Linkin messes with Texas

Linkin Park was one of the headliners on the 2003 Summer Sanitarium tour. Their recent CD/DVD release Live in Texas is a compilation of the best of the two shows performed in the Lone Star State. \nIt's good, but it ain't golden. \nMy opinion is skewed because I caught this tour in Columbus, Ohio, and the band was on fire. In all honesty, it should've recorded that show, because the Texas sets aren't quite up to that level. \nOn several cuts the band sounds tired and devoid of energy, disappointing for a six-man group. Chester Bennington's vocals aptly range from melodic to screaming but still come off restrained, and MC Mike Shinoda sometimes feels off beat. Performances of "Points of Authority," "Runaway," "Faint" and "One Step Closer" are impressive, but overall every cut is inferior to its studio counterpart. \nThe DVD is an entertaining watch, containing five more tracks than the CD -- definitely the better of the two discs. \nThose who own Hybrid Theory and Meteora essentially own a better version of Live in Texas. While the album is probably a necessity for die-hard Linkin Park fans, unless someone lost his or her virginity at this concert and wants a memento, it would be alright to pass this one up.