June 23 & 24, 2026: Madrid, Spain

Original photo by @radnomadvisuals​

After a quick detour to Portugal for Rock in Rio Lisboa, Linkin Park are heading back to Spain for a double-header in thea Madrid area. The band will perform at Auditorio Miguel Ríos in Rivas-Vaciamadrid on June 23 and 24, marking their first return to the Community of Madrid since 2017 and their first time playing more than one show in Spain on a single tour since 2001.

The two concerts follow Linkin Park's appearances at O Son do Camiño in Santiago de Compostela and Rock in Rio Lisboa, continuing the band's first Iberian run in nearly nine years. While Linkin Park have played Madrid several times throughout their career, the upcoming shows will be their first appearances specifically in the city of Rivas-Vaciamadrid and their first back-to-back concerts in Spain.

Linkin Park have performed in Spain on and off throughout their career, with the biggest dry spell coming during the touring cycles LIVING THINGS and The Hunting Party. The band's history with Madrid starts with their time serving as opener for Deftones on the Back to School Tour in spring of 2001, jumping onboard for Madrid at La Riviera, a nightlife staple of the city to this day. Though the tour had started previously with two dates in Portugal, the band started with Madrid to shoot the music video for "Crawling". Linkin Park energized Spanish crowds ahead of Deftones' headlining set with a performance of every song on Hybrid Theory but the final two tracks.

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In 2003, after a cancelled summer date in Madrid due to Chester's illness, the band finally came back to Madrid in September of that year. They returned to Madrid that fall as headliners, with a setlist nearly doubled in length as they presented their newest studio album, Meteora. Many of the live rarities of the summer of 2003 appeared at this show, such as "Figure.09" or "P5hng Me A*wy", two songs that have not been seen since the Meteora cycle.

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The band's lack of touring in 2005 and 2006 meant it would be five years until Madrid would see Linkin Park again, in June 2008 during the Minutes to Midnight cycle. Linkin Park returned to Madrid for their first Spanish festival appearance to headline Spain's now-defunct Festimad Sur in 2008. Though the band's crew had to scramble to set up their own sound due to issues with the festival's gear, they proceeded with their full set after an hour's delay.
The set showcased several of the tour's staples, such as "Wake 2.0," the piano version of "Pushing Me Away," and extended "Points of Authority" with Fort Minor verses added. Songs from Minutes to Midnight such as "No More Sorrow," "Given Up," "In Pieces," and "Shadow of the Day" boasted the band's newest album, and the night closed with a frenetic trio of "A Place for My Head," "Faint," and "One Step Closer."

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The band took less time to see Madrid again, returning in November 2010 for an iconic full-length Madrid performance as part of the MTV Europe Music Awards. Performing in front of the stone gate of Puerta de Alcalá, the band let loose their more atmospheric and experimental offerings from A Thousand Suns, just shy of two months out from release at that point. Their new album dominated the setlist, with more songs from A Thousand Suns than their other albums combined, such as the opening run of "The Requiem", "The Radiance", and "Wretches and Kings"; or a mid-set "When They Come for Me", "Waiting for the End", "Wisdom, Justice, and Love", and "Iridescent". The band released the performance on DVD with the bonus release of A Thousand Suns+, in addition to a short EP with six outtakes from the show.

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It took seven years for the band to return to Madrid, skipping over Spain entirely for their next two albums' tours. The cycle repeated until One More Light's world tour, when the band came to Download Madrid in June 2017. Among the band's last performances with Chester Bennington, with only eight performances following, the band opened with "Talking to Myself" and proceeded through several One More Light cuts as well as variations on their older catalog, most notably with the piano version of "Crawling".

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After the band's hiatus and comeback, it has been nine years since their last time in Madrid, with each gap growing larger: two years, then five, then seven, and finally nine. Spain has been patient and has been rewarded with both a festival appearance in Santiago, followed by a double-header in Madrid now.

"What I've Done" from Santiago de Compostela last week.​

With the end of the tour closing in rapidly, the surprises have died down as the band delivers their set to the last audiences of the From Zero World Tour. The tour that never ends is finally encroaching upon the finish line! One song that has not been seen in Europe so far is "Keys to the Kingdom", so there may be a good chance for it to make one last surprise appearance on one of these Madrid nights before this touring era closes out.

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Otherwise, fans can expect the usual high-octane setlist, most likely with "Lying from You" opening night one and "The Emptiness Machine" opening night two, if the previous pattern is to be believed. We (royal) will still hold out hope for one last performance of "My December" before the curtain call for the tour, no matter the odds. The band continues on from here to Italy, then Belgium, before ending the tour in Switzerland for their 2025 makeup show.

Just one more time would be nice!​

With livestreaming becoming more accessible than ever, fans at home have been able to watch shows on social media via YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram livestreams from attendees. While we are not asking our readers to livestream the show, if anyone reading this finds a stream or is streaming it themselves, let us know so we can watch along with you!

Will you be attending either of these dates at Auditorio Miguel Ríos? Visit our official LPA Meetup Thread if so and let us know! We'd love for you to send any pictures or videos from the show our way as well @LPAssociation on Instagram and Twitter. Even if you aren't, come and discuss the show in our forums as we come to a close on this tour cycle!

Remaining shows:
June 26, 2026: Florence, Italy - Firenze Rocks 2026
June 28, 2026: Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Parklife 2026
June 30, 2026: Zürich, Switzerland

 

I’ll be there tonight with my daughter!!! Wohoooo

ps. Wanna see the outfit? The tee, Chester socks and From Zero plugs!

 

Fuck yeah!

Have a lot of fun! It is gonna be awesome!

 

Wiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!! We’re already waiting for Clipse.

 

It’s been amaaaaaziinnnnggg! We got From the Inside! Wiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!! Tomorrow I’ll settle some more thoughts. Linkin Park! Linkin Park!

 

Here's my take!


a) I think people are being dramatic about the sound: I heard two people saying it sounded weak. I had a speaker right in front of me and I moved away a couple of times to get drinks, and it sounded pretty good — incredible, even — from several spots. (I’m not saying they’re wrong, but there was a guy at the exit saying “great show but they needed more watts.”) ¯\_ (ツ)_/¯

b) Musically, they’ve improved insanely since 2003 — like, a whole other level. They play and sing really, really well.

c) Emily sings incredibly well. A true show-woman. It’s true she gets the crowd to sing a lot, but when she sings, she nails it. (I remember seeing Chester trying things that weren’t going to work out — no shade.)

All in all, an amazing experience and memory for me and my daughter!!

 

Now I forgot to mention! "From the Inside"'s rendition was top top top, "Casualty" was truly savage. I enjoyed AAAAA LOT Mike's "Step up" and I had the time of my life!! Wiiiiiiiii!!!

 

I can’t believe that night 2 got “With You”. Damn.