Arriving at the Docklands Arena about half an hour before the festivities commence, and the crowd are being warmed up nicely by a rather generous PA. We get Nine Inch Nails (Closer), RATM (Renegades of Funk), Metallica when they weren't money-hungry dinosaurs out of touch with reality (Seek & Destroy-complete with crowdsurfers!!!) and, the best reaction, House of Pain getting the arena, well, jumping around.

Then the lights went out and a gothic noise emerged from the speakers, the only light coming from all the lighters in the air-a quite beautiful sight. This signalled the arrival of Taproot, and the crowd went crazy. For all of 48 seconds. Then the fact that they weren't the story became apparent as less and less activity by the track transpired. OK, so when they aired Again and Again they pulled the crowd back into their set, and their so far unreleased final track also has a kick, but they suffered. Bad sound and little lighting possibly had an effect. Still, they got a cheer for telling the crowd to chill when a couple of people were down at the front after their set.

After another break, to change backdrop and pick up all the bottles and glowsticks around the stage (ahem), we get to the first headliners. Well, when the gig was booked it probably wasn't thought that Linkin Park would turn out to be big. Oops...

With the stage bathed in orange light, Brad and Phoenix stood with their backs to the crowd, Mr. Hahn and Rob lurking at the back. Then the intro to With You came up, and as the band were firing into the track, Chester and Mike came flying out and delivered it with precision. Following up with Runaway, Paperclip and By Myself, it looked like they were going to runaway with the accolades before Chino and co. even got near the stage, let alone on it. And there was plenty more material from Hybrid Theory to get out in their slot. Crawling getting the 'Next Single' outing, and Points of Authority all firing up the crowd to levels not seen for mid-bill bands. We also got A Place For My Head and Forgotten, or most of the album, in other words. Then there was just one track left-One Step Closer, which was met with a HUGE reaction, and the place exploded. Rather than nu-metal underdogs,this lot have the music, the live experience, and the fanbase to take it to the very top. Mssrs. Davis and Durst better be wary...

Then a red flag with the White Pony icon on it was dropped across the stage, whilst many went to get water and such to recover from the assault the boys from Santa Barbera just gave us. It was another mosh pit waiting in that queue, so I missed the arrival on stage of Deftones and, worse still, half of the opener-Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)-curse you London Arena!!!

Well, with that eating at my insides, they followed it up with Around the Fur, and it was time for a mass sing-a-long. Then Chino introduced us to The White Pony (it lit up on their elaborate backdrop), heading into Feiticeria, before the lights dimmed, Chino got his own guitar,and then the backdrop lit up with blue lights for Change (in the House of Flies), and then Chino rambled a bit about flying. Yeah, exactly.

The set kept up with the gems. Bored got the place going big time, whilst throwing in the likes of Digital Bath meant the crowd never got too out of control. Well, until My Own Summer (Shove It), when Chino also dived into the crowd whilst singing, and actually stopped it halfway through because crowdsurfers were kicking him (his main reason being that "I saw people doing this at Pearl Jam gigs 10 years ago"),and everyone did. Oh, I forgot to meantion, CHINO IS GOD!!!

After finishing up My Own Summer..., we also got the likes of Engine no.9 to keep us happy, before Chi Cheng started babbling into the mic, with Chino telling him "We're not in Korea or somethin'", leading into, you guessed it, Korea. Later on, as Chino was telling the crowd it was good they didn't act tough because they're all weak, Chi started making fists towards him-so throughout Lotion they were trying to kick the shit outta each other-Chino and Chi, the Nu Metal Laurel & Hardy! There was also the sight of Teenager being backed up with the star effect from the backdrop, and disco balls! Genius!!!

Eventually there had to be an end to the festivities, and it came, inevitably enough, with 7 Words. Or, not as inevitably as we thought, as halfway through it broke into Weezer's Say It Ain't So, before switching back. So that wrapped up the main set, although Stephen Carpenter stayed on twanging away for a while. It sounded like we would getBack to School (Mini Maggit), but instead Chino launched them all into Headup, and a good half of the Arena turned into a mosh pit-MENTAL!!! With that nailbomb disposed on the crowd, they left, as we all tried to remember how to breathe again after that experience. As well as wonder what Frank Delgado did apart from the scratching bit on Korea, as well as the lack of Elite (you got a Grammy for it, man!), and Back to School... (considering this was called the Back to School Tour, it shoulda been a must.) Oh well.