Mike Shinoda – The Fillmore – 11.16.18

“What made this performance incredible was that it allowed Shinoda to show his fans just how skilled, talented, and hard-working he is when it comes to his craft…Shinoda put it all on display for the crowd while providing a quality performance with tons of energy and atmosphere.”

Mike Shinoda with special guests Don Broco
The Fillmore – Detroit, MI – 11.16.2018
Photographer: Robert Sherman

Undoubtedly, it has been a whirlwind of a year and a half for the ultra-musician that is Mike Shinoda. Shinoda’s life-long efforts with the nu-metal legends, Linkin Park, came crashing to a halt on July 20, 2017, when co-vocalist and founding member of the group Chester Bennington, tragically committed suicide.

Weeks later, Linkin Park played their final show to date, a tribute to Bennington, which proved to be an emotionally taxing event for Shinoda to get through. The track “Over Again” documents this occasion, a clear turning point in the band, as well as the personal toll the loss had on the musician. A line in the track states, “Only my life’s work hanging in the fucking balance, and all I wanted was to get a little bit of closure, and every step I took I looked and wasn’t any closer.”

November 16th, 2018 marked the first time that Shinoda has made a musical appearance in the Michigan-area without Linkin Park, since traveling as his pseudonym Fort Minor in 2005.

Six months following Bennington’s tribute, Shinoda released Post Traumatic, the extended play version, with three songs encompassing Shinoda’s first legitimate solo effort. The EP included an announcement for a full-length album with the same title to release. Post Traumatic was released on June 15, 2018. Just over a month to the anniversary of Bennington’s death.

Shinoda enthroned the Detroit crowd by entering the stage to “Remember The Name” by the aforementioned Fort Minor project. The rest of the night was a pseudo-celebration of Shinoda’s career, rather than a tour stop promoting the release Post Traumatic.

A highlight of the show was the fact that Shinoda was essentially playing a majority of the accompanying music; rather than pressing play on a laptop and having beats run, Shinoda re-created them with a loop, utilizing only a drummer and bassist for the live factor. The touring drummer and bassist were only prevalent during “stripped down” Linkin Park tracks but effectively added that “rock” factor that encompasses what fans expect from a Linkin Park song.

Back on October 28, 2017, a clip of the Chester Bennington tribute show went viral when Linkin Park played “In The End” and placed a microphone stand in the middle of the stage with a spotlight shining solely on it. The rest of the band played their instruments, but allowed the crowd to sing in place of Bennington, resulting in emotions overflowing from everyone watching.

Shinoda decided to attempt to re-create that magic on this tour, but instead played the popular song on the piano, rapped his parts, and left the crowd to decide Bennington’s spots. It was a highlight, yes, and the room was the loudest it was all night, but it wasn’t the highlight of Shinoda’s set.

What made this performance incredible was that it allowed Shinoda to show his fans just how skilled, talented, and hard-working he is when it comes to his craft. Shinoda is a multi-instrumentalist, playing: guitar, keyboard, programming, producing beats, vocals, lyrics, and bass. Shinoda put it all on display for the crowd while providing a quality performance with tons of energy and atmosphere.

Providing direct support for Mike Shinoda was English powerhouse rock band Don Broco, who showed their own brand of amazing energy while bringing the house down with their hits “Everybody,” “Technology,” and “Pretty.” After a successful run on the final Vans Warped Tour, the band has been quickly picking up speed in the scene.

“Pretty” was definitely one of the more intense songs in their set, sending the crowd into a whirlwind. Their 2018 album Technology can be streamed here.

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Mike Shinoda

 

 

Don Broco