The American rock band will perform at the Paris La Défense Arena in November 2024, seven years after the suicide of lead singer Chester Bennington.
Attention to Parisian Linkin Park fans: the American metal group announced on Tuesday, September 24, a special concert at the Paris La Défense Arena on November 3. This marks another step in the band’s return with its new singer, Emily Armstrong, seven years after the suicide of iconic leader Chester Bennington.
Tickets are not yet on sale; the venue’s website allows fans to sign up for alerts when the time comes and states that pre-sale will take place this Thursday, September 26. The band Sleep Token will open the show. This date is part of their From Zero World Tour, a tour named after their upcoming album set to be released on November 15. A first excerpt, Heavy is the Crown, has been revealed.
Controversial Return
Linkin Park’s return has been met with considerable criticism. When the band announced its reformation with Emily Armstrong at the end of September, some online users pointed out the singer’s connections to the Church of Scientology. They also recalled her support for actor Danny Masterson, who was sentenced in 2023 to 30 years in prison for rape during his trial.
Some voices also expressed concern over the replacement of Chester Bennington, the iconic singer of this flagship band from the 2000s, who took his own life in July 2017.
Starting with his son Jaime Bennington, who accused the band’s co-founder Mike Shinoda of “betraying the fans’ trust” and “erasing the life and legacy of his father.” The singer’s mother, Susan Eubanks, also stated that she felt “betrayed” in an interview with Rolling Stone:
“They had told me that they would let me know if they did anything. They didn’t (…) I learned on Google that Emily Armstrong was joining the band.”
“A New Chapter”
Guesting on the British station Radio 1 on Monday, September 23, Mike Shinoda assured that the return of his band is “not meant to be a new version or a rewriting of Linkin Park.”
“This is supposed to be a new chapter of Linkin Park. The old chapter was great, and we loved it.”