Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution mixes it up for a fifth go-around

by John Soeder/Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic

Thursday August 14, 2008, 9:50 AM

Chris Pizzello/Associated Press file"When we started this tour, our idea was to showcase groups that were doing something revolutionary," says Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, seen here onstage last year in Irvine, Calif.

PREVIEW
Projekt Revolution
What: Linkin Park, Chris Cornell, the Bravery and others perform.
When: 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: Blossom Music Center, 1145 W. Steels Corners Road, Cuyahoga Falls.
Tickets: $24.75-$145.75 at the box office and Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone, 216-241-5555 (Cleveland) or 330-945-9400 (Akron).

ONLINE AUDIO: LINKIN PARK'S MIKE SHINODA

Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella and other destination festivals may be all the rage nowadays, but Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution is doing business the old-fashioned way. The hard-rocking roadshow is bringing the music to you (or close enough), as opposed to making you come to the music.

"Each year we try to do something exciting for the summer," Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda said during a pre-tour teleconference. Also on the line were Chris Cornell and the Bravery's Sam Endicott, both onboard for the latest installment of Projekt Revolution.

This is the fifth outing for the multi-act tour that Linkin Park launched in 2002.

"Originally we were inspired by the great festivals that happened in Europe," Shinoda said. "There's definitely a certain niche that we feel that this tour fills, and a lot of our fans seem to agree."

Cornell, who is flying solo after stints with Soundgarden and Audioslave, gave props to Shinoda and his bandmates for their hands-on approach to lining up other artists for the bill.

"In order to keep these kinds of tours happening year after year ... somebody has to focus on getting an interesting combination of bands together," Cornell said. "Linkin Park is on top of it. They're excited about it and passionate about it and that's what it takes to make it great."

Joining Linkin Park, Cornell and the Bravery on Projekt Revolution's main stage is Ashes Divide. Set to perform on the "Revolution Stage" are Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights, 10 Years, Armor for Sleep and Street Drum Corps.

"For me, the important thing about a traveling festival like this is ... a lot of diversity," Endicott said. "You're not seeing the same exact kind of band over and over and over again."

Despite the eclectic lineup, Projekt Revolution's entourage has at least one thing in common.

"When we started this tour, our idea was to showcase groups that were doing something revolutionary, something original, something different," Shinoda said. "We definitely hope that our fans see in our music something that is new and original -- and obviously the other bands on the bill, we try to pick them based on that kind of criteria.

"To be totally blunt, I think this is the kind of music that our band listens to. That's why we reach out to these bands in the first place, to put these bills together.

"From the beginning to the end of the show, you get a lot of different sounds and you get a lot of different experiences and that's what makes it fun."