Linkin Park draw a line in their live setlist, and it’s an emotional one.
Linkin Park have confirmed there’s one track that won’t return to their live setlist following the death of Chester Bennington: One More Light.
The song — the title track of their 2017 album, and the last released with Bennington before his death — has been consciously left out of the band’s current world tour, which sees the reformed line-up performing with Dead Sara’s Emily Armstrong as lead vocalist.
In a new interview with The Guardian, Mike Shinoda explained that the track’s emotional weight has made it difficult to revisit. “[It was originally written] for a woman at the label that we worked with who passed away,” he said. “Then after Chester passed, the world decided that it was about him. And so that’s just too sad to play.”
The band’s current run follows the release of From Zero, their first studio album in over seven years. While reviews have been mixed — with NME calling it “an intriguing mix of sensational, knockout stadium rock and some perplexingly tired songwriting” — the tour has been met with high demand, including major shows at Wembley Stadium and the UEFA Champions League final in Munich.
From Zero includes new singles Up From The Bottom and Unshatter, and a deluxe edition dropped in May.
As for One More Light, its absence from the set is a quiet reminder of what — and who — Linkin Park are still grieving, even as they move forward.
