Tattoo artist Kat Von D shared her thoughts on Linkin Park’s decision to reunite with a new singer, seven years after Chester Bennington’s passing.
“I don’t like it when bands reunite without a singer. I think it’s dumb,” Von D shared in the new episode of The Sailor Jerry Podcast. “When The Doors came back with another… Get out of here, it’s not Jim Morrison. Very few bands have been able to switch singers seamlessly and I think most of the time it has to do with almost like a transition that was approved by one priority, like Dio. Easy peasy.”
Von D suggested something other than reuniting without the original members. “I feel like this is a gimmick. First of all, you’re having a girl replace a guy. That’s just strange to me. I think people wanna use that as, ‘Oh, no, we’re paying homage,’ then you’re a cover band, and you’re doing karaoke. At this point in time, I’m like, we have the technology to make a damn hologram. Make a hologram if you’re going to do it.”
“If I was a hardcore Linkin Park fan, I would want to see the original singer. I don’t want to see some girl pretending like she’s doing a caricature of something. When I saw the statement of his son, saying he doesn’t approve, original members not approving, this isn’t cool. Is this a money grab? I question the sincerity of it. And if that offends Linkin Park fans, I’m sorry, but that’s just my personal take on it. I’m just like, ‘Just change the name of the band and start a new band, if you want to do that, and cover some songs,’” she added.
The tattoo artist’s comments came after fans accused Emily Armstrong of using back vocals during live shows. While performing ‘Heavy Is The Crown,’ the song continued playing in the background even when Armstrong wasn’t singing. This caused some fans to think she was relying on pre-recorded vocals.
One user commented, “It’s definitely a vocal backing track,” but supported the singer instead of slamming her. “A lot of artists use this as a way to bolster the vocals live. You can hear that she is actively singing still, so atleast she isn’t lip syncing. Lots of artists use backing tracks for affects, backing vocals, extra instruments ect. It’s usually on sync with their click track the band would use. I don’t think it’s too big of a deal, atleast things aren’t being lip synced and fake playing, atleast 90% of everything is being played live.”
Another fan added, “Who cares?! lol a lot singers sing to backing tracks to make it sound fuller also especially if they play numerous shows will take toll on voice. Backing tracks are ok, sheesh.”
While both Armstrong and the band initially faced backlash for continuing with a new singer, the criticism has lessened recently. A fan shared footage of Armstrong crying on stage and the comment section was filled with supportive and heartfelt messages.
“How can anyone not look at Emily and see that she’s just as big a fan as we are and that she would rather die than tarnish the legacy of Chester? Give her a chance,” a fan commented. Another user said, “Emily was destined to resurrect Linkin Park. Chester would be so proud of her.” “You have to be inhuman not to feel her pain. Respect for doing something she loves and helping a band she truly loves to continue on,” another added.
Linkin Park has five more shows left for 2024. Next is Paris, France on November 3, then Dallas, Texas on November 8. After that, they will head to South America for one show in Colombia and two in Brazil.