While driving to the beautiful Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Alpharetta, Ga, I listened to a nice mix of Incubus and Linkin Park, just to be more in the mood; not that I needed to be any more excited.

Linkin Park has been one of my favorite bands since 'One Step Closer' blasted its way onto MTV. I have seen them in concert five times now and every show seems to be better than the last, so to say I was stocked would be a sad understatement. Incubus was another band I really liked, but had never seen them in concert. The opening band Mutemath I had ever heard of, but I was really looking forward to hearing some new music.

That's when it happened. The dark clouds rolled in, blanketing the roads with cooling rain. I wasn't going to let the rain dampen my spirits (pun intended). Unfortunately, I missed my turn and ended up on the other side of the city. By the time I finally got turned in the right direction, Mutemath had already started their set. I could hear the music as I pulled into the venues parking lot. I grabbed my camera and ran through the rain into the amphitheater. I was disappointed at being late, but their music quickly made up for it. As an opening act, Mutemath did exactly what a great opening act should do, they pumped me back up in anticipation for the upcoming show. By the end of their set, I forgot I was watching an opening act and can see them having new acts open for their shows very soon. Because I was late, though, I was not able to get any pictures of the band, which is a bummer, since they deserve every ounce of respect and publicity as the other two bands.

And just like that, the clouds parted and a slight crack of sunshine came through as the sun dipped below the horizon. A large digital clock appeared on the screens behind the drum kit. The clock began ticking down, building an incredible amount of anticipation. When the clock hit 10 seconds left, the entire crowd began counting down the seconds, until the final zero, when the entire venue erupted in cheers and excitement. Incubus had taken the stage and opened with 'Adolescents'. Song after song, they brought the energy and emotion that only a band like Incubus could bring. Normally during concerts you can ear one or two people singing the popular songs in the crowd. I was surprised to find, during Incubus' set, almost the entire crowd sang along to every song; so much so, that I felt a little ashamed at my lack of preparation, since I only knew the words to the popular songs.

From running across the stage during 'Megalomaniac' to standing still serenading the audience with his powerful vocals during 'Drive', lead singer Brandon Boyd showed why the band has been on top since the 90's. In all, their 18 song setlist satisfied my desire to see them, and even included a fantastic cover of Lionel Richies 'Hello'. When the band finished their set with 'Aqeous Transmission', I felt saddened and a little surprised that one of my favorite Incubus songs, 'Dig', was M.I.A. Otherwise, it was a great set from a great band.

With barely enough time to rest and collect my thoughts, the lights went down. The screams and cheers from the audience rose to a deafening level. The bands DJ, Mr. Han jumped up to his podium as the rest of the band strolled on to the stage, slowly. The music building and building as Mike Shinoda came out rapping the intro to 'A Place for my Head'. When Chester Bennington appeared on stage, the crowd exploded with the music. I have to admit, I too jumped up and down, jamming out to every song. Once the music started, it didn't let up for almost a solid hour and a half.

The elaborate stage set up and special effects playing on the large screen behind the band ensured there was something for everyone. For me though, you could put Linkin Park in a small venue with no pyrotechnics and no digital images on the screens and they would still be just as good. Not that I am complaining even a little about one second of their set. Every song brought more and more excitement and something different. From early Linkin Park songs to the latest ones, the band played every song perfectly. I was very happy to hear one of my favorite newer songs 'Lies Greed Misery'. We were even given an awesome cover of the Beastie Boys 'Sabotage'. Closing the night out with a song just as heavy as they started it out, the band played 'One Step Closer'. During most concerts, you will see lots of people leaving during the encore, during this show, however, I was surprised to see how many people stayed all the way through to the end.

In all, it was an epic concert. If given the chance, I would go to another Honda Civic Tour and absolutely recommend checking them out in a city near you.