Linkin Park’s first show with Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain is done, and towards the end of the night, Mike Shinoda seemed to respond to some of the concerns raised by Chester Bennington’s son, Jaime.
In the newly shared footage from the September 11 show, Shinoda asks the crowd how many of them didn’t see the band live. After the loud applause, Shinoda says, “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,” he clarified.
“We love playing for you guys, we love writing this music – we’re very fucking excited about the new record,” the rocker continued. “So thank you guys very much – we’ve had an incredible night with you. Hopefully we’ll see you soon.”
Earlier, Jaime claimed the band was ‘quietly erasing my father’s life and legacy’ during an interview about the band’s past and future.
“You quietly erase[d] my father’s life and legacy in real time… during international suicide prevention month and refuse to acknowledge the impact of hiring someone like Emily, without so much as a clarifying statement on the variety of victims that make up your core fan base,” Jaime explained.
“You betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself. We trusted you to be the bigger, better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone-deaf,” he added.
Jaime also mentioned he planned to attend the show for closure even after his issues with the band. He mentioned that his attempts to get tickets through the band were ignored, so he had to get them with a friend’s help.
While Jaime isn’t on good terms with the band, Chester’s widow, Talinda, is backing Linkin Park’s comeback with Emily Armstrong. She showed her support on Instagram by leaving a heart and a fire emoji in the comments.
“It’s not about erasing the past. It’s about starting this new chapter into the future.” -Mike Shinoda@LINKINPARK • #FromZero World Tour pic.twitter.com/ouwQo53D3M
— The Kia Forum (@thekiaforum) September 12, 2024