Chester Bennington’s mother drags Linkin Park and its new singer: ‘I feel betrayed’

Chester Bennington, who died in 2017, has been replaced as lead singer in Linkin Park. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family and our fans.” During the band’s Sept. 11 show at the Kia Forum, Shinoda told the crowd that the band was “thrilled” to be back: “It is not about erasing the past. And having singing my son’s songs is hurtful.” Bennington helped drive the group to mega-stardom with its 2000 debut, “Hybrid Theory,” combining heavy metal and hip-hop with angsty melodic choruses on songs such as “Crawling” and “In the End.” The group became an instant superstar that decade and a powerhouse in rock music throughout its career, going on to earn Grammy Awards for “Crawling” and “Numb/Encore.” Eubanks added that she tuned into the band’s early September livestream announcement, accidentally, and briefly heard Armstrong singing Bennington’s parts. She alleged that her son once told her that Shinoda thought Linkin Park’s songs would be better sung by a woman “because he often put Chester down” and that they would replace him with a woman if he ever decided to leave the group. So, of course, all that comes right back into my mind.” She said she might have been OK with Shinoda singing Bennington’s parts, although they wouldn’t be as high or as loud, but was not OK with someone else replacing him altogether, “trying to do exactly what Chester did, but they’re not succeeding at it.” She also said that neither Bennington’s first wife, Samantha, nor his son, Draven, knew about the relaunch “until it was told to the world.” “It was the same for me and it hurt,” she said, noting that Hahn, whom she saw four or five years ago, promised he would tell her if they reassembled and didn’t relay any intention of starting the band back up.