Linkin Park sure know how to make an entrance! The Cali six-piece rocked the League of Legends World Championship final with a crushing version of their new single “Heavy Is the Crown.” The band came out of the gates strong with some big riffs, before Mike Shinoda laid down a hard-hitting rap and then sang a gorgeous harmony with Emily Armstrong. Armstrong later showed off her ability to drop throat-shredding screams in the chorus, while retaining that sense of melody that we all know and love from Linkin Park.
The Music Man readers will definitely want to tune into Armstrong’s devastating scream just after the two-minute mark. Combining that moment with the pyro and the cup reveal was def a brilliant idea. The show continued to get even more epic, as the band kept rocking out while the League finalists walked on stage to an introduction from Shinoda. This is definitely how you do an opening ceremony, folks!
League of Legends uploaded Linkin Park’s performance to YouTube on November 3, 2024, and it has since gained 7.2 million views. Fans were duly impressed and added comments such as “I’ve never watched an e-gaming thing in my life but wow, this was the most epic entrance of any sporting event I’ve ever seen” and “Why is this opening ceremony thousands of times better than the Olympics?” A number of fans also noted that it was one of Armstrong’s most impressive performances to date.
Since reforming in 2023, Linkin Park have dropped a number of spicy live performances. One of the reformed group’s most popular performances on the band’s early material is their take on the Hybrid Theory single “Papercut.” The Music Man doesn’t have to say that Armstrong certainly has some enormous shoes to fill when taking on the late great Chester Bennington’s vocals here, but judging by the comments, fans were receptive to what she was bringing to the table.
Linkin Park released “Heavy Is the Crown” on September 24, 2024, as the second single from their comeback album From Zero. The song is one of their heaviest numbers and certainly gives Armstrong’s coarse vocals a real workout. All six Linkin Park members co-wrote “Heavy Is the Crown,” along with contributions from Californian songwriter Mike Elizondo. The song charted in the top 10 in several markets globally, as well as being certified Gold in six countries, including Canada, France, and Australia.