Linkin Park's comeback tour begins amid criticism of new singer Emily Armstrong: What to know about the controversy
Getting the band back together is no easy feat — as Linkin Park knows.
Seven years after the death of frontman Chester Bennington, the band announced on Sept. 5 that it was starting anew with singer Emily Armstrong sharing co-vocal duties with Mike Shinoda, among the changes. The new band held a live performance that day. An album and tour — beginning Sept. 11 in Inglewood, Calif. — were also announced.
While a mixed reaction had to have been anticipated — it’s no easy feat to replace a beloved lead singer whose suicide rocked the band’s fanbase and led to its hiatus — it’s been one thing after another since the announcement. Most notably, Armstrong was called out for her support of Danny Masterson during the actor’s rape trial, which she was forced to address, and Bennington’s son slammed the band for replacing his dad with Armstrong.
What’s the latest?
On the heels of the band revamp announcement — which also included news that a new drummer, Colin Brittain, would replace Rob Bourdon — Armstrong’s support of convicted rapist Masterson was almost immediately surfaced by Mars Volta’s Cedric Bixler-Zavala, whose wife, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler, was one of the women who accused Masterson of sexual assault.
Armstrong used Instagram to “clear the air” on Sept. 6.
“Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer,” she wrote, in part. “Soon after, I realized I shouldn’t have. I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since. Unimaginable details emerged and he was later found guilty.”
Armstrong did not address Bixler-Zavala’s claims tying her to Scientology. Masterson’s victims alleged that the controversial organization covered up the actor’s crimes, which the church denied.
On Sept. 9, Jaime Bennington, one of Chester’s six children, slammed Linkin Park — and “senile and tone deaf” Shinoda specifically — for “not thoroughly vetting” Armstrong.
“You hired your friend of many years, Emily Armstrong, to replace Chester… knowing Emily’s history in the church and her history as an ally to Danny Masterson,” Jaime wrote on Instagram.
Jaime accused Shinoda of ignoring the impact hiring Armstrong would have on Linkin Park fans who have experienced sexual violence. Chester experienced sexual abuse as a child, which he said affected his mental health.
“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,” he wrote.
In another message, Jaime claimed Shinoda “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.”
Jaime seems to be the lone voice from the family — so far. He said on Instagram that he has faced criticism from other family members, including his mother, Elka Brand, for voicing his opinions. Linkin Park remains a business to the family, having inherited Chester’s music royalties, which took time to be ironed out.
Jaime did say he would be going to the Sept. 11 show as a form of “closure” from the band, but his messages to management and Shinoda were ignored, he claimed.
Shinoda has not yet publicly responded, but it seems chaotic behind the scenes. The day the reunion was announced, the band also revealed that Bourdon left the group. Shinoda told Billboard his bandmate expressed that he wanted to distance himself from Linkin Park and he later “didn't show up” for things they planned, like the Hybrid Theory re-release in 2020 and Papercuts release in April.
Bourdon is not the only band member who will be absent onstage. During the live performance, fans noticed that lead guitarist Brad Delson had been replaced by Alex Feder. Delson has since released a statement saying he won’t be touring with the group. He’ll continue to make music with the band, but Feder will replace him for the tour.
For those keeping track, that leaves Shinoda, bassist Dave Farrell and DJ Joe Hahn as the remaining original band members touring.
What has the band said?
In a Sept. 6 interview with Chicago radio station Q101, Shinoda said the regrouping was organic and not something they went after. After going on hiatus to grieve Chester, they decided to start hanging out again to record music and see what happened. In 2019, Armstrong came to the studio and recorded a few things and it evolved from there. It wasn’t until last year that they asked her if she wanted to join the band.
“The idea of auditioning people or [saying], ‘Hey, let’s get the band back together’ was not the start,” Shinoda said. “That’s so clumsy and [an] unattractive way of approaching things.”
He addressed why they decided to use the Linkin Park name versus debut a new band.
“In the middle of the process, we were open to, like: Maybe the lineup is like a moving lineup. Maybe there’s multiple vocalists. Maybe it’s a different name. Stuff like that,” he explained. “Then as the music came into focus, we were, like, ‘This is as Linkin Park an album as we could make. It’s so Linkin Park that if we call it something else, then we are idiots.’ Because it would be like misrepresentation. It’d be silly. And when people hear more of the album, they will understand that.”
Shinoda also said he hates headlines suggesting Armstrong is filling Chester’s shoes.
“I get that she is filling a space in the visual lineup of the band,” he said. “But I also feel like Chester was one of a kind. He’s only Chester. And Emily’s also one of a kind. She’s only Emily. When I hear her sing, she doesn’t sound like him to me. She sounds like her — and that’s what I like.”
For Armstrong’s part, she told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 that when she sings Chester’s songs, “I would love to do him proud.”
Linkin Park’s eighth studio album, From Zero, which is set to be released on Nov. 15, is supposed to harken back to their roots, when the band was called Xero. It will be “energetic” with a “lot of guitars,” Shinoda told Q101.
What’s next?
Despite the controversy, the band is plowing ahead with its six tour dates this fall, beginning in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
While the Los Angeles and New York shows were reported to have sold out quickly, there are tickets available on Ticketmaster for both shows as of press time. Tickets for the international shows — in London, Hamburg, Seoul and Bogota — go on sale Sept. 13. The band will tour more extensively in 2025 after the new album comes out.
The group released its new single, “The Emptiness Machine,” from their upcoming album on Sept. 5 and it debuted at No. 24 on Billboard’s Rock & Alternative Airplay list.
The reunion has also driven up sales and streams of all Linkin Park music. Billboard reported that the day after the big announcement, streams of its entire catalog totaled 11.8 million official on-demand U.S. listens. That was a 71% increase over the day before. Interest continued into the weekend.
The new single itself performed well too. Out of the 11.8 million streams, 2.8 million were of “The Emptiness Machine.” Behind that, the band’s song “Numb” — its second studio album, Meteora, which came out in 2003 — was the most-streamed song.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255, or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
