1,000 musicians featuring members of Funeral For A Friend, The Blackout and more to celebrate the music of Linkin Park at huge Birmingham Arena gig

8 May, 2024

Chester Bennington

A group of 1,000 musicians including members of Funeral For A Friend, The Blackout, Holding Absence and more will come together to pay tribute to Linkin Park at a huge show in Birmingham later this year.

Taking place at the Utilita Arena on August 18, the show is being put on by the Uprawr Foundation, a local charity founded by an alternative club night in the city to raise money to help provide free mental health counselling and services to the alternative community.

The show was christened ‘1,000 Lights’ in reference to Linkin Park’s final album ‘One More Light’. Indeed, the Utilita Arena was the last place late frontman Chester Bennington performed before he took his own life in 2017 at the age of 41.

The show will also feature talks and video messages from famous faces in the alternative music world as well as a performance from tribute band Linkin P4rk.

Musicians can sign up to participate and will be tasked with fundraising for the charity via JustGiving. Whoever raises the most will earn a spot to perform in the show. #

Meanwhile, it has been rumoured that Linkin Park are reportedly planning a 2025 tour and potentially looking to recruit a female vocalist.

According to reports from Billboard, the band’s booking agency WME are now taking offers for concerts and festivals featuring Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson and Dave Farrell. Though it’s unclear who will succeed Bennington, a source has apparently told Billboard that the band are looking for a female vocalist for their reunion.

The news follows a rumour sparked by Orgy’s Jay Gordon, who said he “heard” that Linkin Park “had a girl singer now” back in March. He later issued a statement clarifying his comments, writing: “With regards to this Linkin Park singer thing,” he wrote. “I know nothing about any of that. People sure do love to take my words out of context. I love those guys and wish them the best.”

Since Bennington’s death, there have been some discussions on how to continue the band. Shinoda has spoken against the idea of having a Bennington hologram, calling it “creepy”, whilst Evanescence’s Amy Lee has emphatically shot down rumours that she would replace Bennington.

Linkin Park released the 20th anniversary edition of ‘Meteora’ last year, where Shinoda and Delson spoke with NME in April about the potential for releasing new unheard material.

“It’s about honouring each creative opportunity as it comes along,” said Delson. “It was an embarrassingly haphazard accident that we found ‘Lost’ and it’s like doing as well as it’s doing. There was not a lot of premeditation beyond, ‘This feels good in the moment, let’s honour that’. It was organic and that’s always really served us. We’ve always done our best work when the creative opportunity feels right.”

Speaking to NME separately in November, Shinoda commented on the future of Linkin Park, confirming that there was “nothing planned right now”.

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