There's a time, when the operation of the machine becomes so odious. Makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part. And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus. And you've got to make it stop!

Bad examples are contagious. I already wrote that when I was walking past the Nokia Theater in the morning before the Dir En Grey and Apocalyptica concert, I was doubled over by the fact that there were already about 20 people sleeping by the entrance at that time. So I thought, what would it be like for Linkin Park? The plan is extremely simple: the concert is on the 14th at 9 PM, the captain arrives on the 13th at midnight and occupies the territory, guaranteeing himself a prime spot in the hall the next day. Equipped with a cardboard box (custom shop), two pre-brewed instant noodles, and a can of cola, I set off for duty. Some inhuman force made me remember right before the bus that I had forgotten my ticket at home, and this same force delayed the last bus to Manhattan from the schedule just long enough for me to run and get the ticket.

Okay, I'm on site. Time 00:00. The picture is as follows: a hell of a lot of people, and it's not clear if they are entering or leaving. Near the doors stand some Starship Troopers soldier props. I asked a guy who, judging by his appearance, worked there. It was a presentation of the game Halo Reach for Xbox 360. You could have some fun with it for free, but I arrived exactly at the moment when they started packing everything up. I decided to sit across the street on the windowsill of a Levi’s store until they left completely, so that neither they would bother me nor I them. At 4 AM, the poet's heart couldn't take it, and I went to McDonald's. When I returned, there were still 2 trucks standing (this is despite the fact that about 7 had already left with their stuff) – one small, the second incredibly large, about 10 meters long, but I was still waiting for them to clean up near the entrance because it was just an indescribable post-apocalyptic scene. And anyway, they would have kicked me off when they started cleaning. I'll sit down faster, they'll kick me off faster and start cleaning. I forgot to mention that the Nokia Theater was no longer such; from that day on it became the Best Buy Theater. In essence, there was no difference, except that there was a large carpet lying at the entrance, from wall to wall. My conscience didn't allow me to spread out on this carpet, so I sprawled on the asphalt. The idiot's dream came true – I am the first. By pure chance, the movie "Beavis and Butt-Head Do America" was in the player, which I started watching. Then 2 guys came up to me and asked for a lighter.

-Waiting for today's concert?

-Yes.

-Cool, by the way, this is the Linkin Park truck (points to the second huge truck).

-Wow, cool, so you're from the Linkin Park Crew?

-Yes.

-Cool, do you need any help there?

-No, thanks. Enjoy the show.

40 minutes later, around 5 AM, the cleaner finally asked me to crawl onto the carpet so as not to bother him. I moved around the corner onto the carpet, when I hear someone took my place. They were also technically sent to the carpet. As soon as they saw me, I immediately realized that they were absolutely sure of their primacy.

-How long have you been hanging out here?

-Since midnight.

-Okay, you won.

Three guys, two girls, arrived from Pennsylvania, I forgot which city. I started to pass out and from 6 to 11 AM I periodically blacked out. I only woke up to smoke and when we were asked to relocate from the carpet back to the asphalt, saying we were blocking the fire exit. When I finally rose around 12, the truck was already gone, and the line had only extended by about 15 people. That's not exactly how I imagined it.

Doors opened at 8 PM, another 8 hours needed to be filled with something. I also miscalculated the weather a bit, it was cold. In the sun it was +25, but we were sitting in the shade and in the wind. Although later I don't know, either the wind became warmer, or my body temperature equalized with the temperature on the street... in short, I overcame the cold. I overcame hunger with two pre-brewed instant noodles.

When the line finally reached the end of the wall, those who were standing at the end came up to us and asked:

-Guys, how long have you been sitting here?

-Since five in the morning, and this guy has been here since midnight yesterday.

• O_o, you're cool.
  And so more and more people came up along the way to find out how crazy Linkin Park fans can be. Apparently, at the end of the line, legends had already begun to be composed, and people just came up and asked, "Are you that guy who's been sitting here since last night?". Of course, the captain was very flattered by this.

And then the freebies started! A girl in a Best Buy t-shirt came out, approached us and started:

-Guy, does the line start with you?

-I am the beginning of all beginnings.

-And do you all have tickets already?

-You bet.

-Well then, here you go.

The first 10 people were given CDs with the new album "A Thousand Suns". Delight! And with all this, we were photographed for MySpace, as it turned out this was their promotion. Later, some guy, apparently from the LP Crew, came up and started handing out Brad Delson's signature picks to the first people. They are new, of course, but still cool! Some time later, a guy definitely from the LP Crew came up to me, and as the first fan, gave me Phoenix's signature pick – and this one was battle-worn, scuffed, you can see it's been played. Otherwise, we sat and joked with the guys from Pennsylvania until the movement started. Gradually, security began to bring out barriers, because there were already quite a lot of people. One guard, whom I had seen when I arrived at night, caught my eye and asked:

-Hey, weren't you hanging around here last night?

-That's right.

-And you've been here the whole time?

-The whole time.

-Man, you're crazy.

-I'm from Russia.

• O_o, then it makes sense.

There were 4 hours left until the concert. I don't know why, but everyone was asked to stand up. The same guard:

-Guys, I ask everyone to stand up, everyone except you (points at me). xDDD

Then a huge amount of press flew in. We were filmed from all sides, both in photos and on video. Then they even started interviewing people. I, as the "frontman" of the event, also got interviewed. When I said I was from Russia and how long I'd been here, their eyes popped out of their heads. And I noticed that I was speaking English almost without hesitation and quite competently – that's what spending a day surrounded by Americans means. Well, I was first in every respect that day. When everyone's legs were already stiff and everyone was exhausted, one of the guys I was hanging out with said:

-Doors won't open for another 2 hours, and we still have an hour to stand inside. It's fine for us, I don't know how you'll endure this.

-Bro, don't forget, I'm Russian.

-Well, that's the only possible answer.

When the time finally came and everyone started breaking inside, I was somewhat disappointed when I entered the hall, and there were already a sufficient number of people near the stage – these were event guests and concert staff. So they didn't let me grab the barrier, but I was still closer than ever. While everyone was waiting for the start, I periodically heard from behind, "Oh, check it out, that's that Russian guy."

The concert itself was phenomenally gorgeous! But it was precisely a presentation of the new album, and the ratio of old and new material was 50/50. Despite the fact that they played for only an hour or so, there was quite a little old school, but I heard almost everything I wanted to hear from the new album. Nevertheless, it was the best concert during my time in the States. After the concert, I even managed to shake hands with both vocalists. In short, the ending was as cool as it gets!

After the concert, I said goodbye to the guys from Pennsylvania, they were very happy to meet me, as I was with them.

Well, this was my third Linkin Park concert. I spent the day surrounded by people close to me in spirit. I felt something similar 3 years ago, at my first Linkin Park concert in Moscow. But if there I was the same as them, here I was unique. I wonder what it was like for them to know that today's line is headed by some guy from Russia? xDDD 2 weeks left until the flight and a little less until the concert at Madison Square Garden. Waiting.

http://www.myspace.com/linkinpark/videos/video/106559184 - here I am at the 25th second, right in the center of the screen, in a cap