Jaime, Chester Bennington‘s son, shared his thoughts on attending LINKIN PARK‘s concert at the Forum in Los Angeles on Wednesday, September 11.
In one of his Instagram stories, he wrote, according to Alternative Nation: “Uncle Mike [Shinoda] used my words against me at least 3-4 times last night. Knowing I was in the audience. Knowing how I’ve been treated by ALL of the band.
“And on top of ALL THAT, he made me Chester Bennington again.
“Apparently he’s going to tell the audience every show that they are the voice and presence of my father. Disgusting.”
Since Emily Armstrong was announced as the new vocalist, Jaime has been highly critical of the decision on social media. In response to the backlash, Bennington offered a three-part explanation for why people might struggle to accept the new lineup. One of his points was a claim that LINKIN PARK had “quietly erased my father’s life and legacy” during a recent interview, even during International Suicide Prevention Month.
Despite his objections, Bennington attended the show seeking closure. He shared that his attempts to contact the band for tickets were ignored, forcing him to secure them through a friend.
Before playing the final song of their encore, Shinoda addressed the audience, asking for a show of hands from those who had seen LINKIN PARK previously and those who were attending their first show.
Impressed by the nearly equal number of first-time attendees, Shinoda continued his remarks: “That’s incredible. That’s part of why we’re back out there. It is not about erasing the past – it is about starting this new chapter into the future, and coming out here for each and every one of you.”
“We love playing for you guys, we love writing this music – we’re very f**king excited about the new record,” he continued. “So thank you guys very much – we’ve had an incredible night with you. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.” The band then finished out the evening with “Bleed It Out” which can be seen along with the speech below.
Was Shinoda indirectly addressing Bennington‘s accusation of LINKIN PARK erasing Chester Bennington‘s legacy? The use of the phrase “erasing the past” in Shinoda‘s speech aligns with Bennington‘s wording. Additionally, the band’s previous livestream, where they encouraged the audience to become Chester‘s voice and sing along, further suggests a potential connection to the ongoing controversy.
LINKIN PARK recently dropped a new single titled “The Emptiness Machine” and revealed that their upcoming album, From Zero, is set to be released on November 15 through Warner. This will be the band’s first full-length album since 2017’s One More Light, which was the final album featuring late lead vocalist Chester Bennington.
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.