It's a cloudy day 50 miles from London, and the small city of Milton Keynes is buzzing with excitement. Taxi drivers know their customers' destination without asking, and the signs on the motorway predict delays twenty miles from the city's outskirts. The whole city is bracing itself for the biggest invasion of rock fans since Green Day brought their brand of political pop-punk to the National Bowl. The next day will see Linkin Park arrive with their highly successful Projekt Revolution tour to the UK for the very first time, with the intention of putting on an all-day show to rival the summer festivals.

Gates are due to open at noon, but eager fans began queuing in the early hours of Sunday morning. A quick glance around the little camps at the gates confirms that most of the fans in attendance are here to see tonight's headliners, Linkin Park.

There is a frenzied scramble for “Golden Circle” wristbands. For those who are not familiar with the 65,000 capacity Milton Keynes Bowl, the Golden Circle is the area directly in front of the stage and can hold around 5,000 people – those with wristbands are allowed to walk freely in and out of the area throughout the day. The Bowl fills quickly, which means that the first band on, InnerPartySystem, get to play to a very large audience. Unfortunately, InnerPartySystem is practically unknown in the UK and fail to make much of an impact. The Pennsylvania-based four piece seem genuinely excited to be here and their polished synth-rock would probably sound very impressive in a smaller venue. However, despite their valiant efforts, InnerPartySystem leave to nothing more than a smattering of polite applause.

The Bravery are clearly expecting a more enthusiastic response – the fact that they only had one hit single here in Britain has somehow slipped their minds. “An Honest Mistake” was their smash success, and is of course the highlight of an otherwise forgettable set. Frontman Sam Endicott's vocals sound somewhat strained and The Bravery's entire performance comes across as listless and tired. The backdrop for Enter Shikari is raised to rapturous applause. Although they are the third band on the bill with a repertoire of synth-infused dance-rock, Enter Shikari have a distinct advantage over InnerPartySystem and The Bravery – they're English. The four piece band hail from Hertfordshire and receive the warmest welcome yet. They storm through a highly energetic set which includes fan favourites like “Sorry You're Not A Winner,” and “Jonny Sniper,” and pause only to indulge in some very British crowd participation. Frontman Roughton “Rou” Reynolds' yell of “When I say beans, you say toast!” is met with both laughs and cheers. The members of Enter Shikari also take time between songs to compete in a hilarious dance-off, and they prove you don't have to be the most experienced band on the bill to get a crowd going.

N*E*R*D is the first of two hip hop acts on the bill, and are clearly expecting a reception as warm as Enter Shikari's, but the crowd gleefully disappoints them. Frontman Pharrell Williams is all swagger and no substance and it's surprising that his ego leaves room on the stage for the other members of the band. At one point, a section of the crowd boos so loudly Pharrell can hear it and stops to demand “what?” repeatedly with a visible sense of disbelief. It's enough to get a few bottles flying, but N*E*R*D finish their dull set unscathed. While their fans in attendance lap up lacklustre renditions of old favourites like “Rockstar,” the rest of the crowd seems completely uninterested in N*E*R*D's set.

Pendulum have been making waves in the UK and continue to divide opinion despite their recent success. They began as a drum'n'bass dance act but have recently added other elements including drums and guitar in order to repackage themselves as a rock-rave hybrid. They're the sort of band that make parents roll their eyes and ask their children to turn the “noise” down and they do nothing to dispel that myth at Projekt Revolution. After three songs, the synths tend to sound monotonous and every track sounds the same. It doesn't help that Pendulum have a co-front man called MC Verse whose sole purpose seems to entail running around the stage yelling “Come on!”, behaviour that quickly becomes as irritating as the music. Unlike similar acts like Enter Shikari, Pendulum's material lacks diversity while their performance is as charismatic as the headache it no doubt left many people with. Despite this, they go down well with their fans in the Golden Circle and no doubt leave the stage with a great sense of accomplishment.

Co-headliner Jay-Z has encountered his fair share of controversy in the UK recently. The day before he was due to play Milton Keynes he was scheduled to headline the Glastonbury festival and was the first rapper to do so. While his appearance at Glasto was criticised both before and after the show, his set at Milton Keynes is eagerly anticipated. Linkin Park fans accepted Jay-Z after the release of the LP/Jay-Z mash up album Collision Course and he is met with cheers and applause at the National Bowl.

Hits like “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” and “99 Problems” get everyone dancing and the stage set up is just as impressive as the man himself. While his political message (which is basically Vote Obama) is lost on a British crowd, Jay-Z gets the best reception yet. His rap versions of Brit hits like Amy Winehouse's “Rehab” and Estelle's “American Boy” are both witty and relevant and have the whole crowd singing along. The notable absence of “Encore” from the set leaves the crowd whispering and anticipation mounts as temperatures finally start to fall.

The screams that meet Linkin Park when they arrive on stage are deafening. They waste no time and set opener “One Step Closer” turns a field of people into an ocean of movement. It may be seven years since Linkin Park declared their intentions to take over the rock world with their multi-platinum album Hybrid Theory (released in October 2000) but the songs from their debut don't sound dated at all. “One Step Closer” has a new heavy guitar led intro and outro which keeps the old song interesting. Another Hybrid Theory favourite, “Points of Authority” is given a new twist, with Mike Shinoda rapping some Fort Minor material over the song's extended introduction. It's strange hearing Hybrid Theory material simply because it becomes apparent very quickly that Linkin Park have come so far in the seven years since its release.

The heaviest song on current album Minutes To Midnight, “No More Sorrow”, is introduced by Brad Delson's skillful guitar playing, and the song's distinctive opening has the entire Bowl clapping along. Rob Bourdon's drums, the crushing guitars and Chester Bennington's incendiary vocals quickly made “No More Sorrow” a live favourite and it's easy to see why. It is easily the most brutal performance in the set. Bennington snarls and screams his way through the song, the first of many displays of his seemingly endless vocal talent. He gets the chance to scream again during “Given Up”, and he leaves the crowd open-mouthed.

Mike Shinoda also gets the opportunity to showcase his talents. His a cappella rendition of the politically charged Minutes To Midnight track “Hands Held High” is flawless and powerful.

Linkin Park's current single “Leave Out All The Rest” is one of the slower songs in the set and threatens to slow the show's momentum, but it is performed so well that a lull is successfully avoided. The song not only allows Chester Bennington to show off his diverse vocal range, it also allows Linkin Park to show the more sensitive side of themselves and their music.

They move back in time to their 2003 release Meteora and produce one of the album's many hit singles, “Numb”. The song hasn't lost its anthemic qualities and the fact that it is still lyrically relevant to the band's fans is a sign of great song writing.

Linkin Park further demonstrate their ever-improving song writing abilities with a stunning performance of Minutes To Midnight's closing epic and ode to New Orleans, “The Little Things Give You Away”. Mike Shinoda's tinkling piano introduction makes the live version of the song over seven minutes long and it's possibly one of the band's most moving songs to date. Once again, Chester's vocal performance is nothing short of outstanding. He doesn't struggle to hit and hold the impressive notes of his vocal solo and the crowd is literally stunned into silence as Bennington's powerful voice soars through the cooling night air. Chester may not be the most charismatic front man but there's no denying his talent – it wouldn't be an overstatement to call him the most talented rock vocalist around at the moment.

Meteora is visited once more as the band launch into “Breaking The Habit”, which marks the moment in 2003 when Linkin Park hinted at their incredible development to come, both sonically and lyrically. Chester is once again given the opportunity to display his talent with an incredible final chorus that he performs with no musical backing.

The band returns to Hybrid Theory and fan favourite “Crawling” is given a refreshing update – the string laden Reanimation introduction is used and it's truly beautiful. “Crawling” was Linkin Park's first major hit in the UK (they performed it on "Top Of The Pops") and as such is met by a wall of cheers and applause. “Crawling” has stood the test of time, a fact demonstrated by the thousands of voices that sing the song's famous chorus loud enough to match Chester and Mike.

The band leaves after a jubilant rendition of mega-hit “In The End”. Chester and Mike return moments later to play another new old song - they've been playing a stripped down version of Hybrid Theory's “Pushing Me Away” for years and they've transformed it into a haunting ballad that features just Chester's voice with Mike accompanying him on piano. It's simple and effective, a moment in which Bennington seemingly opens his heart to his fans. There may be little interaction between Linkin Park and the crowd at Milton Keynes but their emotive performance says everything they need to say and demonstrates the connection the band has with their fans.

Linkin Park end the encore with a rousing performance of Minutes To Midnight's lead single “What I've Done”. The crowd greets the song like an old friend, proving that while critics may have been dubious about Linkin Park's new direction, their fans have accepted it wholeheartedly.

A chant of “LP! Jay-Z!” begins almost as soon as the band leaves the stage for a second time. Chester teases the crowd, asking the screaming fans if they'd like to see more of Jay-Z. The rap superstar seems only too happy to oblige; the smile on his face when he returns to the stage is wide and genuine. “Numb/Encore” is fantastic as always, proof that two seemingly different genres can not only co-exist but also work well together. The atmosphere is electric as they move on to “Jigga What/Faint”. With the heavy guitars that signal the start of Linkin Park's “Faint”, the dancing changes to mosh pits as smoothly as Chester changes from singing to screaming. While it would have been nice to see Linkin Park perform “Faint” in its entirety, the Collision Course version is so full of energy and fun that it makes a welcome addition to the set.

“Bleed It Out” may seem like an odd choice to end the show with, especially as the closing slot used to belong to “One Step Closer”, but the song receives another warm welcome. The live version includes an incredible drum solo that gives drummer Rob Bourdon the chance to really shine. There's no doubt that every member of Linkin Park is at the top of his game and that, together, they are nothing short of astounding.

A lot has changed since Linkin Park first exploded into the rock world nearly eight years ago, including the band members themselves. New bands have surfaced and risen to the top, new trends have come and gone. Linkin Park showed up just in time to witness nu-metal's dying breaths and while the scene that spawned them has burned down, Linkin Park have risen from its ashes to become one of the best and most accomplished rock bands of the past decade. Their performance at Milton Keynes was an ample demonstration of how and why they rose to the top and stayed there. Linkin Park may not return to the UK until they record a new album but one thing is apparent – they'll still have an army of fans waiting for them when they do.

Visit these bands on the web at:
www.linkinpark.com or www.myspace.com/linkinpark
www.jayzonline.com or www.myspace.com/jayz
www.pendulum.com or www.myspace.com/pendulum
www.n-e-r-d.com or www.myspace.com/nerdofficial
www.thebravery.com or www.myspace.com/thebravery
www.entershikari.com or www.myspace.com/entershikari
www.innerpartysystem.com or www.myspace.com/innerpartysystem