The singer left us in 2017 and his main partner in the band admits he felt “anger” at everything that happened: “natural, one of the stages of grief”
The news that Chester Bennington had taken his own life, in 2017, at the age of 41, it fell like a bomb not only on the fans of LinkinPark. His bandmates also felt the loss strongly: no wonder, it took 7 years to announce the revival of the group with a new singer, Emily Armstrongin place of my late colleague.
In February 2023, about a year and a half before Linkin Park completed their reunion, the multi-instrumentalist and singer Mike Shinoda gave an interview to radio host Howard Stern (via Chatty). At the time, she vented about her feelings after losing Bennington.
The musician admitted that one of his initial reactions was anger, a feeling that ends up recurring from time to time. He said:
“There are times when I feel like this. I’m sure it was the same for other people. Even for the fans, by the way. And this is natural, it’s one of the stages of grief.”
Also during the conversation, Mike said that Chester’s problems – that he had a turbulent childhood and was a victim of abuse – were not a complicating factor in their friendship or working relationship. The two got along well precisely because they felt like two fish out of water, albeit for different reasons.
“When I met Chester, I didn’t know his stories. When I discovered them, I found myself saying, ‘I’ve never known such a crazy creation.’ I didn’t grow up like that. I felt like an outsider because I was a mixed race kid who didn’t belong to a half Japanese community, but I didn’t speak Japanese, I didn’t look Japanese. Obviously I wasn’t white, Latino kids tried to talk to me in Spanish.. .I was always floating, I didn’t have a home.”
Was it difficult dealing with Chester Bennington?
Another point Mike Shinoda addressed in the 2023 interview was how to deal with Chester Bennington. The musician said his late colleague “wasn’t always a difficult guy.”
“In the first days it was more difficult because we didn’t know what it would be like. We were still at the beginning, we would have had a victory here, a defeat there… it was difficult. In the middle of everything, there was a boy who was hiding, disappearing and he came back destroyed. No, I couldn’t even talk to him, he was so high, but sometimes it was really funny when he was like that. But then, the next day, he was very drunk, angry at everyone, and you’re kind of like, ‘Let’s get over it. this day.'”
No “replacements” on Linkin Park
In addition to Chester Bennington, the current Linkin Park does not have drummer Rob Bourdon, who has chosen not to be involved in the activities. His place is taken by Colin Brittain. Joining Mike Shinoda and the two new members are Joe Hahn (DJ), Dave “Phoenix” Farrell (bass) and Brad Delson (guitar) — the latter works only in the studio and is represented on tour by Alex Feder.
In an interview with Radio 1’s new music programme (go Igor Miranda’s website), Shinoda stressed that the new lineup does not want to be “an imitation of Linkin Park” in its classic phase. Furthermore, no member will be completely replaced. He points out:
“It should be a new chapter of Linkin Park. The previous chapter was fantastic and we loved it. We got on the right track and now we are faced with the challenge: “what if we started from scratch with another voice?”, what should we do?’. We were slowly coming back and then things started coming together with Emily and Colin, we thought putting her voice on stuff we had already written that just had my voice in it sounds really good, we should try it again more songs’.”
He adds:
“When Emily sings, it’s with passion, she’s 100% herself and that’s the best part. She’s not trying to be Chester, she’s not trying to be anyone else. She shows who she is – and that’s why it works.”
Linkin Park’s revival has already produced an album, From Zero, and a string of shows around the world, including two dates at Allianz Parque, Sao Paulo, last November. The group returns this year, also in November, for four shows (details such as locations and ticket sales have yet to be announced):
- 08/11/2025: Rio de Janeiro
- 10/11/2025: Sao Paulo
- 11/13/2025: Brasilia
- 11/15/2025: Porto Alegre
*In Brazil, the Centro de Valorização da Vida (CVV) offers free emotional support and suicide prevention, serving all people who want and need to talk. Contact available on the phone 188 or online (email, chat, Skype) with data available on the site https://www.cvv.org.br/.
+++ READ MORE: The band that stopped Linkin Park from reaching the top of the charts in the US
+++ READ MORE: The 3 best songs from Linkin Park’s new album, according to Rolling Stone critic
+++ READ MORE: The big difference in Linkin Park’s new album, according to Brad Delson
+++ to follow Rolling Stone Brasil @rollingstonebrasil on Instagram
+++ to follow the journalist Igor Miranda @igormirandasite on Instagram
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
