Justin

True, but I think at this point if they felt like there was a possibility that LP would be completely over, the statement wouldn't have been worded the way that it was.

One step at a time lol. I don't think that will happen for a few years at least. Although if they were to go out on tour again I will be there.

It absolutely is. I know people who love the first 2 LP albums the most, and I also know people who love OML and ATS the most. It's incorrect to claim any music to be good OR bad as a fact. I also agree that the lack of closure is one of the toughest parts of all of this, especially with how often Chester spoke about the future towards the end. I realize that at the end of the day we're fans, and we only see what Chester chose to put out to the public, but his interviews seemed really happy and hopeful for things to come. He honestly seemed to me to be happier than he had been since...maybe forever. You're right in what you said... his suicide left everyone in pain and with questions that will never be able to be answered. It's one of those things that in time we will HAVE to accept in order to move on.

I think this is one of the most well-written articles about what happened. It was a sad read, but it at least painted a picture and included insight from people close to Chester personally.

Unless you're one of those "Chester took the easy way out" people, then you can't simultaneously claim to understand the way that depression/mental illness and possibly alcohol clouded Chester's mind and judgment, while also blaming Chris Cornell for what happened to Chester. They both struggled with similar issues.

I don't believe that Chester or the band was surprised by the amount of negative reviews for OML. They said more than once that it was expected. Most of their most popular songs are hard rock songs. Heavy on the other hand is a pop song that put them back in the spotlight. It brought the name "Linkin Park" back into the mainstream where they are mainly remembered for songs like Numb and In The End. So yes, there was always going to be close minded people who say "YOU MADE ROCK AND NOW MAKE THIS??? YOU DON'T EVEN SCREAM ANYMORE. IT SUCKS BECAUSE OF THAT FACT ALONE." I really don't think that Chester's decision to end his life factored in the ignorance of assholes on the internet. Chester's anger that you referred to was directed at people who specifically attacked the band personally or went way overboard in their "criticisms". He literally said if someone doesn't like their direction than so be it. He wasn't angry or saddened that the album didn't receive widespread critical acclaim. He was angry that people said they made OML for money and things of that nature. Lastly, I realize you're angry, but it's not fair to imply that GraDoN doesn't care about Chester's death. Whether or not GraDoN liked OML or not, and whether he's opinionated about it or not, I think he and any other decent human being would consider the death of a far too young 41 year old to be tragic.

This is awesome, for sure, but out of curiosity does anyone know a reason why it was switched?

Prophets of Rage did that a few times with Like A Stone. Played as an instrumental with a spotlight on the empty mic. It could work with LP and would guarantee that Chester is acknowledged at every show.

If they continue that way, as a 5-piece, then it would be up to the fans to accept that hearing certain songs live just won't happen anymore (a lot of the singles, and all of the heavier material). Certain songs like ITE I'm sure the crowd will happily sing Chester's parts to the top of their lungs, but most of the older material would have to be retired. While that sounds sad, and there's also the problem of casual fans not being ok with that, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to me. Again this is all up to the band, and I'll support whatever they do, but nobody will ever be able to do those songs justice the way Chester did. If the band announced that a lot of those songs would be retired rather than having someone else sing them, and the band would continue with Mike, I wouldn't have a problem with that. We'll always have memories of Chester singing those songs, and as sad as it is to think about that is what we're left with now.

Geki I want the band to continue on, but only a fool would think Chester is "easily replaced". Vocally he was one of the best singers of our lifetime, and even as a person he can't ever truly be "replaced", let alone easily. I don't know what the band will do, and I doubt that they do either right now.

Is he a singer though? His SoundCloud files are mainly piano playing. Talinda may have meant he's just as talented as Chester as in his level of ability, but it seems like his talent may be more in piano and instrumentation than vocals. I would imagine it would be pretty hard for a beginning singer to be trained on how to sing Chester's songs, his son or not.

Actually I would like official acapella/instrumental releases of all their albums pre-Living Things.

I can't believe we're only 7 months away from the 15 year anniversary of Meteora...

I realize staff may not like this language, but that sentence combined with your avatar definitely made me laugh. I would suggest leaving the page break no matter what happens. In the live guide of LP, there has never been a bigger and more significant event than the loss of Chester. The page break should stay. Even years from now, no matter what happens in the future, when people look back, that page break should stand out in my opinion just to highlight the end of an era. Even if the band starts performing again full time.

EDIT: Sorry, misread the original post.

That page is one place where all of the info about Chester's funeral is located. When it was, where it was, who spoke, and who performed. MOST of the pages in the guide are obviously to document what songs were played, special notes, photos, etc. Chester's funeral is an exception to that format. It's not there as a traditional "show page", it's there simply to document the event. That's how I took it when I saw the page. I'm not dismissing your logic. I see what you're saying. You're saying if no LP members performed then it shouldn't be listed. Chris Cornell's funeral meets that requirement and Chester's funeral does not. I understand your point, I'm just saying how I rationalized that page existing outside of the traditional format.

It wasn't a concert, but it is an important event and a song was played. There's a show page for Chris Cornell's funeral too, and even though Chester sang it wasn't a Linkin Park performance. That funeral is appropriate to list though, and not Chester's? If one of LP's members had taken part in the song would it have then been appropriate in your eyes to list it? It's a documentation of the event, which includes the song performed, who performed it, and who eulogized Chester. Of course it wasn't a "gig".... The only offensive thing I see here is you implying that LPL are making light of Chester's funeral. Also why did you put "gig" in quotes? The funeral isn't referred to as a "gig" anywhere on the page.

That's understandable and respectful of James Corden. It is of course up to the band and Chester's family. I think it could be a good thing though. A happy memory.

I think I read somewhere that it's airing in October.

Imagine Mike singing One More Light. That song is within his vocal range but man....that would be the most emotional moment in the history of the band.

That's why I love the LP fan community. In the midst of tragedy it was a beautiful experience when everyone came together. There's nobody in my life that understands how much Chester's death affected me. I had to work the day that I got the news, and the first thing my coworkers asked me was if I had called the Toyota Center for the status of my refund for the tickets I got. It's like they didn't even realize how insensitive that was.... Having a place like LPL to turn to has helped me a lot. We're a family, as far as I'm concerned.

That's a very broad statement to make. Howard Jones, for one, is a direct opposite of what you just described, and he is a metalcore singer.

I knew he never meant that What I've Done was a garbage song, but I DID think he meant that he wasn't making a radio rock song in the vain of What I've Done, since it was during that process that they kept saying they were intentionally making songs that nobody would expect from LP. Your explanation actually did clear it up for me.

I'm pretty sure this thread exists as a way for us to present our opinions and say how we feel. It's a way to vent out feelings while we wait for an actual indication of the future of LP from the band themselves, when they're ready to talk about it. It's not literal. Nobody here expects this thread to effect their real decision. These are just fans' opinions and thoughts.

One member of Nirvana established a new band. There were only 2 surviving members of Nirvana after Kurt died, and they were a band for 7 years. LP has 5 surviving members and they've been LP for 18 years. It's not the same thing in any way.