Meet Mumbai's Linkin Park superfans who spent over Rs 1 lakh to see them live

American rock band Linkin Park made their debut in India with a mindblowing performance in Bengaluru earlier this week They were initially scheduled to play at Lollapalooza India 2026 in Mumbai and that show too proved unforgettable for many fans including this writer who was first introduced to them not through their most popular songs but lsquoLeave Out All The Restrsquo on Vh1The bond like that of many other fans was so strong that when Chester Bennington passed away 10 years ago they spent over three hours listening to the bandrsquos music under the moonlight with a friend So when a new show was added due to popular demand many fans went all out and attended both performancesFrom Mumbai to Bengaluru with loveDiehard fans like Alisha Patel and her husband Neil Lopez are one such Mumbaibased couple We booked tickets for Lollapalooza even before the lineup was announced because there were strong rumours that Linkin Park was coming and both of us are huge fans of the band shares AlishaWhen the second show was announced the 34yearold adds Each of our siblings Natasha and Allister wanted to go and we jumped at the opportunity to go see them twiceUnderstandably this meant not only spending on the Lollapalooza tickets but also for the Bengaluru showWe bought VIP tickets for Lolla and Fan Pit tickets for the Bengaluru show Including flights hotel and food and beverages we spent Rs 12 lakh for the two of us over those days shares the Andheribased publicistThe Mumbaikar attributes this not only to their fandom but also to the excitement of seeing the band twice even if it meant catching flights and travelling through a packed weekend amid a busy scheduleSo how long have they been listening to Linkin Park Weve been listening to Linkin Park for as long as I can rememberrdquo says Alisha Neil chimes in It was probably around the time they came out with their first album Hybrid Theory In the End was an instant hitAgreeing with him Alisha adds Its one of the songs we are most looking forward to hearing Ever since Emily Armstrong joined the band The Emptiness Machine has also become a song we play on loop Itrsquos been quite a journey with themShe continues Its definitely going to be worth it In the end how many people can say theyrsquove seen Linkin Park perform live twice in the same weekEven if they had a third show Id go for itAlisha and Neil are not the only diehard fans Elsewhere in Mumbai Tarundeep Singh Wadhera has been riding an emotional rollercoaster ever since the shows were announced As soon as the tickets went live he didnrsquot think twiceLuckily I got early bird tickets for both the shows so I saved some money there But if you include flights hotels local travel food and of course some drinks Irsquod say Irsquom spending a good amount overall Honestly I didnrsquot even calculate it properly mdash Irsquom just going all in for Linkin Park This is a onceinalifetime thing for me so totally worth itTarundeep is among many fans but fandom has its own unique tune that is felt differently by each person Hailing from Karnal Haryana and now based in Mumbai he says lsquoIrsquove been following Linkin Park since I was 10 and have attended countless rock concerts always hoping the band would come to IndiardquoEvery show he attended made him think ldquoIf this is so good imagine how insane a Linkin Park concert would berdquoA childhood dream he didnrsquot want to miss a single chance when it finally happenedldquoThatrsquos why I booked both Bengaluru and Mumbairdquo says the 33yearold graphic designer adding ldquoHonestly if there was a third show in India Irsquod go for that toordquoTarundeep has come a long way since he started listening to Linkin Park in the early 2000sBack when the Internet in India was super slow like 2ndash3 kbps I used to search for Dragon Ball Z music videos and found some edits with Linkin Park songs It was a perfect match and thatrsquos how it all started I was around 10ndash12 years oldrdquo he saidLater he started discovering the band properly and even downloaded their live showsIt used to take five to six hours to download a single video I didnrsquot care I was just enjoying their music and screaming along As I grew older I started understanding their lyrics more deeply and thatrsquos when the music really touched my heart Thatrsquos when I truly fell in love with the band Itrsquos also why he says it is honestly very hard for him to choose favourite songs because hersquos deeply connected to every single Linkin Park track He reminisces I tried to scream like Chester rap like Mike and even imagined playing drums like Rob Even today when I listen to their songs I still dream about attending their concerts mdash thinking if they play this song Irsquoll jump Irsquoll dance Irsquoll scream like crazyrdquoA dream come true he has now attended shows not only in Bengaluru but also in Mumbai When they did their first comeback show in 2024 and Mike came on stage and said lsquoItrsquos good to be backrsquo that moment honestly made me very emotional It felt like a part of my childhood came back to life One that had also witnessed the death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington which affected him deeply and changed the way he listened to their songs Irsquove already told my friends to keep an eye on me and take care of me because I honestly donrsquot know how Irsquom going to react during the show I donrsquot even know how Irsquoll feel when they start performing I may scream like hell I may cry like a baby mdash I really donrsquot know All I know is that itrsquos going to be a rollercoaster of emotions for meNeed for more showsWhile Mumbaikars and Bengaluru fans are slightly privileged when it comes to hosting concerts it may not be the same for the rest of India Elsewhere Vidya Ram hoped they would play in north India but unfortunately only two shows were scheduled even though Delhi Hyderabad and Kolkata have hosted many concerts over the years They should have had a show here because they have a decent fan following considering Linkin Park was one of the first exposures to commercial English music for many kids back then explains the baker who has been listening to them for 16 yearsYou can hear the yearning in her voice as the American band mdash created in 1996 in the US mdash has been very special for her I started listening to them as a teenager I kind of used their music to channel my angst and it really helped in that sense With Papercut and Castle of Glass among her favourite songs Vidya is excited about the new version of the band after they reunited in 2024 especially with Emily Armstrong Apart from her association with Danny Masterson I feel shersquos a decent addition to the band However you can never look at her as a replacement for Chester I donrsquot think wersquoll ever find someone as talented as Chester I feel Armstrong has handled the comparison with grace and still has the potential to make her own place in the bandAfter her performance in Bengaluru on January 23 and last night that certainly seems true as this writer met many other fans from Bengaluru who attended both shows as well as fans from Kochi and even Kolkata who travelled to Mumbai and sang along to many songs including The Emptiness Machine