For a long time now, I've grown up with Linkin Park. And for a long time now, Linkin Park has grown up with me. I can remember the exact moment that I first heard the band. I was an average 13-year-old taking the bus to middle school just listening to the radio to pass the time.

Like most teenagers, I connected with the hard-hitting roars and lyrics that stood before me. Sometimes I just needed something to pick up and bang my head to. One thing I didn't know at the time though was how LP's music would walk beside me through my middle school, high school, college and adult years.

I first saw the band in 2003, shortly after the release of Meteora. On a cold spring day, my parents surprised me by getting me out of school early and driving to Penn State so I could witness my first "rock" concert. I sat in the Bryce Jordan Center and watched the curtain drop as LP took the stage. I was astounded by the fans, the show, the music, and more importantly, the band.

I continued following the band as the years went on. With Hybrid Theory and Meteora constantly playing in my first car, there wasn't a day that went by when I didn't hear Chester or Mike's vocal adrenaline.

When I got to college, it was time for the release of Minutes to Midnight. I remember frantically walking back to my dorm and eagerly awaiting the tracks of bliss that followed. It wasn't until the next spring when I was able to see Linkin Park live again. This time, I would be going with my girlfriend of 3 year, who had grown fond of the music that encompassed my teenage years.

A couple years ago, A Thousand Suns was released during my senior year of college. This was the moment that changed everything for me. I had just lost my grandfather and my grandmother had just been diagnosed
with cancer. My grandmother gave into her fight with cancer and didn't fight to save herself. Within 2 months, my life went from being normal to shattered. I had never lost someone, let alone family. And it hurt. It hurt a lot. A Thousand Suns gave me the strength to move past the pain. The band was the same, the sound was familiar, but the lyrics were deeper and helped heal.

More recently, Linkin Park released Living Things and dropped their first single, "Burn It Down." Once again, the band released another CD during the time in which I needed it most. A week and a half ago, my father was diagnosed with Leukemia. My life, a newly graduate from college and ready to start a life with my fiance and his family at his side, took a few steps back. Everything is on hold and rightfully so. But it wasn't until I was sitting in the hospital, in disbelieve of everything that has now occurred, that I realized how deep LP's music has impacted my life.

Moreover, with my father's leukemia, the doctor's build up blood cells and then use chemotherapy to break them back down. Significantly, Burn It Down has now became the theme song to helping my family and myself get through this treatment. Every time I hear the song, on the radio or on Living Things, I can't help but smile. The band that was there for me so many times growing up, just caught by fall again.



Today, I've grown older, a bit wiser, and a bit more mature. And tomorrow, for the third time in my life, I get to witness the band who has been with me the majority of my life. I will be sitting at Jiffy Lube Live in Section 101, Row P, Seat 40 and 41 with my fiancé, watching, singing, and remembering every emotion and memory the band has resonated with me.