Most people have never heard of Linkin Park, but if you were at the Street Soldiers Tour, at the Crest Jan. 29, the band will be etched in your memory bank forever.

The Street Soldier concert opened with Styles of Beyond and Taproot. Styles of Beyond had the crowd energized with their hip-hop styles and similarity to the Roots, type-of-music. Although the Crest isn?t exactly huge, the fans found a place in the front of the stage to get close to the bands.

Next up was Taproot. Taproot had already gained popularity when they rolled through on Papa Roach’s Master Bay Tour. The band definitely had a lot of energy that flowed through their fans as well. Stephen Richards, the lead vocalist, tried and succeeded in getting the audience participation. Whether it was through running up and down the stairs and through the seats, or standing on top of a set of speakers on stage and jumping off into the crowd, Richards got his fill. The band could be described as being similar to a Limp Bizkit sort of style of music. Whatever you would classify it as, the audience loved it, and they were jumping and moshing around until the last song of their set.

Before Linkin Park hit the stage, the audience packed themselves into a small section in the front row?Hoping to be close enough or lucky enough to be the one that gets touched by emcee, Mike Shinoda, or lead vocalist, Chester Bennington.

After being squashed and kicked in the head several times by crowd surfers, the fans were mesmerized and sang every word to every song as if they had been waiting for this moment their whole lives.

Despite the fact that there was more junior high kids there than at a sock-hop at the roller rink, the vibe of the show was very energetic and positive. After the last song ended, the band stuck around another 30 or 40 minutes to give a little of their time and autographs to their devoted fans. All in all, the show was a huge success, and it would be worthwhile to everyone to go and check out a show the next time they pass through town.

Curious about Linkin Park? Check out their web-site at www.linkinpark.com.