Recently I went to a Linkin Park concert, part of their Carnivores Tour for the sixth album The Hunting Party. There is something profound about seeing groups live versus listening to them via headphones. To be honest I was actually going to see Thirty Seconds to Mars, who is on tour with them for their fourth studio album Love, Lust, Fate and Dreams.

The venue was the outdoor PNC Music Pavilion on in Charlotte, North Carolina. The band AFI opened and was good — not amazing, next-level stuff but everything one would expect from an opening band. Thirty Seconds to Mars came out after AFI and rocked the show. I am a big fan. Jared Leto, front man for 30 Seconds to Mars, was energetic and had great control of the crowd even though most of the fans were there only to see Linkin Park.

Jared Leto is a nearly-perfect front man. He is an incredibly talented singer, plus he played a little guitar for one of the songs. Between songs he tells jokes and asks the usual rock star questions of the crowd. At one point he ran out into the center of the pavilion with his guitar and took song requests from the crowd. He also was very humble. He introduced his band members before himself and praised Linkin Park. Humility and ego are two things that have to be in perfect balance for musicians. Axel Rose, famous front man for Guns N’ Roses, eventually crashed the band by getting too big-headed.

Linkin Park also played a great show. They played all their hits and most of their songs from the new album. They ended the concert, after an encore, with my favorite Linkin Park tune, Bleed it Out.  If show business is all about pleasing the fans, Linkin Park definitely succeeded.