Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson has shed light on why he quit playing live with the band.
The guitarist played in the band for classic albums like 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, 2003’s ‘Meteora’ and 2007’s ‘Minutes to Midnight’, as well as later albums including ‘A Thousand Suns’ (2010), ‘Living Things’ (2012), ‘The Hunting Party’ (2014) and ‘One More Light’ (2017).
However, when the band announced their comeback last September – announcing Emily Armstrong as the new vocalist and new album ‘From Zero’ – Delson later confirmed that he would be taking a step back from touring duties.
The record marked the first from Linkin Park in seven years, and the first since the tragic death of frontman Chester Bennington.
Now, in a new interview with Guitar World, the longtime member shed light on the reasons why he is sitting out of the upcoming 2025 tour. Explaining his decision, he recalled that he simply noticed that it was mainly the time in the studio which allowed him to “thrive”.
“For me, and, I guess, all the guys, the last however many years gave us the opportunity to really think qualitatively about the band – what energizes us, where we feel most fulfilled, and where we thrive,” he said.
“It wasn’t like, ‘Let’s go back to what we were doing.’ It was, ‘Let’s take what we’ve learned to approach our roles with greater self-awareness and insight.’ I really thrive in the studio. I love making new things. That’s why I decided to focus my energy on that area.”
Explaining why Alex Feder was enlisted as his replacement, he said: “It’s just a great friendship. He’s an amazing musician and a strong live player. I think he brings a lot to the show – and I’m really proud of the show.”
“Even though I’m not onstage, I put a lot of my creative love into it,” he added. “I’ve always been obsessed with the setlist, the concept of the show, and how it flows. I worked really hard on it; that’s no different than the past.”
Elsewhere in the interview, the guitarist also reflected on the decision to introduce Armstrong to the line-up and recalled how she impacted the dynamic.
“There’s something about her voice and her energy that just feels like Linkin Park energy. The nice thing about our two vocalists [including Mike Shinoda] is that they’re each really dynamic,” he said.
“Part of the band’s identity is exploring the space between genres and juxtaposition. If you don’t have vocalists who can cover every genre, the band’s raison d’etre would be stymied.
Upon news of the reformation last year, there was initially a warm reception from fans, although some were left divided after it emerged that Armstrong seemingly had ties to Scientology and convicted rapist Danny Masterson.
She would go on to issue a statement to “to clear the air”, while Mike Shinoda continually insisted their reunion tour is “not about erasing the past“.
Back in November, Mike Shinoda spoke about Delson’s decison to not take part in the live shows promoting ‘From Zero’, explaining that it was, in part, due to mental health reasons. “He’s in the band, but he’s realised that … it’s kind of a mental health thing,” he said on the Zach Sang Show.
“He doesn’t love the touring and the live show lifestyle, and so he is our guitarist, but he’s not playing live,” he added. “He found a guy named Alex who’s spectacular, a really good guitarist and they get along great, and Brad chose Alex to play his parts live.”
As well as new guitarist Feder, drummer Colin Brittain has joined the band too, following the departure of founding member Rob Bourdon.
In a separate interview, Shinoda addressed Bourdon’s stepping back from the line-up. “He wanted to put some distance between himself and the band. And we understood that — it was already apparent,” he recalled.
“He was starting to just show up less, be in less contact, and I know the fans noticed it too… So for me, as a friend, that was sad, but at the same time, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, and obviously everybody wishes him the best.”
Following the changes to the group, founding member Shinoda also reflected on the new “culture” of Linkin Park, saying it feels like the “best we’ve had”.
’From Zero’ was given a three-star review by NME, who described the record as having “an intriguing mix of sensational, knockout stadium rock and some perplexingly tired songwriting”.
Linkin Park’s 2025 tour, meanwhile, kicks off in Mexico City on January 31 and will include one stop at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 28. Special guests for the extensive run of shows will be Queens of the Stone Age, Spiritbox, AFI, Architects, Grandson, Jean Dawson, JPEGMAFIA, and PVRIS. Visit here to buy UK tickets, and here for international tickets.