MANILA, Philippines?Those still unconvinced that Linkin Park is indeed here to stay should have a look/listen at the band?s latest release, ?Road to Revolution: Live at Milton Keynes.? A CD/DVD live recording of their June 29 ?Road to Revolution? concert last year at England?s Milton Keynes National Bowl opens with the collective roar of thousands of fans. If you can get 65,000 people to watch your show, then, yeah, you?ve got some staying power, all right.

A stop in the ?Projekt Revolution? tour, which the band has been hosting for the past couple of years, the Milton Keynes show drew the largest crowd thus far?a fact that Linkin Park seemed to appreciate, judging by the huge grins and high-octane energy level caught on camera.

Experience

?Over the course of the past few years, we?ve played more than 200 Projekt Rev shows to hundreds of thousands of fans,? states vocalist Chester Bennington, ?and, while each of those gigs has been special, the Milton Keynes show has been one of the most memorable. It was one of those nights where the band and audience come together as one, and we wanted to share that experience with fans who couldn?t be there.?

While Linkin Park fans will doubtless find ?Road to Revolution? essential watching and listening, the casual listener will probably find all this a bit superfluous. Its title notwithstanding, there?s nothing in particular that?s revolutionary about ?Road to Revolution.? All you?ll see here are the guys of Linkin Park just being themselves.

They?re pretty good at it, mind you. Concert tours kick-started Linkin Park?s rise to fame, and you can see why?these boys really deliver: Chester Bennington (vocals), Mike Shinoda (MC/vocals), Rob Bourdon (drums), Brad Delson (guitar), Dave ?Phoenix? Farrell (bass) and Joe Hahn (turntable) give it their best, and their audience loves it!

Despite being a live recording, however, the songs don?t sound that different from their studio versions. They sound magnified, yes, as they?ve been expertly mastered to give you that concert experience, but apart from the clean and crystal-clear quality, the band doesn?t really play around with their material much. (Then again, if you were a fan, you probably don?t want them to sound too different.)

The band?s last live release before ?Road to Revolution? was 2003?s ?Live in Texas,? which doesn?t sound as slick as ?Revolution,? but shares with it that uninventive feel that dulls the effects of the band?s energetic performance and the crowd?s enthusiasm.

More real

Maybe it?s also because the guys themselves have outgrown their own earlier material?they sound markedly more real, especially in numbers like ?The Little Things Give You Away? and ?Breaking the Habit.?

Still, ?Road to Revolution? is enjoyable enough, just not essential listening?even with Jay-Z popping up after the first hour. Oh, and don?t forget to watch the DVD until the end, and you?ll be rewarded with bonus material.