Linkin Park on Saturday Night Live:
Waiting For The End: http://bit.ly/eQvJei
When They Come For Me: http://bit.ly/gTgF32
BTW, this is where the lasers from our SNL performance came from:
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/laser-cats/2925/
Quickie announcement: Linkin Park will be playing Saturday Night Live on February 5. Dana Carvey will be hosting. (Party on, Garth…)
BTW, last time we played SNL, Molly Shannon hosted. Looks like we’re a great match for returning SNL cast members…who’s next? Steve Martin? Eddie Murphy? Gary Kroeger?
2010 has been a great year for me and my band. Here are some 2010 year-end stats for the LP record books:
We released “A Thousand Suns”, which debuted at #1 in 15 countries.
The album debuted with an amazing contest called “Linkin Park Featuring You” on MySpace where fans were given pieces of our first single before it was released. They remixed the tracks, and we picked a winner named NoBrain–and included his work on our album.
We got a chance to play in a number of places we’ve never visited before, including the U.A.E. and Israel.
At home in the U.S., our first single, “The Catalyst” was the first #1 debut in the history of the Billboard Rock Songs chart. “The Catalyst” and “Waiting For The End” both went to #1 on the Alternative radio chart, bringing our career tally to ten #1 songs thus far.
LP won an EMA for “Best Live Act,” and we’re in the running for the upcoming People’s Choice Awards, Japan Gold Disc Awards and German Echo Awards.
We released 8-Bit Rebellion for iPod, iPod Touch, and iPad, which debuted at #1 on the iTunes music app chart.
“A Thousand Suns” became Nielsen Soundscan’s #1 Best Selling Rock album of 2010
Chester made an appearance in Saw 3D, which also saw a #1 debut at the box office
We held our first LP Underground Summits, in London and Sydney, which quickly became one of the most memorable experiences for LPU members who attended.
As the year comes to a close, we’ll be crossing 20 million Facebook fans (more than Starbucks, Disney, or McDonalds–but still catching up to Michael Jackson at 26MM!)
Following the earthquake in Haiti, the band organized Download To Donate (downloadtodonate.org) where supporters and fans of over a dozen bands could come to download tracks for free, and donate funds to support relief efforts in Haiti. This effort is ongoing.
“A Thousand Suns” was a risky album–one that veered off a more predictable path into territory that definitely got fans and non-fans talking. It’s been fun to see how perceptions and opinions have changed. As we move into the next year, we’ll be looking forward to the next leg of the world tour, another single, another video, and whatever else comes next. A huge “thank you” is due to everyone who has helped make 2010 a successful year for the band. We appreciate you.
Happy New Year!
MEETING OF A THOUSAND SUNS
DOCUMENTARY
A great article about A Thousand Suns came out recently in EQ Magazine. It’s more of a tech-focused piece, so those of you who are into music gear can feel free to get into full-on nerd mode with me.
But for those who aren’t as music-gear-savvy, here’s an excerpt that you might enjoy:
“With the exception of Bennington’s trademark guttural screams, any resemblance to the rap rock genre they helped define has been rinsed out. Intensity and ferocious introspection are still the endgame, but the path has changed. And when that path is lined with more than 50 million album sales, two Grammys, and nine Number One singles on the Billboard Alternative Chart, throwing the rule book out the window takes more than a simple leap of faith.”
Check out the whole article here:
http://www.eqmag.com/article/linkin-park-/December-2010/123281
There are always new episodes of LPTV being added to our YouTube channel; I thought this one was particularly good. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/user/linkinparktv?blend=1&ob=4#p/u/1/ogmScJ_DyWg
As many of you know, the LP Underground has been undergoing a lot of changes in the past few months. Recently, we moved some of the features over to a new online home, and many people (including myself!) have been wondering about the differences between using the old site vs. the new one at www.LPU.LinkinPark.com.
I did a little research, and I have some answers about how to best use the new LPU.
Firstly, this is the new LPU profile page. This is LP Underground’s official “identity,” where you can see all of LPU’s headlines. LPU HQ updates this page regularly, to let you know how to make the most of your membership–taking advantage of concert ticket presales, opportunities to meet me and the other guys, and new features we’re rolling out as part of the LPU.
If you’re a member of LinkinPark.com, then (besides being smart, good-looking, and talented) you can join the LPU group at this link below, to stay in touch with what’s going on with the LPU, and talk to other LPU members: http://www.linkinpark.com/group/lpundergroundmembers.
And lastly, this week, we’ll be putting the chat page back up–but with an improvement. Like the old one, the new page will have a text chat; but the new chat will also have a video window so the band can video chat with you. Band chats will be scheduled regularly, but expect us to drop by unannounced. (Side note: I’ve stopped video chatting on UStream, and I’ll be doing more private chats with LPU in the future, on the new chat page. I want to try it that way, because it’ll be a smaller group and less spamming going on).
I hope that helps; You’ll definitely get more out of your LPU membership by visiting the links above. And for anyone who hasn’t joined the Underground: if you want to take advantage of the pre-sale tickets, chatting with the band, and more, visit http://lpu.linkinpark.com/ to become a member.
Incidentally, LPU is not just for Linkin Park superfans; it’s an organization our band created to give Linkin Park listeners the best experience we can. We offer the best LP concert seats at great prices, never-before-heard music, incredible events where you can meet the band, and an online community where you can stay in touch with what’s going on in our world, among other things.
See you guys at the upcoming LP Underground Summit in Sydney…
The tour in Australia has begun, and we’re looking forward to seeing you guys at the LP Underground Summit in Sydney. This summit will be a one-day event, immediately before the show on Dec 15th. Due to high demand and limited group size, passes are already gone.
For our fans in the US, keep your eyes out for new tour dates and tickets coming out (San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix). All info is at http://www.linkinpark.com/tickets/ …and don’t forget, those tickets have lower prices than retail, AND come with an audio download of that night’s show.
I’m about to leave for Australia; very excited to see you guys this week. In the past few months, we’ve gotten some glowing reviews of the show (The Guardian, Burton Mail, Jerusalem Post, WitsAndNuts, and more)…and we’re thrilled to be bringing that show to our fans down under, where A THOUSAND SUNS has already gone platinum (thanks)! I’m hoping to play some great shows AND get some of my holiday shopping done (unfortunately, I think I’ve already bought enough boomerangs and kangaroo pouches for whoever might want them at home, so I’ll have to come up with better gifts for this year).
Speaking of gifts, our upcoming U.S. concert dates are posted here on LinkinPark.com–just in time for your holiday shopping. (Linkin Park concert tickets make a much better present than that stupid gift card you were going to get, FYI).
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Thanks again to all the great folks who are a part of our live show, both behind the scenes and in the crowd. We appreciate you guys, and were honored to be given the award tonight for “Best Live Act.”
Besides the performance of “Waiting For The End,” which was aired on the show, we played a 60 minute set for the crowd in front of the Puerta De Alcalá tonight. That show will be premiering on MTV in the coming weeks.
Here was a snippet…that crowd was LOUD.
Official Website ofMike Shinoda™
