Korn has one, and so does Ozzy. Having a summer rock festival is just something the big boys do, and Linkin Park is no different.

Yesterday the band's Projekt Revolution tour came to Nissan Pavilion, promising a diverse bill of hard rock bands on two stages. Now in its fourth year, the tour has in the past featured Korn, Snoop Dogg, Mudvayne, Cypress Hill, Xzibit and Less Than Jake, lineups more eclectic than Korn's Family Values tour or Osbourne's OzzFest. This year the main stage acts included electronica-inspired Julien-K, Euro-rockers Placebo, love metal pioneers HIM, emo-kings Taking Back Sunday and rock's newest concept album pioneers, My Chemical Romance.

Photos by Kyle Gustafson.

My Chemical Romance hit the stage as the most theatrical band on the bill, riding a wave of popularity in the wake of 2006's "The Black Parade," a grandiose concept album that pays more tribute to Queen than it does to more contemporary artists the young audience would recognize. Marching onto the stage amidst deafening screams and large on-stage fireballs, the band tore into the raucous "This Is How I Disappear" before settling into a frenetic run through songs spanning their three albums. And while songs like "Dead!" and "Welcome to The Black Parade" highlighted the bands' ability to write grandiose rock anthems, the song order and performances revealed a band less disciplined than their dramatic stage show (which included fire, fireworks, a rotating drum riser, sparkle showers and two drummers on "Teenagers"). Though arguably following in the footsteps of punk rock demi-gods Green Day, MCR has yet to fine tune their live performance to really exploit their talent. That notwithstanding, singer Gerard Way does have the pipes and persona to become one of rock's best frontmen.

After a brief intermission, Linkin Park took the stage. In contrast to MCR's almost untamed performance, Linkin Park was a study in musical restraint. Picking from songs from their latest "Minutes to Midnight," 2003's "Meteora" and 2000's "Hybrid Theory," Linkin Park proved that they have evolved musically -- though only incrementally -- into one of hard rock's most approachable bands. Gone was much of the rapping that found its way onto their past efforts, though the same reliable songwriting formula was present during "Somewhere I Belong" as it was on the newer "What I've Done." Linkin Park's performance proved that they write solid songs and perform them well, though they don't ever push many boundaries.