By Daniel Paiz

Denver—There are some artists who can just grab a crowd from the start and not let go, and Mike Shinoda played those heartstrings just right for his Denver stop of the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour at the Fillmore Auditorium.

The night was full of new hits and classic favorites, but one reason why the night went off without a hitch is due to the openers of this tour.

The Openers

Unfortunately I arrived right as newly added tour opener AmirSaysNothing was ending his set, but it appeared that Amir entertained and started the night off right.

I did however see Don Broco, a rock band from the UK that I had honestly never heard of before.

While I am a fan of rock music, I don’t often make it a point to go to concerts, but these guys made me realize I’ve been missing out. Their excitement to push the energy of the night even higher made it easy to rock along with them.

None of their songs hit a sour note for this music fan, and their constant engagement with the crowd hit home just how important this night of music was about to become.

Little did I know I needed a night to rock out.

Mike hits the stage

It’s quite evident that this tour for Mike is not only music therapy for him, but a way for him to bond with fans as well.

The music stretched from what felt like almost every album Shinoda has been a part of. From Fort Minor teases, to his solo work, to Linkin Park mashups that grabbed every single person’s attention, this was a clinic on pacing and emotion.

Mike read signs from the crowd, briefly had conversations with said sign holders, and even sang “Bleed It Out” with one fan who asked via sign to sing it with him.

The crowd quickly descended upon whichever spot he moved towards, but you could feel it was because there’s a special bond between Shinoda and his fans.

What’s also impressive about this show is how intentional the stage set-up was. The lights in the background, the placement of the drummer and accompanying guitarist/vocalist, the half-circle set-up of keys, production tools, speaker; each thing listed felt meticulously placed to improve the outcome of the show.

That might seem like a mundane list of things to mention, but that was the message of the night: intention, and interaction.

Interacting with fans by having the crowd sing Chester Bennington‘s part in a handful of songs. Thanking them throughout the night after each song. Feeding off of their energy and vice versa.

That’s why this night was so special, and that’s why seeing Mike Shinoda two times in one year is something I feel very fortunate to have witnessed.