Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park Says Rick Rubin Offered Guidance to the Band and Convinced Them to Take the Stage Again

Linkin Park’s announcement to get back on stage came with the release of video for the title track from their new album, More Light. It would be the band’s first performance since the death of their lead singer Chester Bennington in July. Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park rapper and songwriter credits Rick Rubin for the band’s return to performing.  Rick Rubin is a legendary producer, former co-president of Columbia Records, and co-founder of Def Jam Records.

Los Angeles radio station KROQ interviewed Shinoda, where he revealed the motivation behind the October 27 LA concert.  “I had gone to Rick Rubin as a source of guidance,” Shinoda told the radio station. “He had said, ‘I think you guys need to get on stage. I think that’ll be the thing that’ll feel good. It’ll be super, super hard.’ We haven’t gone out together in public, we haven’t played, we haven’t gone on stage. He said, ‘The fans want to see you. Not because they want to see a show. There’s a cathartic experience that needs to happen and it’ll inform what you guys are doing.’ And I thought it over. And I know that for some of the guys in the band, getting on stage is more scary than other guys in the band, but I will say that for all of us, it’s definitely the thing that we want to do. It feels like the right way to celebrate Chester.”

Chester Bennington committed suicide in his home in July a week before the band was supposed to go on tour.  His suicide was similar to the way Bennington’s close friend Chris Cornell took his life in May.

In the interview, Shinoda also thought back on his late bandmate’s bright personality on and off the stage.

“His overall, the way he was, he was such a happy guy, he was such a fun guy,” Shinoda said. “When he’d walk in the room, there was such a positive, funny, upbeat energy. And that’s what we wanna get out of this show. I know it’s gonna be a roller coaster of emotion. But when we talk about this and when we’re focusing on the show, it’s really about, like we say, celebrating life.”

Hear the full interview with Shinoda below.

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat