’ and ‘Lost’ brought a visible stillness over the crowd, while ‘One Step Closer’ and ‘Faint’ unleashed raw collective energy. Chester Bennington’s presence was deeply felt throughout the night - not as absence, but as shared memory carried by thousands of voices singing every word. Emily Armstrong, Mike Shinoda and the rest of the band performed with confidence, respect and intensity.
There was no attempt to recreate the past, instead, LINKIN PARK presented themselves as a living, evolving entity. This was not nostalgia – it was continuation, delivered with honesty and emotional clarity.
Setlist
---Pre-Show---
01. Thank U (Alanis Morissette song) - pre-show with From Zero countdown
---Act I---
02. Inception Intro C (with elements of Burn It Down)
03. Somewhere I Belong
04. Lying From You
05. Up From the Bottom
06. New Divide
07. The Emptiness Machine
---Act II---
08. Creation Intro C (with elements of Burn It Down)
09. The Catalyst (shortened)
10. Burn It Down
11. Cut the Bridge
12. Whered You Go (Fort Minor cover)
13. Waiting for the End
14. Lies Greed Misery
15. Two Faced
16. Joe Hahn Solo
17. Empty Spaces
18. When They Come for Me / Remember the Name
19. IGYEIH
20. One Step Closer
---Act III---
21. Break / Collapse
22. Lost
23. Good Things Go
24. What Ive Done
---Act IV---
25. Kintsugi
26. Overflow
27. Numb
28. Over Each Other
29. Stranger Things
30. In the End
31. Faint
---
32. Resolution Intro C
33. Papercut
34. Heavy Is the Crown
35. Bleed It Out
Check out more Impressions: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tSRsDQV6uGQ
As the encore closed with ‘Bleed It Out’, it became unmistakably clear that history had been made. This was not simply a concert; it was the fulfilment of a long-held promise. Both the Bangalore debut and the following performance in Mumbai were attended on a scale that made it clear just how deeply this band matters to fans across India.
Experiencing the show from within the crowd - without accreditation and limited to short video snippets - only intensified its emotional impact. Sometimes, being fully inside the moment is exactly what a night like these demands.
Pictures from Lollapalooza India by Dagmar Urlbauer
