LINKIN PARK MAY BE RAP-ROCK newbies, but they're already veterans of the great open road, having shared the bills with P.O.D. and Papa Roach on separate tours last year. "We've really grown up during the past six months, as far as being a live act is concerned," says singer Mike Shinoda. "We just feel more confident and experienced."

But now that the band's debut, (Hybrid Theory), has soared past the half-million sales mark, it's headline-tour time, which begs the question: How do you fill up an entire set with only one album to your name? "Well, of course, we'll do the entire album," says Shinoda, who shares vocal duty with Chester Bennington. "And we'll basically try to fill the show with a couple of treats for the hard-core fans of the band."

Those tasty morsels include cuts from the 1998 EP the band recorded when it called itself Hybrid Theory, as well as a smattering of as-yet-undecided covers. Shinoda hints that they could be "anything from the Roots to Depeche Mode." Bassist Phoenix says, "I'd like to do a Fiona Apple song, although I don't think we could pull off the piano parts."

The band's Street Soldiers Tour, which features Michigan-metal masters Taproot and Los Angeles hip-hoppers Styles of Beyond as opening acts, will hit large clubs and midsize theatres, which suits Linkin Park's up-close-and-personal ethos. "Clubs are intimate," says Shinoda. "You can still see people's faces, and fans are pressed up against the stage. We like it that way." Linkin Park fans can look forward to even more flesh pressing on this tour: "We've always made an effort to set up an autograph table and meet fans after shows," says Phoenix.

Fans can expect a high-impact diaphragm workout on every tour date. "We like to do a lot of crowd participation, which is easy to do when you have two vocalists," says Phoenix. "We like to divide the crowd up, see which side is louder, that kind of thing." Linkin Park DJ Joseph Hahn will also get the chance to show off his turntablist skills with a mini-set. "Either that, or I'm pulling for a fifteen-minute bass solo," says Phoenix.

Regardless of what happens onstage, fans can rest assured that the members of Linkin Park will be playing with fungus-free feet, thanks to a rider in their contract that requires fresh socks be delivered backstage before every performance. "They can't be tube, only crew socks," says Phoenix. "It's very practical, but for some reason, we rarely get them. Promoters just think it's a big joke."

-Marc Weingarten

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