This may be a little bit controversial, but I still think it's the truth. I adore Chester as much as anyone, and I've felt broken ever since he died, but I still don't think the band should or can go on without a new singer. I see where the people who say he shouldn't be replaced are coming from, but let's face the reality that the band cannot function without a versatile singer. The success of Linkin Park was built on two things: the musical genius and vision of Mike, and the incredible voice and personality Chester had. As much as I love Mike's voice, it makes no sense to expect Linkin Park to go on with Mike as a lead singer. Sure, they could do it, and there would be a certain number of people who would still attend the shows (me included), but most people were there for In the End, Numb and Faint. Mike can't sing these songs, they won't fill arenas or headline festivals with him being the only singer, plus they couldn't even perform the songs without huge compromises (the same guy would have to rap and sing, which is not even technically possible). You know it's getting ridiculous when people want Phoenix to sing. Chester's death is as devastating as it gets, and we won't have anyone like him in a thousand years, but Linkin Park as a five piece would be a shadow of its former self. To have anything that even resembles the former greatness of the band, they need a new singer. And a pretty great one at that.
Only if they find someone who is unquestionably the right person for the job...which isn't an easy task.
They can't replace Chester. Maybe the voice, but not the person. The personality, the experiences, the friendships, the heartbreaks that were put into those lyrics... can't be replaced.
This is undeniable. Think of it as bringing in someone new to create new experiences. It wouldn't diminish Chester's legacy.
The only issue with Mike as the sole lead singer is playing past material live. If the band wants to continue selling out arenas, playing all the hits, then they probably need a new singer. From a financial, 'brand' perspective, it's probably the correct move. But from a creative perspective there's no reason why Mike can't pull his weight on new material. There are plenty of bands out there with weaker singers than Mike has become over the past few years. And especially since Linkin Park are a band who have zero issues changing their overall vibe, it's not like they'll have issues writing without the tools Chester brought to the table. Yes, live shows are an issue, and a big issue at that, but to me they're really the only issue. Mike and Brad have always been the songwriting core of the band, and if they release a new album as a five-piece in a few years time, I'm confident that it won't sound like a 'shadow of their former selves' any more than songs like Invisible, It Goes Through or Hands Held High do. But back to live shows. We can't know what the future of the band will be on that front. If they want to continue as close as possible to what they've been doing live for the past 17 years, then you're right, they would absolutely require a new singer. It would be unfeasible for the current 5-piece iteration of Linkin Park to perform songs like Faint or In The End to their full. But in theory, there's no reason why the band can't kick it back a gear, record new material, and only then hit the road for a smaller, shorter tour driven by either temporary live guest artists (think Gorillaz tours), playback vocals (although I'd rather they didn't go down that road), or held up by mainly new material and older Mike driven songs (including Fort Minor), with Mike maybe learning to sing some of the less demanding hits. Which route they will choose is anyone's guess, and at the end of the day I have faith that whatever they decide to do, it will be done respectfully and in order to fit the music. But I still absolutely believe that both possibilities are open.
There could be a situation where they have someone they know and trust with them on tour to play old songs. And they continue with Mike as the lead vocalist on the new music and in the studio otherwise.
The thing is that you need to 2 vocalists to emulate Chester's voice. Yeah, we know Chester was the man who could pull it off even the guy had broken leg, bitten by spider, broken wrist and he still perform to the extent of his ability.. And with Mike doing as the frontman of the band would be a difficult thing for him to do especially in a live setting performance since he do a lot of stuff on stage (playing keyboards, guitars, vocals). He can 't do it all simultaneously except if they bring in a new touring member or let Benjamin Chandler play occasionally. A best move for the band is to find a new singer, someone who is versatile enough to sing studio and live. Someone who brings a new twist for the band's sound and might add something new to their songwriting.
I know this may not be what people want to hear, but I don't think Linkin Park should continue. Chester was like a Beatle, and you can't go on being the Beatles within John, Paul, George or Ringo.
You might have a point but the thing is, LINKIN PARK are ain't The Beatles. Linkin Park is Linkin Park. The band has always this philosophy of changing their style every album cycle since MTM to provide fresh, new take of the "LINKIN PARK" sound.
I don't know how many instances over the years I've seen the crowd sing louder than Chester during In The End or Numb or Faint. And that was obviously before he passed. Just imagine the crowds now. There's no reason (besides emotional weight) why the band can't play those tracks live and either let the audience sing or use a great backing track of Chester's vocals. As for future music, Mike could've basically sung all of One More Light on his own. Sure Chester's range was more appropriate in some cases, but there's nothing on the album Mike couldn't sing. There's no reason why the band can't continue as they are unless they themselves choose not to.
The thing is, I think there are tons of worthy material left from OML sessions. I mean they could rework those and arrange it where Mike is comfortable in terms of his singing range. I hope they would consider those especially with snapvideos where Mike was singing via a vocoder. That was dope
I absolutely think the band should continue if they want to, they have put so much of their lives into this and I can't imagine Chester would want anything other then them to continue to be together and successful. I will fully support them if they do. I'm very conflicted on a new singer though, in many respects i would feel more comfortable with the band continuing as a 5 piece, as replacing Chester seems impossible, but at the same time in practical terms this would limit their scope not only for live shows but also for future material. Yes they could get round it, but using playback on old hits or a hologram just wouldn't feel right for me. It might work as a tribute on one or two songs, but not on several songs in a setlist. But a new singer would feel strange and even if they could get close to Chester vocally, which is extremely tough anyway, they would never have the same emotional attachment to the songs. So many feel so personal, even if they weren't all written by Chester himself that I can't imagine anyone really doing them justice. I just don't know what I want, other then Chester to still be here.
I imagine there won't be crowds since Chester will not be there. Plus you can't base a live show on the crowd singing the most important songs, that's just ridiculous. It looks to me that many people want some kind of scaled back Chester tribute band version of Linkin Park, but I'm not sure this is what Mike has in mind. It would be extremely jarring to hear those songs sung by a new singer (what is not jarring about Chester's death?), but it beats the alternatives. Worst would be to hear Chester's recorded voice after seeing him jumping around so many times. Would be the epitome of depressing.
For a band that is constantly evolving, finding a new singer would not be a problem. Well, some of you may disagree, but it's the most reasonable choice for them to go down the new path. We can't blame the band or Mike or the label. It's up to band regarding their decision whether to continue or not. Studio-wise, if they decide to continue as 5-piece, then it's the perfect opportunity for the band to de-linkin park-ify the band again but this time, a total departure anything they've done from the past. Think as a first album with Mike as the lead singer.
They can try, but you ain't just replacing Chester Bennington like that. Three Days Grace tanked after replacing their singer, and Three Days Grace guy sure as shit wasn't a Chester Bennington. You can just swap somebody else in for what the guy was capable of.
I felt like with OML we were entering a new era of LP. I've never seen them more comfortable and confident in what they were doing. Like or dislike the album, it was a positive mindset for them to have and it was an honest record contrary to the "sellout" label some threw around. Before it was "how can we challenge ourselves this time", but with OML it was more going with the flow and writing how they felt in that particular moment of time. They took a step away from the screaming, yelling, and heavy guitars like what could be expected of them to let out what they were going through on a day to day basis and make something they personally were proud of first and foremost. Point is, I believe that's what we'll see moving forward with just Mike as the lead. I think even with Chester we would've been moving forward with a more laidback Linkin Park, something that Mike can handle. I still think the idea of Mike as the lead with guest vocalists on certain songs is the best approach, but I'm unsure how they'll play Chester's material live. To reiterate what others said, the biggest part of those shows was the energy Chester poured into them, and even with playback or crowd singing that's forever gone. Bringing guest vocalists on stage to sing Chester's lines is one thing, but as far as future material is concerned to me there's no filling the role Chester left. I'd rather they reinvent themselves like they've done before on their own or like New Order did after Joy Division.
With Mike Shinoda as the lead singer, that's fine. But the question, does the future material have the potential to be a hit like when Chaz was still around? Probably yes, idk. Casual fans just only listen to LP songs with Chester on it.
This. And idk, it just seems odd to replace the gaping hole that is now in the band. We can all say for a fact that no one could ever fill in that gap, in terms of both talent and personality. This is a team the band has been building up for years, and idk how I feel about some new guy just entering in this really tight-nit group.
The crowd can sing the choruses, just that easy! They basically have done it in last decade in ITE and other songs.
This will never be a yes/no question and will continue to divide many people in the same way every album after Meteora did, so I think no matter what happens we should all keep supporting the band if they decide to continue, even knowing it will never be the same as it was with Chester. There's no voice like his in the world nowadays and there will never be. I wouldn't be disappointed if they continued as a 5-piece band because Mike has always been a very good singer and now even better in OML and I'd be interested in hearing him sing much more (only older songs would be more difficult and some impossible for a 5-member band). The option of finding another vocalist would be better for older songs, but that would be if there was a singer that could do everything Chester did and I find no one capable of doing it because most of them are not that versatile.