Linkin Park gets intimate

The night before they were set to play for thousands of people at one of the world’s most famous venues, Linkin Park performed a midnight show for a small group of fans in an unlikely venue -- an Apple store.

The rock-rap group did a short but energetic set, including hits such as “Bleed It Out,” for about 200 fans early Thursday, just hours before their show that evening at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“We’re actually in the middle of our first U.S. arena tour in years,” guitarist Brad Delson said in an interview. “So this stands in stark contrast to those and it’s nice to be able to switch to a really intimate environment here at the Mac store in SoHo and to do a really special performance for some of our biggest fans.”

The concert, which ran about 30 minutes, will be available on iTunes next month. Although that’s quick compared with the months it takes for an album release, it’s relatively slow given Linkin Park’s recent musical output. Fans who buy tickets to their shows can opt to get a digital release of the entire concert a few hours later.