Linkin Park honored the memory of late frontman Chester Bennington with an emotional 3-hour concert that featured no shortage of colleagues turning up to pay tribute and place a spotlight on the subject of mental health.
Linkin Park & Friends Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington LIVE from the Hollywood Bowl 2017 was streamed for the globe to see on Friday night. His wife Talinda Bennington told those in attendance that her husband would have loved the spirit of the evening.
“Chester and I always loved bringing people together, and he was filled with joy when our house was full of family, friends, kids, dogs, cats, birds, turtles — the more the merrier — and he would have loved all of this tonight,” she told the Hollywood Bowl crowd. “He was incredibly proud of the work done for Music For Relief. He knew it saved lives, and saving lives is exactly what we plan to do in Chester’s memory. It is time we recognize that mental health is as important as our physical health. It is my mission to make it easier to have access to mental health resources.”
A number of surprise guests took the stage for the concert including Alanis Morissette, Blink-182, Avenged Sevenfold, Bebe Rexha, Gavin Rossdale, Machine Gun Kelly and Steve Aoki, with video tributes played from Paul McCartney, Jared Leto and Metallica.
“Doing this show is one of the hardest things I think that we’ve ever decided to do,” said Mike Shinoda. “And I think you’re part of the only reason that we are able to even stand up here and do this.”
The concert also served as an invitation to donate to the One More Light Fund set up in Chester Bennington’s memory. The initiative provides solar electricity kits for remote health clinics without electricity and aims to assist individuals and families coping with mental and emotional struggles.
