I didn't plan on writing anything today. Well, actually I did, but then I woke up feeling exceedingly awful and thought I wasn't going to find the energy to write about anything worth posting to this blog (story of my life lately!). But then I saw a post on Facebook that stoked a fire that I thought had been put out literally over a year ago at this point. But nope. I'm mad, and now you're gonna hear about it.

I simply don't have any patience for anyone who tries to justify their disdain for Linkin Park's choice to return with a new vocalist when, personally, I think the circumstances around it meant they had every right to and how they went about it was entirely justified and respectful. Some people just can't see past their own desires, and that's why we're still hearing about it a year and a half later.

I have a particularly vivid memory of buying Hybrid Theory on CD at one of the music stores in my hometown that always springs to mind whenever I listen to/think of Linkin Park. That memory holds a lot of nostalgic power for me, and although I fell off after Meteora, I still felt the grief of losing Chester. His voice was there for a formative time in my life and that means something to me.

I hope what I'm about to say next is viewed through that lens, because too many people parse opinions similar to mine as "anti-Chester". But I'm not anti-Chester. I loved Chester. I still love Chester. But I love Linkin Park more. A band that existed before Chester. A band that reached its full potential with the addition of Chester, for absolute sure, but he wasn't "Linkin Park". There were five other members when he passed, and the way some "fans" have responded to their choice to continue is bothersome, to put it lightly.

It's basically the trolley problem in a more low stakes way. What's more important? The legacy of ONE person you personally perceive to have more value, or the passion and livelihood of FIVE people who are still here and still want to keep doing what they were doing using the name they'd been doing it with for so long¹? What exactly makes you believe that "Linkin Park" should have died with Chester when he was only one of six members?

I believe they did everything more than correctly. They waited an appropriately respectful amount of time. They selected a vocalist that wasn't just a poor copy of Chester in a clear display that they weren't trying to replace him, but make room for someone new with the added ability to sing Chester's stuff live. They also made a point of making the most Linkin Park-sounding thing that us nostalgia hounds wanted to hear.

And they didn't change the name because the name belongs to them.

This is actually one of the worst arguments I keep seeing: "it doesn't sound like Linkin Park anymore, therefore, it's not Linkin Park! They should have changed their name!". Never mind the fact that the people saying this are also pointing out that they're fans because of Hybrid Theory and well, From Zero is literally the most Linkin Park Linkin Park have sounded since Meteora. That's because Linkin Park are a band. Not just "Chester Bennington's voice". It absolutely fuckin' does sound like Linkin Park.

And I have to be honest: the level of respect Chester still gets even though he made a choice that burdened so many people, including fans, just because he was talented is fucking weird to me. But I guess that's just on being someone who would pull the lever in most cases. In this case, Chester Bennington was an immense talent, but I'm a Linkin Park fan.