Machine Gun Kelly Pays Tribute to Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington: ‘Nights Like Tonight Make Life Worth It’

Machine Gun Kelly took a moment to reminisce about lost friends during his Saturday night gig at London’s Wembley Arena. “We had a tour that we were about to start and three days before we started that tour, Chester passed away,” MGK said to the crowd about the outing he was slated to open for Linkin Park in 2017 that was canceled after Bennington died by suicide at age 41. “The last time I saw him was here in Europe, so I encourage you, because life is short, to go live this life. I know it’s hard, man. I know this s–t is f—ing hard. But nights like tonight make life worth it. So I hope when you leave here you find more nights like this. And that you live this short life.”

MGK was supposed to open for LP on the North American leg of their 2017 world tour after performing with them in Poland on the band’s One More Light world tour; the outing was canceled following Bennington’s passing. After the tribute to Bennington, Kelly cued up the 2019 Hotel Diablo ballad “Glass House,” which features lyrics honoring a number of fallen friends. “Look, wish Lil Peep and me had smoke but I can’t get that back/ Just came from Pittsburgh, damn, I’ll miss my homie Mac/ Yeah, last time I got off the stage I looked Chester in the face/ But now he gone, and ain’t no going back,” he sang.

Kelly’s next show is at Birmingham, England’s Utilita Arena on Tuesday night (Oct. 4).

Check out fan-shot footage of the Bennington tribute below.