CeriRoberts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Linkin Park has resurfaced seven years after the loss of lead vocalist Chester Bennington. After much speculation as to who would be joining the band in the place of Chester, with names like Amy Lee of Evanescence and Lizzy Hale of Halestorm rumoured to be joining, the band released that Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara will be joining Linkin Park along with the new drummer, Colin Brittain.
In a whirlwind announcement of their return, they released a new song from their album, “From Zero,” and released the dates for an upcoming world tour. The band has since released another song that will be the official anthem for the 2024 world championship gaming competition for League of Legends and has released more tour dates. However, the addition of the new frontwoman, Emily Armstrong, has fans divided and Bennington’s family angry.
With tickets for the London date of their world tour selling out in seconds, it’s safe to say that fans are excited to have the band back, playing live shows and making more music. But many disagree with this. One such person fans have gotten behind is Jaime Bennington, son of the late lead singer Chester Bennington.
Jaime Bennington has become very vocal on social media since Linkin Park announced their return. Many fans were hurt to see Chester’s son’s anger, but many thought he didn’t deserve the opportunity to complain, with one commenter saying, ‘Stop giving this man a platform.’ If you visit Jaime’s Instagram, the entire page is filled with conspiracy theories about his father’s death and news of Linkin Park, leaving fans to speculate that he has become obsessed with all things, good or bad, for the band. This may have led to the fact that, reportedly to Jaime, the band’s founder, Mike Shinoda, has blocked him on social media.
Given a chance to talk about his feelings about the band’s return on the podcast Stef’s Rockshow, Jamie said ‘I don’t mind that Linkin Park reinvented itself, what I mind is how they did it…there is a new vocalist, and so, you are replacing Chester.’ He explains that what hurt him wasn’t the new album or the new tour, but that he felt like there ‘is no acknowledgement of him (Chester),’ he explains that he thought there should have been a celebration of Chester and a tribute to him before the band should have moved on. This feels like a reasonable request of the late singer’s son.
Mike Shinoda, the band’s founder, spoke of how the band began to consider their return and becoming the band once more when on the Jimmy Fallon show. He said that the band ‘never set out to like “bring the band back” or “let’s find a singer.” That was never our intention or our goal.’ Shinoda expressed that the band members had missed one another and had wanted to get back together to play and be creative for their own pleasure. But they soon found out that collectively, they felt like they weren’t finished with Linkin Park. It was clear that their return wasn’t malicious, and there was most likely no purposeful intent to hurt the Bennington family, but just that they were a band that felt they still had a story to tell.
Some fans agree wholeheartedly with Jaime and feel hurt and betrayed that the band is back without Chester. But others think differently. I went to the Linkin Park concert at the O2 in London on the 24th of September, and there was not a dry eye to be seen. It felt like we, as an audience, were all still mourning Chester, but we felt that there was some healing in coming back and celebrating the band.
During their tour’s first few live shows, Mike Shinoda famously said, ‘In the role of Chester Bennington is each of you,’ which left the crowd feeling that there was still a place for Chester on that stage. For myself and those around me, we expressed that it felt like the spirit of Chester was there, and that was what we all found so moving. This small tribute at the show’s start demonstrates that the band isn’t trying to replace Chester or wipe away his memory but celebrating him through the fan’s love for him.
Luke Morton, a journalist for Kerrang Magazine, wrote in his review of the show in London, that during the performance of the song Crawling, ‘the volume of London’s collective voice, who have been craving this choral catharsis for so many years,’ showed the spirit of Chester. I was one of those members; I was sad not to hear Chester but glad to listen to songs I thought I would never hear live again. As Morton wrote in his article, how the fans responded to the band’s return could be seen in ‘the smiles etched on the faces and tears streaming down the cheeks of those in attendance say it all.’
However, another member of Bennington’s family has come forward to share what they feel is like betrayal. In an interview with Rolling Stones, Susan Eubanks, Bennington’s mother, shared that she “feels like they’re trying very hard to erase the past,’ when seeing the band ‘performing songs that Chester sang.’ Again, this has been received very mixed by Linkin Park fans, as some agree that by not informing Chester’s mother of the band’s intention to return, the band knew that they weren’t honouring his legacy or respecting his family’s wishes. Eubank’s complaints have themselves caused controversy as many fans are bringing up the interview with Kerrang Magazine where Chester admitted to feeling “abandoned” by his mother. But despite what she and Chester’s relationship was like, her pain and anger seem justified at seeing the space that she sees as her late son’s being filled.
It's safe to say that Linkin Park’s return has sparked controversy among the alternative rock scene. Their return hurts many diehard fans, but many are welcoming the band back and their new singer, Emily Armstrong, with open arms. With tickets predictably selling out almost instantly, no one can deny that they still have a huge and loyal fan base standing behind them, even if they have lost a considerable portion of fans with this return. In this case, those who are angered by their return may never feel at peace with the band’s decision. Still, as long as they have stadiums of fans who have missed them and are ready to see what comes next, the love they and their fans bring into the world seems to outweigh the anger of those too sad to move on from Chester.