October 25, 2001

Family Values : Toronto Skydome, Canada

Linkin Park and their Nu-Metal mates strutting their stuff...

After two sets by industrial fools Static-X and then the awful Deadsy - who support the theory that nu-metal can make O-Town look credible - it's time for Linkin Park to strut their platinum skills. It's sweet relief after an awful beginning.

Led by the seriously camp Chester Bennington, the band and crowd interact quite well although by the time they hit the middle of their set, quite a bit of the steam and sizzle has evaporated. A couple of stagedives add little to the proceedings, but 'Crawling' and 'In The End' put the oomph value back into a mundane experience for the thousands on the floor.

It does get better for Staind though. Perhaps it's because Aaron Lewis and his cohorts can tightrope between the two music camps here, but the group breaks the cycle of indifference with 'Mudshovel' and 'It's Been A While', setting the tone for a heavy hitting, bruising set. Saying little between numbers, Lewis looks like a cat that's been poked once too often, ready to spring if given the chance. The cigarette lighters appear in spades as Lewis, alone and with guitar, starts into 'Outside', but it sounds tired. Maybe he needs Fred Durst to hold his hand.

By the time the Stone Temple Pilots take the stage, they're valiantly fighting a losing battle. The teens and tweens have received their fill and start heading to the exits, but Weiland keeps enough interest with 'Core' and 'Interstate Love Song'. Going shirtless for a good portion of the night, Weiland throws a few kindly digs at the preceding bands, showing the obvious dislike for the rap/rock genre. After an hour, the night ends, with the nu-metal army gaining more and more ground. The message is clear, the oldsters are just getting in the way.

Jason MacNeil