Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Unsure Of Band's Future

Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda says in a new interview that he understands fans uncertainty about the future of the band following the death of frontman Chester Bennington but admits that he is unsure himself about what is ahead for the group.

He spoke with Vulture about the tribute show to the singer and addressed the uncertainty about the future of the band and how no one can ever replace Chester. He said, "The idea of doing a tribute show was scary to everybody, and we all kind of knew we had to do it. Doing it was partially for us to feel like it was possible - see if we could pull it off ourselves getting up there, much less anyone else. It was an insane show: reaching out to all of those artists, getting people onboard, making sure they're taken care of, making sure they know who's singing what, and that they got everything they needed to perform. It was three hours long, the longest show we did in our career. I was knocked out for two days. It also, in a sense, solidified how unique and special Chester was as a vocalist and a performer. You have all these people who are incredible artists singing his parts. On one hand, they did an awesome job, and on the other hand, nobody could be Chester. Ever.

I'm unable to say what will happen with the band. There's really just no answer, and it's funny because if I even say anything about the band's future, that becomes the headline, which is stupid because the answer is there is no answer. Fans think they want to know what the future is: Believe me, I want to know what the answer is. But there just isn't one.

He then explained where his focus is at currently, "What I do know is that, for the immediate future, this thing I'm doing couldn't be more important for me personally. I put everything into the stuff I'm making - not in a make-a-cool-record-for-people-to-buy kind of way - but I've really just done my best to tell my story. Anyone who has ever lost someone dear to them knows that what you're trying to do is find the 'new normal.' You're trying to get your balance. I don't think there's ever a definitive finish line to that. The compelling part about it is, there's a suspense about what comes next. Being able to do things on my own without having anyone to check in with, I can just say, 'Oh, by the way I have an album coming out.' I'll put it on my Instagram and my Twitter and decide, now's the time. In a sense, it's liberating. For me, this is one way to feel a little bit of peace." Check out the full interview here.

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