Linkin Park’s Brad Delson: “I will not be performing on tour in this new chapter”

Linkin Park’s lead guitarist Brad Delson has announced that he won’t be touring with the band as part of their comeback.

Brad – who helped co-found the nu-metal heroes back in 1996 – has shared a statement to say that he believes he thrives best “behind the scenes – in the studio, collaborating on our new music, and helping build our live show”. As such, guitarist Alex Feder will be joining LP on the road for all future shows in his place (Brad was still very much involved in the band’s upcoming eighth album From Zero, though).

It follows the news that drummer Rob Bourdon won’t be a part of Linkin Park in any capacity going forwards, as according to Mike Shinoda he “wanted to put some distance between himself and the band”.

A full statement from Brad reads: “Beyond excited to share this new chapter with the world.

“Bringing our vision to life is the culmination of many twists and turns, as we continue our unique journey together as a band. We couldn’t do it without a belief in what is possible, even when things seem impossible; without the ability to listen, particularly when emotions run deep; and without the support and love of everyone around us. Thank you thank you thank you.

“In awe of @emilyarmstrong and @colinbrittain for their talent, passion, and partnership. Deep gratitude to all my bandmates for their humility, hard work, and friendship.

“I’ve always felt deeply connected to and proud of our live performances. Over the years I’ve realized I thrive most when I’m actively working with my bandmates behind the scenes – in the studio, collaborating on our new music, and helping build our live show.

“I am so proud of everything we continue to create together. While I will not be performing on tour in this new chapter, I am super excited to introduce Alex – my handsome deputy on the road. Alex is a world-class musician, a kind and thoughtful friend, and we are truly fortunate he’ll be contributing his unique talent to our LP universe.

“Fresh eyes, honest appreciation, and devoted teamwork have brought us to this special moment. The privilege of sharing our creativity with you. Thank you for joining us on the journey.”

Over on Linkin Park’s Discord, Mike wrote of Brad’s decision: “He made a statement about it, which you should read. Touring get to be less and less of a good fit for Brad as he got older. For one thing, he doesn’t like noisy places! That alone could be a deal-breaker. But there’s so much diversity in the way people’s brains and their personalities are made. We were happy to figure out a great way for him to be involved in ways that are a great fit for him and us.”

He also added: “Think about introverts and extroverts. A crowd makes one person energized, and makes another person exhausted.”

Replying to a fan, Mike put: “Yeah Brad made a rare ‘Brad post’ about it! We love that guy, and want him to participate in the band in whatever ways are the best fit for him.”

Catch Linkin Park on their From Zero world tour, with support from grandson, at the following dates:

September

11 Kia Forum – Los Angeles, CA
16 Barclays Center – New York, NY
22 Barclays Arena – Hamburg, Germany
24 The O2 – London, UK
28 INSPIRE Arena – Seoul, South Korea

November

11 Coliseo Medplus – Bogota, Colombia

Get your tickets here from Friday, September 13 at 10am local time.

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