- Every day, approximately 112 Americans take their own life.
- A person dies by suicide about every 12.8 minutes in the United States.
- ~90% of all people who die by suicide have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder at the time of their death
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts call 1-800-273-8255 and find more resource information at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
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My relationship with Linkin Park began in the fall of 2000. I was a sophomore in college and a friend of mine who was responsible for introducing me to the likes of the Deftones, Staind, Papa Roach, POD, Cold, and many other bands told me about Linkin Park. We listened to demos of what would become their debut album before it was released on October 24, 2000. After a brief Baltimore road trip, as a part of my birthday weekend celebration, we went to see Linkin Park open for POD at Roseland Ballroom in NYC on November 10. This was only my sixth concert ever and my second time at Roseland. I have now been to about 120 concerts (double that if you include local bands) and I can say that this show was the first AND ONLY time that from the opening note of the opening band there was a moshpit. The crowd didn't stop moving until the set was over. Chester sang. Mike rapped. Brad and Phoenix plucked strings. Rob beat the drums. Mr. Han spun, scratched and sampled. The energy was crazy. The dual singers played off of each other expertly. At that time there was one who played MC and one who could croon or scream and they pretty much stayed in their lanes. Still, they had in my mind perfected the hybrid rap-rock better than anyone. I would see them play live three more times at various festivals, but nothing will ever top the energy, excitement, and precision of that first set. After a blistering 7 songs, they said they had to catch a plane so they wouldn't be hanging out all night, but they took the time to come down to the crowd to say hi to the fans. I got to shake hands with each member except Mike who disappeared towards the back of the venue. Phoenix even struck up a conversation with me about Papa Roach (whose t-shirt I was wearing) and I could barely formulate sentences because here I was talking to a rock star!
I'm not gonna break down each song on Hybrid Theory because chances are you own it and love it too. If you haven't listened to it recently, I think it still holds up. When it first came out I played it multiple times a day. I bought it for everyone for Christmas. I predicted it would go platinum. I never thought it would reach 11x platinum and be certified diamond in the US. That was unheard of for a rock act and hadn't happened since Dookie. Singles "One Step Closer, Crawling, and In the End" blew up MTV and rock radio. "In the End" was soon being played even on adult alternative and pop stations as well. Linkin park got huge, seemingly out of nowhere. Again, if you haven't given it a listen in a while, the deeper tracks are just as good. "Papercut, With You, Pushing Me Away, A Place For My Head," etc. The only track I sometimes skip is the DJ scratch instrumental, "Cure for the Itch." Not only was this rap-rock nu-metal sound resonating with me, the lyrics were deep, cathartic, and even poetic. The band was also very appreciative of their fans and new found fame. Linkin Park had become my favorite band and I even got the courage to dye my hair blue. It was inspired my Mike Shinoda and also an attempt at getting attention from a girl, but the band helped me find the confidence to do something nobody that went to grade school with me would ever expect me to do.
This was also in the days of Napster so I started to snatch up live versions, demo versions and whatever Linkin Park stuff I could. I even found an import cd in a record store in NYC that had tracks that weren't released in the US otherwise! For college speech class, my first oral presentation was about my birthday weekend that culminated with meeting the guys in Linkin Park. I had also gotten into reading magazines like Hit Parader, Metal Edge, and Revolver and tearing out posters to put on my wall. Interviews and pictures of Linkin Park just fueled my fanaticism.
In 2002 they released Reanimation which was an album that included a lot of remixes of songs from Hybrid Theory and songs from their EP and extras like "High Voltage" and "My December." The remixes weren't necessarily my style, but it tided me over until a new record came out. I listened to it quite a bit at the time and as a result it also broadened my horizons and gave me a better appreciation for hip-hop and electronica DJs. Around this time they started the Projekt Revolution tour which included Cypress Hill, Adema, and Snoop Dogg. Let's not underestimate the importance of this for introducing more rap and hip-hop fans to rock (and vice versa). Though outsiders don't see it as such, metal has always been a pretty open community and we started seeing more brown people proudly representing metal artists and coming to rock shows, due in large part to Linkin Park's influence. Later the band would go on to make the Collision Course album with Jay-Z further bridging the crossover of genres of music and cross sections of society.
2003 brought the much anticipated Meteora. This album had a lot of different package options, most of which included a "making of" DVD and a booklet with tagging and graffiti-inspired photos and artwork. Songs included more hip-hop beats and rapping on tracks like "Lying From You" and "Hit the Floor" as well as some of their hardest rock bangers like "Faint" and "Numb." The latter was a great example of the power Chester has, even in his "clean" vocals. Emotion pours out of him and evokes a guttural rasp. As if it were somehow supernaturally guided, my iTunes just went from playing Meteora to a song called "Morning After" that Chester wrote and sang. I forgot I had this. It almost sounds like STP and I can hear shades of Scott Weiland for sure.
Minutes to Midnight was released in May 2007 after many months of delay. The band had many more songs written and recorded then could ever be used for an album (perhaps some of these will see the light of day soon) so you know that this track list was deliberately put together. Being produced by Rick Rubin meant that a lot of thought and expertise had gone into the making of this disc. I actually remember the experience on May 14 going to Best Buy to purchase this album, returning to my car and peeling off the cellophane as the 40-something year old guy with leather boots and a mustache was getting into his car next to me and unwrapping the same cd. The cd booklet (yes, I read them) opens with some comments about the writing and producing process in which the band says they wanted to stay true to who they were, but also challenge themselves and break new ground. This was an interesting disc. We were post-Hurricane Katrina and in the middle of 43rd president George W. Bush's 8 year term and these factors certainly affected some of the lyrics and tone of this album. In a track like "Bleed It Out" we have some of Chester's harshest screams backed by rhythmic clapping in the background. We have the fast tempo harsh vocals on "Given Up" followed by the slow and somber "Leave Out All the Rest." The latter song pales in comparison to the much stronger ballad "Shadow of the Day" that has a ridiculously brilliant melody that makes it hard not to sing along and a crescendo building pace that pays off with a simple guitar solo. The final song, "The Little Things Give You Away" was written after visiting New Orleans post-Katrina. "Hands Held High" is an emotional rap over pipe organ and marching snare that directly addresses displeasure with Bush, his leadership, and his war. This is juxtaposed with the last minute of the song in which Chester sings about opening one's hands to the sky as the vast ocean "swallow[s] you." The imagery really I think is meant to calm the listener and point out how the vastness of our world is so much bigger than our problems.
A Thousand Suns released in 2010 lost me. While M2M had some pop songs it also had depth and raw emotion. This new record was meant to be genre-busting, according to the band, but I could not connect with the sounds or lyrics. I refused to buy it and never listen to it. I didn't buy 2012's Living Things either. "Burn it Down" was the lead single and was heralded by some as sounding like old Linkin Park, but I didn't feel that at all. It was the Bud Light version of Linkin Park. I almost didn't buy Hunting Party, but after hearing reviews about how it was their most rocking album since their debut, I eventually relented. I like it too, but it is nowhere as good as the first two albums. "Keys to the Kingdom" let me know they were back. Brad delivers with the rock guitars, Mike hits a cutting verse, and throughout the majority of the track Chester screams his heart out. "War" is one of their most up-tempo songs ever and features some cool guitar work.
One More Light felt like a slap in the face to old-school fans. I didn't get it. I refused to buy it because it was pure pop sounding. Gone are the guitar riffs and heavy breakdowns that I love. Its more keyboards, synthesizers, and drum machines. As a fan, I thought the first single being titled "Heavy" would be a return-to-form for the band. While the song has a good hook, it isn't too hard to see why many fans would be disappointed from a song that is in no way guitar-heavy. Heavy obviously refers to the weight of depression. Listening and looking back in hindsight after the tragedy, almost the whole album reads like a suicide note with tracks like "Talking to Myself," "Good Goodbye," and "Nobody Can Save Me." Curiously, Chester is only given writing credits on "Heavy" and "Halfway Right," however, so it can't be completely autobiographical. The song "Invisible" is inspirational in nature and is said to have been written (by Mike Shinoda) about fatherhood. "One More Light" is a song written by Shinoda and British songwriter Eg White about their friend that passed from cancer. When Chester sang it he often dedicated it to Chris Cornell and had trouble performing it fully without getting very emotional. Now "One More Light" and "Sorry For Now" about death seem oddly prophetic. The album certainly is a work of art and only time will tell how it is ultimately evaluated.
The current tour has been cancelled and the future of the band is uncertain. I think even though Chester was the last member added, and was always different, that it would be hard for the band to continue under the same name. He became an integral part of their sound and, in many ways, the face of the band. The loss of Chester will be difficult stylistically, sonically, and of course emotionally. It is possible the core could stay together, given their long 20 year history together. However, I think it is more likely that the band dissolves and splinters apart with Mike being the most likely to have a successful solo career or new band. In the wake of his death, some people are referring to Chester as the voice of a generation. While hyperbole to some, there is no doubting that Chester could sing a variety of styles from angelic melody to blood-curdling screams. He was dynamic and emotive and a charismatic front man. To many he was their introduction to metal or hard rock music. To many more he sang the songs that spoke to the hearts of millions of people from various demographics. He was the lead singer of one of the most successful bands out of the nu-metal era. In 2009 his side project called Dead By Sunrise (with members of Orgy/Julien-K) released an album called Out of Ashes. In 2013 Chester replaced Scott Weiland as the official lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots. They recorded an EP with Chester and he toured with them for about two years before returning his focus back to Linkin Park. Again, only time will determine his ultimate place in music history, but his loss will leave a huge void in the music industry.
