"Not about erasing the past" — Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda seemingly responds to Chester Bennington's son during their first Reunion Tour show

On September 11, 2024, Linkin Park took to the stage for their first reunion tour show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. The band, which previously debuted its new singer Emily Armstrong on September 5, is gearing up to release its first album since lead singer Chester Bennington's death in 2017.

Mike Shinoda, one of the founding members of Linkin Park, seemingly addressed the concerns raised by Bennington's son Jaime who accused the band of trying to erase his father's legacy.

Before performing their closing song Bleed It Out, Shinoda took the time to reassure fans that the band partly came back to perform for new fans who were hearing them live for the first time.

“We are thrilled to be back out here. It is not about erasing the past – it is about starting this new chapter into the future, and coming out here for each and every one of you,” he said.

“We love playing for you guys, we love writing this music – we’re very f**king excited about the new record. So thank you guys very much – we’ve had an incredible night with you. Hopefully we’ll see you soon,” Shinoda added.

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Jaime Bennington accused Linkin Park of being "senile and tone deaf"

Linkin Park's statement at its reunion tour came after Jaime Bennington went on a long tirade on Instagram stories on September 8. Bennington raised awareness about Armstrong's alleged ties to the Church of Scientology and her support of Danny Masterson, a convicted r*pist.

He also accused Linkin Park, especially Mike Shinoda, of betraying the trust he and the fans had placed in the band. He wrote:

“You have betrayed the trust loaned to you by decades of fans and supporting human beings including myself. We trusted you to be the bigger better person. To be the change. Because you promised us that was your intention. Now you’re just senile and tone deaf. Insane.”

Jaime also insinuated that Shinoda has him restricted on Instagram. He also claimed he was unaware of Linkin Park making a comeback with a new singer, saying nobody asked him how he would feel about it.

The following day, Jaime spoke up about facing death threats from Linkin Park fans following his criticism of the band. He added that he wanted to attend a reunion show to get closure but was concerned for his and his partner's safety.

Meanwhile, Jaime was not the only person to criticize Emily Armstrong. Many fans were concerned with the direction the band was taking after some internet sleuths discovered Armstrong's alleged connections to Scientology and her supporting Danny Masterson during his trial.

While Armstrong did not say anything about the Scientology rumors, she issued an apology for her connection to Danny Masterson. The singer took to Instagram stories on September 6 and wrote:

"Several years ago, I was asked to support someone I considered a friend at a court appearance, and went to one early hearing as an observer. Soon after, I realised I shouldn’t have. I always try to see the good in people, and I misjudged him. I have never spoken with him since.”

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Meanwhile, Linkin Park's reunion tour will span six cities across the world to promote their upcoming album From Zero, scheduled for release on November 15, 2024. The 11-track album will be the band's first since 2017's One More Light, which was released two months before Chester Bennington's demise.