In its early years, Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution Tour sported a nearly 50-50 mix of rock and rap acts. It’s symbolic, then, that the lone rapper on this year’s Projekt Revolution tour, Busta Rhymes, was dropped, leaving behind a line-up of just alternative and hard-rock acts like Chris Cornell, Ashes Divide, Hawthorne Heights and The Bravery. In a bid for longevity, Linkin Park has recently downplayed their ties to the rap-rock movement, perhaps fearing the history books won’t make much of a distinction between them and Limp Bizkit. Wisely or not, the group sidelined rapper-guy Mike Shinoda, always the most passable of all the rap-rock emcees, for their mopey 2007 album Minutes to Midnight, replacing his hip-hop throwbacks with atmospheric, U2 arena rock. Thanks to hits like the prom-slow-dance-ready “Shadow of the Day” the album has sold impressively, but fans still pine for their tried-and-true old sound. Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution Tour stops by Alpine Valley today at 2 p.m.
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