Brad Delson Spotted in Milan

[LPLStaff]

In what we would call a major surprise, Joe has posted a photo from Milan of Brad Delson side-stage talking to Phoenix in Milan!

 

We have no reason to believe this is related at all to the recent Bern postponement or anything since Ben has played with the band multiple times and rejoined the team, but this is definitely interesting with the band's largest headlining (non-festival) show ever coming up at Wembley Stadium. Brad said about Ben, "Fortunately, my tech, Ben Young – who is super-smart and really helped me build out my whole rig – graciously rejoined our team. Ben has all the knowledge of everything that he and I built together. Alex had the luxury of stepping into that. There were a handful of shows in the past when I was sick or couldn’t make a show, and Ben played. He really knows the show well."

 

Brad was in attendance at both the September 5, 2024 comeback show and the Inglewood Forum show shortly after, as well as being at rehearsals for both (and filming the Two Faced music video on the comeback show stage). He stated in January, "Even though I’m not onstage, I put a lot of my creative love into it. I’ve always been obsessed with the setlist, the concept of the show, and how it flows. I worked really hard on it; that’s no different than the past.”

 

Brad has not fully ruled out playing live again, as he ended his Guitar World interview with:
 

Do you ever see yourself getting back on the road?

 

“You never know… I don’t have a crystal ball – I can’t definitely say!”

[LeonardoMF93]

One thing that’s never been clear to me is what Brad actually doesn’t like about touring. Is it the performance itself or the logistics?

 

I understand if he doesn’t want to play with the band at every show, but I was expecting a few special appearances. Couldn’t he have played at the comeback show, the São Paulo show for the documentary, and the Champions League?

 

If he didn’t show up for those three, I think it’s almost impossible that he’ll ever perform with the band again. I hope I’m wrong.

[LPLStaff]

Mike said in a recent interview Brad "is the worst version of himself" on tour. Like, he is probably in a bad mood, not enjoyable to be around, etc. I think it's just not enjoyable for him in the travel - he said in an interview earlier in the album cycle that the constant travel etc is a lot on Brad.

 

LP was performing much shorter tours after MTM in general - like 15~ show Europe tours. Now look how many shows they have on a U.S. tour with the new lineup. There's definitely some correlation to it all.

[Xelawie]

To be honest, during his last years of performing he didn't  look like he was enjoying the performances too much. Performance wise he looked like he was at a rehearsal. Maybe his overall physical condition did not allow him to move more, but also, he rarely smiled. Also I could imagine that the shows not being longer in the past was due to Brad, as Mike said he always wanted to do longer shows but not everyone in the band supported the idea. With all that said, Brad is an iconic guitarist (non fans refer to him as the guy with the headphones) and still has tons of charisma. I also always kinda liked his nonchalant idgaf attitude on stage, next to a guy like Chester who used to be the exact opposite. 

Edited Wednesday at 07:46 PM by Xelawie