Mike Shinoda opens up on Linkin Park’s “From Zero” world tour, the new line-up with Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain, and why the fans’ reaction has been stronger than anticipated.
It’s been a full on return for Linkin Park and in a new interview, founder and co-vocalist Mike Shinoda doesn’t mince words about how things are going. He told Recitales Argentina: “It’s been awesome. We’ve had a really busy year, so many of the biggest shows we’ve ever played. … the new music, new album and everything, the reception from the fans has been better than we could have ever imagined. And we’re so excited to play these shows every night.”
This chapter is bookended by From Zero, the first full-length Linkin Park LP since 2017’s One More Light, and the first to feature new lead singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain alongside returning mainstays like Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and turntablist/visual-director Joe Hahn. Guitarist Alex Feder is filling in for Delson live for now.
Shinoda walked through how this reboot didn’t feel forced: “We found ourselves starting to talk again for the first time. … It was a very organic thing. … Colin and Emily … they just felt like one of us, they just felt like they clicked with the band.” He described meeting Brittain in a writing session and later Armstrong through sessions triggered years earlier—“it might’ve been a couple of years” until they realised she was the one.
On making music again, Shinoda was painfully realistic: “Since the beginning, everything we put out, there’s always people that love it and people that don’t like it. … The most important thing … is just that we love it … and that we push ourselves to the best we can … and then do our best to communicate that in the live setting.” This isn’t about nostalgia, it’s about growth, connection and putting the work in.
More to come
From Zero’s subsequent world tour is no sideshow, Shinoda says the band has booked more dates than they’ve done in over a decade. The energy he’s sensing from live audiences? “Better than we could have ever imagined.” In other words, yes they nailed the return.
For fans who worried this was a revival short on purpose or ballooning on heritage, that angst can be shelved. Linkin Park have reset the clock, challenged themselves, and are engaged again on their terms. The past hasn’t been erased, it’s fuel for the new ride.
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