Linkin Park opens up about the song that died with Chester

One song will continue to be left off the set list even though Linkin Park has played many of their hits again since the band’s reunion and return to the stage last year. “One More Light” from their last album with Chester Bennington is still off-limits, according to co-vocalist Mike Shinoda. Following a star-studded 2017 memorial show commemorating Bennington’s legacy, Linkin Park members took a break. With the exception of promoting its “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora” reissues, the band mostly avoided the spotlight after Bennington’s passing as Mike Shinoda began a solo career. The band then returned to the stage in late 2024, with Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara joining them as co-vocalist.

I think we all wanted our show to be really good vibes. I want you walking away feeling like, this was such a wonderful, special, fun night.

In light of Bennington’s passing, Shinoda acknowledges that the band would “feel weird playing” some of the songs. The most notable of these is “One More Light,” a very personal song about death that was particularly emphasized by Bennington’s voice and was the final track to be published from the “One More Light” album after Bennington’s passing. According to Shinoda, the song was initially composed for a woman who worked for the band’s label and later passed away.

After Chester passed, the world decided that it was about him. And so that’s just too sad to play.