Linkin Park Officially Cancel 2017 Japan Tour: ‘We Sincerely Wished to Play’ Despite Passing of Chester Bennington
One day following the tragic death of Chester Bennington, Linkin Park announced that their then-upcoming North American tour was canceled. It was a move that fans expected and now the band has officially declared that their Japan tour has been nixed as well.
Linkin Park were scheduled to play three dates in the "Land of the Rising Sun" starting on Nov. 2 with One OK Rock as the supporting act. In their announcement, the group surprisingly revealed that they had not initially ruled out these three stops after Bennington's death. The statement, which was posted on their website, reads as follows:
To our wonderful fans in Japan and our brothers in ONE OK ROCK:
We have been looking forward to being with all of you, but unfortunately cannot play our previously scheduled performances in Tokyo. Until now, we have not communicated about our November shows because we sincerely wished to play, even in the wake of Chester's passing. We are working each day to grieve, heal, and work towards stepping on stage together without our dear friend. We are so grateful for your love and support. Our sincere appreciation for your kind understanding.
- LINKIN PARK
Ticket holders can seek refund information at www.hipjpn.co.jp. Ticket refunds will be processed starting on October 5th @ 10:00AM (JST).
On Oct. 27, Linkin Park will hit the stage for the first time since Bennington's death and will be flanked by a number of their rock and metal contemporaries for a special memorial show. Avenged Sevenfold‘s M. Shadows and Synyster Gates, Korn‘s Jonathan Davis, System of a Down‘s Daron Malakian, Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan, the members of Blink-182, Bring Me the Horizon‘s Oli Sykes, Yellowcard’s Ryan Key, Machine Gun Kelly and Kiiara have all signed on to take part in the event, which will serve as a celebration of the late singer's life.
There's been no shortage of Bennington tributes over the last couple months and most recently, Linkin Park released a lyric video for the title track of their most recent album, One More Light. The footage compiles shots and video clips of fans from around the world, some holding up pieces of paper with partial lyrical phrases on them and given the message of the song and the circumstances, it's incredibly moving.
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