I went to the M&G for the first concert of the tour in West Palm, FL. I have never seen Linkin Park live or done a M&G with any band. LP has been my favorite all-time band for years. However, I have to say that I was extremely disappointed in how everything was run and organized for their first concert of the Carnivores tour. I have wanted to do a M&G with Linkin Park since I was a child, and finally at 25 I was able to save the money to make the trip ( I currently live in KY). We were told to be there at 4:30 pm. The meet and greet was supposed to start at 7:15pm which was DURING the concert. The schedule of things had me a bit perplexed. I had paid good money to see a full concert (30 Seconds to Mars is a favorite). I was assured, however, that we would miss one, MAYBE two, of Mars’ songs. As we stood in line waiting for the LP M&G, Mars came on. We stood in line and they played…and played… We were not let in until 8:30pm. No explanations. No, “We’re sorry this is taking so long, but the reason is…” Nothing. Finally we were ushered in to a waiting tent. As we stood there for another 15 minutes, Mars completed their performance. Everyone waiting in my group was very upset. Firstly, the M&G had been scheduled during the Mars performance. Secondly, we waited over an hour past when the M&G was supposed to start, causing us to miss the entire Mars performance. Thirdly, we were offered no common courtesy, explanation, apology, etc. When LP finally came in for the M&G, Chester was not there because he was sick. I understand he was unable to come out and greet us, but it would have been nice if someone could have at least given us the heads up, especially since we were missing another performance to wait to see all of LP. The M&G was not at all like I have heard the LP M&G’s described. I know that since everything was running late, they must have been pressed for time, but it was barely a “signing.” Definitely no meet and greet. The majority of the guys didn’t even make eye contact or manage a “hi.” I cannot verbalize how disappointed I was. I had waited years for this opportunity and spent hundreds of dollars to miss the majority of the concert and have a CD signed by some of the LP members.
The performance itself was somewhat disappointing because Chester was not feeling well. Mike really seemed to carry it. I felt so bad for Chester. He had to take frequent breaks and had to be helped off stage multiple times by someone. It seemed like he was straining for every song. I’m so appreciative that he pushed himself to perform for us. It meant so much to me and those around me. I really hope he recovered quickly and that there wasn’t anything too serious that was wrong.
The overall experience was sorely disappointing. I wish things had been handled better by those orchestrating events. I understand that LP really had no control over the events and I do not blame them for what happened. I hope that a M&G is NEVER AGAIN scheduled during a concert. I hope LP tours the US next year so I can have another opportunity to see them.