"The problem with U.S. festivals is that they have mostly American and British groups, so you're not getting a real glimpse of what's out there. But at Summer Sonic in Japan, they have a bunch of international acts, all playing at this outdoor stadium that's broken up into indoor arenas of different sizes."
A lack of rap for a second straight year on the Projekt Revolution tour is circumstantial, according to Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda.
During a teleconference with reporters today (April 9), Shinoda said that in booking this year's tour, Linkin Park "didn't find the right rap groups to put on the show. There weren't many that we felt would mix well with everything. For this one, it's pretty much an all-rock bill ... but this is a really diverse bill as far as rock."
Shinoda said that rap is "not gone forever" from Projekt Revolution, and that "in the future we'll have more hip-hop artists back on the bill."
Besides headliner Linkin Park, this year's Projekt Revolution -- which kicks off a North American run July 16 in Boston after a one-off on June 29 in England -- features Chris Cornell, the Bravery, Ashes Divide and Armor For Sleep on the main stage and Atreyu, Hawthorne Heights, 10 Years and Street Drum Corps on the second, Revolution Stage.
Shinoda said there was interest in major hip-hop acts such as Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Gnarls Barkley but that "these groups were out on the road doing their own thing ... with other commitments going. I think if there had been a place for these guys to be on the tour, it would've worked out."
The British show, meanwhile, features Jay-Z and N*E*R*D.
The group's talents and determination are also well respected by their peers. Chester Bennington (LINKIN PARK) states: "OPIATE FOR THE MASSES...I think they're going to be big."
