Brad Delson Interview with Guitar Player

[LPLStaff]

Guitar Player recently interviewed Brad Delson via Zoom about the creation of Linkin Park's From Zero album, Brad deciding to not tour with the band, and more.

 

"Yeah, it’s a different experience. It's pretty cool in a way, ’cause I never got to see the show ever, in real time. If you’re onstage you don’t really get to see what’s going on. I remember being at the Forum and just watching it. We put a lot of love into the creative of the show. Even though I’m not onstage, I’m still intimately involved. I helped design the set list and the whole flow of the show, and every day we talk about the shows. It’s a huge labor of love."

 

"I really love being in the studio, and I feel like that’s where I’m most energized and I really thrive and I contribute the most. For me, it’s about making authentic, clear decisions and wanting to bring great energy to whatever I’m working on. The band got successful when we were very young, and we kind of went on this rocket ship for 20 years. In the time that we’ve had off while we haven’t been putting out new stuff, I think everyone’s had the space and fresh eyes to think about what’s energizing. And I think for all of us the decisions to do what we’re doing come from a place of opting in as opposed to having it just be habitual. That’s also why everything sounds so fresh and inspired."

 

Check out the full interview here.

[GreyFox-AFCA]

So he says anything is possible regarding his onstage return.
I love Alex, but it would be great to see Brad again, even if it's only for a handfull of performances.

Furthermore i think there are many people who should read this interview.
There's just too many nay-sayers who claim Brad isn't really part of the band anymore, while he's still an intergral part of the band.

Great interview!

[Justin]

24 minutes ago, GreyFox-AFCA said:

Furthermore i think there are many people who should read this interview.
There's just too many nay-sayers who claim Brad isn't really part of the band anymore, while he's still an intergral part of the band.

Great interview!

Most of the people saying that wouldn't actually care enough to read this interview. They just want to hate on the band by saying "It's not even LP anymore, everyone left". They're not going to actually research the topic. It's not even worth the mental energy of debating them in the first place.

[LPLStaff]

No offense whatsoever to Alex but the band's sound guitar-wise is dramatically different with him. Some stuff he nails, like Keys and All for Nothing, but some of the older stuff with Alex sounds poor. APFMH, OSC, Points, Lying From You. They really need Brad. Of course Brad won't tour with a million dates out there but whenever he can join it would be really great.

[Justin]

9 minutes ago, LPLStaff said:

No offense whatsoever to Alex but the band's sound guitar-wise is dramatically different with him. Some stuff he nails, like Keys and All for Nothing, but some of the older stuff with Alex sounds poor. APFMH, OSC, Points, Lying From You. They really need Brad. Of course Brad won't tour with a million dates out there but whenever he can join it would be really great.

What makes those songs sound poor as compared to "newer" songs like Keys and AFN, in your opinion?

Is it just something about the way he plays them? He does use the same setup that Brad would be using if he was on stage as far as I'm aware, so it'd have to be his actual playing style right?

[LPLStaff]

Think it is his playing style. He's palm muting too much on APFMH, the riff is super quiet on OSC and the overall tone of those songs sounds off, like his rhythm is 97% and not 100% or something. It's just noticeably off. But he's nailing other stuff. You're always going to have a problem like this is Brad isn't on stage, no matter who it is they aren't going to get it exact because they didn't write it. Brad didn't play the other 2 songs from THP live so there's no reference point for it, so it sounds flawless to us of course.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

11 minutes ago, LPLStaff said:

Think it is his playing style. He's palm muting too much on APFMH, the riff is super quiet on OSC and the overall tone of those songs sounds off, like his rhythm is 97% and not 100% or something. It's just noticeably off. But he's nailing other stuff. You're always going to have a problem like this is Brad isn't on stage, no matter who it is they aren't going to get it exact because they didn't write it. Brad didn't play the other 2 songs from THP live so there's no reference point for it, so it sounds flawless to us of course.

 

I know nothing about playing instruments but Brad and Rob have a very specific sound that no one can replicate, their parts seem simple but the way they play stuff it's so unique. 

 

Would love to see a review from this topic from people who actually play instruments.

 

@Astatcalling the wizard.

 

 

[Cesar656]

5 hours ago, LPLStaff said:

No offense whatsoever to Alex but the band's sound guitar-wise is dramatically different with him. Some stuff he nails, like Keys and All for Nothing, but some of the older stuff with Alex sounds poor. APFMH, OSC, Points, Lying From You. They really need Brad. Of course Brad won't tour with a million dates out there but whenever he can join it would be really great.

To me its the opposite, I feel like Alex is taking these songs to a higher level with his playing. Only complaint I have is the tone in WID that sounds sooo muddy. But in his defense, I doubt he decides the tone, he just gets on stage and plays (not even his own guitars)

Brad is great in the studio, and Alex should stay on stage with the guys

[LeonardoMF93]

If we haven’t seen Brad performing at any of this year’s shows, he definitely won’t show up next year, when there will be even more dates. Maybe he’ll end up appearing to play a song or two at some show the band might do in Los Angeles. The thing is, with each passing year, Brad gets older, and the chances of them coming back decrease more and more.

 

Honestly, the fact that the lead guitarist of a rock band isn’t touring is still strange to me. I love Brad, but I think his absence is being felt more than I initially thought.

For live performances, I think he’s deeply missed. I love Alex, but I agree that some songs do sound different during the shows, which doesn’t mean they’re bad.

 

What really bothers me is that during the shows, the band treats Alex as if he’s the guitarist of the band. In interviews during the tour, he doesn’t even show up and is rarely mentioned. It’s as if he’s not really there.

 

If they’re going to have a replacement guitarist for the live shows and not give him proper recognition, I think they should put someone to play backstage, just like they did in some 2014 shows when Brad couldn’t perform.

[Cesar656]

42 minutes ago, LeonardoMF93 said:

If we haven’t seen Brad performing at any of this year’s shows, he definitely won’t show up next year, when there will be even more dates. Maybe he’ll end up appearing to play a song or two at some show the band might do in Los Angeles. The thing is, with each passing year, Brad gets older, and the chances of them coming back decrease more and more.

 

Honestly, the fact that the lead guitarist of a rock band isn’t touring is still strange to me. I love Brad, but I think his absence is being felt more than I initially thought.

For live performances, I think he’s deeply missed. I love Alex, but I agree that some songs do sound different during the shows, which doesn’t mean they’re bad.

 

What really bothers me is that during the shows, the band treats Alex as if he’s the guitarist of the band. In interviews during the tour, he doesn’t even show up and is rarely mentioned. It’s as if he’s not really there.

 

If they’re going to have a replacement guitarist for the live shows and not give him proper recognition, I think they should put someone to play backstage, just like they did in some 2014 shows when Brad couldn’t perform.

You dont see Muse or Green Day really putting their touring musicians on the spot. Alex is a live performer, not a member of the band. I dont think he is really sad about it, he is doing the fun part of being in a rock band, and getting good money for it. 

[LeonardoMF93]

10 minutes ago, Cesar656 said:

You dont see Muse or Green Day really putting their touring musicians on the spot. Alex is a live performer, not a member of the band. I dont think he is really sad about it, he is doing the fun part of being in a rock band, and getting good money for it. 

 

I'm not saying the band is doing anything wrong or that anyone is upset with the situation. Honestly, I wish I were in Alex's position. 🤣

 

What I said is about how I feel, not about how things should be.

[Qwerty18]

I think Alex is doing great, he's more energetic on stage than 2007-2017 Brad, and he is also a cleaner player when it comes to lead-playing. 

 

Also seems like a humble, nice person. I hope he sticks around. 

 

As long as Brad stays as a studio musician, I'm all good. He's at the core of LP sound, and I can't imagine the band without him.

Edited November 26 by Qwerty18

[Trumtram]

10 hours ago, LPLStaff said:

Think it is his playing style. He's palm muting too much on APFMH, the riff is super quiet on OSC and the overall tone of those songs sounds off, like his rhythm is 97% and not 100% or something. It's just noticeably off. But he's nailing other stuff. You're always going to have a problem like this is Brad isn't on stage, no matter who it is they aren't going to get it exact because they didn't write it. Brad didn't play the other 2 songs from THP live so there's no reference point for it, so it sounds flawless to us of course.

Out of curiosity, could you post a couple of references? The stuff I've heard so far were great plus Alex provides WAY more energy on stage than Brad did in more than a decade.
I agree with Qwerty that he probably doesn't have any influence on the tone. Sure, he might play a couple of parts a bit differently, but for the most part... there is not much to play differently with LP's guitar parts because it is just power chords.

Edited November 26 by Trumtram

[LPLStaff]

1 hour ago, Trumtram said:

Out of curiosity, could you post a couple of references? The stuff I've heard so far were great plus Alex provides WAY more energy on stage than Brad did in more than a decade.
I agree with Qwerty that he probably doesn't have any influence on the tone. Sure, he might play a couple of parts a bit differently, but for the most part... there is not much to play differently with LP's guitar parts because it is just power chords.

 

Sure. The guitar on APFMH in Bogota sounds literally like a cover band is playing it. The OSC riff in Dallas (and all other shows) sounds completely off. Is the entire key of the song changed? The guitar on this song also sounds like a cover band lol. He's playing the exact same guitar with same settings as Brad on LFY (Dallas), but the song sounds so muddy on guitar. Listen to the chorus guitar... it's muddy and sounds totally off. This is extremely noticeable in-person at the shows. But it's mostly the older songs. Faint (Dallas) is the same problem.

 

Listen to Papercut (Warner show) - the guitar is so bad. On that one it's his rhythm, he sounds... chunky or something with the riff and not smooth like Brad. It's a totally different sound - Papercut has lost its punch live due to this.

 

There are a million examples. I've seen 4 shows in-person this year and the guitar is atrocious by Alex, unfortunately, on the old material.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

Probably the guitar of fhe old songs sound different because they changed the key to fit with Emily's range.

 

Where's the expert?

[Trumtram]

2 minutes ago, LPLStaff said:

 

Sure. The guitar on APFMH in Bogota sounds literally like a cover band is playing it.The OSC riff in Dallas (and all other shows) sounds completely off. Is the entire key of the song changed? The guitar on this song also sounds like a cover band lol. He's playing the exact same guitar with same settings as Brad on LFY (Dallas), but the song sounds so muddy on guitar. Listen to the chorus guitar... it's muddy and sounds totally off. This is extremely noticeable in-person at the shows. But it's mostly the older songs. Faint (Dallas) is the same problem.

 

Listen to Papercut (Warner show) - the guitar is so bad. On that one it's his rhythm, he sounds... chunky or something with the riff and not smooth like Brad. It's a totally different sound - Papercut has lost its punch live due to this.

 

There are a million examples. I've seen 4 shows in-person this year and the guitar is atrocious by Alex, unfortunately, on the old material.

Bogota: I can hear the muting, but aside from that I can't make out anything horrid.

Dallas: OSC sounds like a different pitch. I can't comment on that, but it might be the reason why it sounds "off". It doesn't seem like Alex isn't playing it correctly. I see what you mean on LFY, but again, he is playing it correctly and there is honestly not much (if anything) a seasoned guitar player could screw up here. I can't make out anything on "Faint".
Warner Show: Yeah, he definitely screwed up on "Papercut" with the muted parts in the verse. The main riff sounds fine to me, though.

I have to stress that I haven't seen them live with the new configuration and I would take your word over mine when judging his playing. It might be a combination of the new pitches and a certain amount of sloppiness at parts.

Anyway: Thank you very much for providing me some links to check for myself. Appreciated!

[KeysToTheLinkinPark]

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-1qSGGQBLh3BDXe9DX6-K5DrCMdfdVyvhpzmlDalPVA/edit?gid=0#gid=0 

The list our dear friend Astat created for key changes and Tunings. Some of the songs mentioned have a different pitch and/or a different tuning. It seems to me that for the palm muted parts that there is almost an pedal or an amp configuration missing in the background that gives it more punch. Cause I don't think that he playes it "wrong".

 

He though plays the verse for Papercut different. Instead of C#|-0-0-0--8-88-8-7-7-|  it looks like he playes it like that: 

 

G#|----------1-11-1-0-0-|

C#|-0-0-0--------------|

Even though I play guitar I'm no where near an expert but that should not make much of a difference. At least when I recreated it on guitar that way it can still sound "aggressive".

Edited November 26 by KeysToTheLinkinPark

[Cesar656]

I doubt an exceptional player like Alex would struggle with LP songs, when the most complicated one is nowhere near an intermediate level.

[Trumtram]

1 hour ago, Cesar656 said:

I doubt an exceptional player like Alex would struggle with LP songs, when the most complicated one is nowhere near an intermediate level.

Yeah, I'd agree, but on the "Papercut" video that Mark linked he sounds sloppy during the verses. Which is strange for the reason you mentioned.

[Cesar656]

59 minutes ago, Trumtram said:

Yeah, I'd agree, but on the "Papercut" video that Mark linked he sounds sloppy during the verses. Which is strange for the reason you mentioned.

Well it was also his first show with the band. I dont really see in the other videos any sloppiness, I think the changes of keys and tone (all things he got no control over) are messing with most fans perceptions mostly because we are used to 20 years of listening the same sound. 

Saying the guitar is atrocious when referring to a player like Alex, idk, next thing I know people are gonna start saying John Mayer is a mid guitar player too🫠

[Trumtram]

6 minutes ago, Cesar656 said:

Well it was also his first show with the band. I dont really see in the other videos any sloppiness, I think the changes of keys and tone (all things he got no control over) are messing with most fans perceptions mostly because we are used to 20 years of listening the same sound. 

Saying the guitar is atrocious when referring to a player like Alex, idk, next thing I know people are gonna start saying John Mayer is a mid guitar player too🫠

Yeah, it was his first show, that's a fair point. Nerves must have been crazy to have your first show on a global stage with streaming and everything. Just for the record, I didn't call him atrocious. The thing with "Papercut" is that the verses are super easy, but can sound off when you don't palm mute correctly (saying this as someone who knows how to play this song on guitar) and that's what is coming through in the recording. But I agree that it's a far cry from being a terrible guitar player. I'll reserve my judgement for the live show next year because I couldn't make out a lot from the fan recordings.

[Cesar656]

13 minutes ago, Trumtram said:

Yeah, it was his first show, that's a fair point. Nerves must have been crazy to have your first show on a global stage with streaming and everything. Just for the record, I didn't call him atrocious. The thing with "Papercut" is that the verses are super easy, but can sound off when you don't palm mute correctly (saying this as someone who knows how to play this song on guitar) and that's what is coming through in the recording. But I agree that it's a far cry from being a terrible guitar player. I'll reserve my judgement for the live show next year because I couldn't make out a lot from the fan recordings.

Dont worry I didnt say you said that! I read it somewhere in the thread and it seemed quite unfair to be honest. It would be interesting if Alex did some kind of interview or whatever explaining his role and the new stuff he needs to add on Guitar to the shows

[Hybrid1988]

Probably not as controversial opinion as I originally thought but here it is anyway: I think Alex is an improvement over Brad in terms of energy and stage presence. I am not a musician at all so my opinion on this is purely from a listener standpoint and what sounds good to me, but I feel like his playing is also tighter and more consistent. I've been to the launch show and the Forum show in LA and also watched a lot of videos of the tour and I think he nails pretty much everything. He changed the KTTK solo which stood out but it didn't sound awful.

My crazy hot take is that I hope LP builds a strong connection with him and allows him to join them in the studio. Also down for him to join the band as a permanent addition. I would be very interested to hear what he brings to the table with new material. I know it's not really a trend for touring members to join big bands like this on a full-time basis but I think it would really add to the live show to have him involved in the entire process. His passion for guitar is evident and that's not really something we've seen with Brad for a while now. He say's it himself, he plays piano more when he's home. I think someone who's fully committed to guitar as a primary instrument would be a great addition.

[NimaLP]

Not only Alex is a different guitar player than Brad, they changed keys to a lot of older songs to fit Emily's voice. So basically, the whole vibe of the sounds could change.

I'm no guitar expert, but I feel like Alex plays maybe too clean. Brad played songs a bit more dirty and rough (which I really loved). At least that's how it sounds to me. For example Brad does the intro to No More Sorrow a bit different than the studio version. Sounds more dirty and fun than just simple notes. But anyway, two different guitar players. We've heard one play songs in a certain way for years. We'll get used to this new sound as well. Different doesn't mean worse.

However, I also think in most cases Alex is an improvement over Brad. I love his solos on Leave Out All The Rest. He's really good.

They've done only like 12, 13 shows this year, right? There's still room for improvement. Not just for Alex, but also Emily and Colin. Especially since they're performing for such big crowds for the first time in their lives. If Brad and the rest of the band have trusted Alex with the task, I do too.

[JZLP-Benningstrong]

On 11/26/2024 at 11:36 PM, NimaLP said:

Not only Alex is a different guitar player than Brad, they changed keys to a lot of older songs to fit Emily's voice. So basically, the whole vibe of the sounds could change.

I'm no guitar expert, but I feel like Alex plays maybe too clean. Brad played songs a bit more dirty and rough (which I really loved). At least that's how it sounds to me. For example Brad does the intro to No More Sorrow a bit different than the studio version. Sounds more dirty and fun than just simple notes. But anyway, two different guitar players. We've heard one play songs in a certain way for years. We'll get used to this new sound as well. Different doesn't mean worse.

However, I also think in most cases Alex is an improvement over Brad. I love his solos on Leave Out All The Rest. He's really good.

They've done only like 12, 13 shows this year, right? There's still room for improvement. Not just for Alex, but also Emily and Colin. Especially since they're performing for such big crowds for the first time in their lives. If Brad and the rest of the band have trusted Alex with the task, I do too.

 

The LOATR new guitar parts by Alex are really beautiful.

 

I think that he's pretty fucking good he can play anything and I admire how he adapted so quickly to the band.