Bennoda.com

Mike wanted to light Chester on fire

2011-02-13T12:36:00.000-06:00

Interesting interview with Rockerrazzi where Mike talked about setting Chester on fire! Quoting Mister Shinoda:

You know, the economy being what it is, money is being a little tight for everybody... So we can't get the pyrotechniques we normally get so instead of that, I'm gonna just light Chester on fire. First show, we'll go big with this and we'll see what happen from there. I think it's gonna be pretty spectacular.

Did he know?

No, of course not. In my head it's going to be really fun and exciting and I see a lot... I mean, the screams of the song being really elevated, it's gonna be really awesome.

You can download the video HERE (.FLV file, 9.3 mb) or watch it here:

Thanks Pinkbaba for sending in the video!

Toronto and New York concert pictures

2011-02-13T12:20:00.000-06:00

Pictures from Feb 8 show, Canada Air Center, Toronto, ON and 1 from Feb 4, Madison Square Garden, NY.

Credits: Jenicka Wynne, Zebriana, attherockshow, mazzaquepasa, Montserratt8, firepaw001

Happy Birthday Michael!

2011-02-11T05:31:00.000-06:00

Happy 34th birthday to Michael Kenji Shinoda!

You have walked a long, long road, mister. You have inspired the world in so many ways and we are grateful to know that you are still walking your road. Keep on creating beautiful music and art. Long live the magical couple Bennoda!

Time flies, indeed :)

Uncasvilled, CT show canceled. Mike's blog

2011-02-10T20:11:00.002-06:00

Another show has been canceled due to Chester's bad health. Seems like his illness is more severe than we first thought. Mike posted something concerning this on his blog

LP CANCELLATIONS: DC AND UNCASVILLE
February 10, 2011

Hi guys,

We are deeply disappointed that we’ve had to cancel our second show in a row. It’s been a long time since we’ve played in your town, and were excited for you to hear the new music and see the new production. As you know, it’s not often that we have to cancel a gig–Chester appreciates all the love you all have sent on the website, and we know that it will help him to bounce back soon.

We know it’s not the same, but we’d like to give you a free audio download of any show from this tour. If you purchased your tickets through linkinpark.com, check your email over the next few days for details on how you will receive your refund and your download.

Sincerely,

Mike and LP

PS: For updates on Chester’s health and the status of upcoming shows, go to www.linkinpark.com

mike

Also, on Mike's twitter:

And #GetWellSoonChester too!
33 minutes ago via web

Let's retweet and pray for our boy.

Show canceled. Chester is ill

2011-02-09T21:43:00.000-06:00

From linkinpark.com

Linkin Park has been forced to cancel their February 10th show in Washington DC at the Verizon Center. Lead vocalist Chester Bennington is ill and under doctor's orders to refrain from performing. The band sincerely regrets this unavoidable cancellation and apologizes to fans for any disappointment caused. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase beginning February 11th.

Get well soon, Chazy Chaz!

New York, Montreal, Boston photos

2011-02-08T13:10:00.001-06:00

Pictures from Montreal, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and Boston

Credits: Frances Sun, mathieu. forest, theartistree.fm, demetri parides, Elizabeth Ashley, S_Eck, antisocialxgrl, artispin, Joe Gall Photography

Linkin Park on Waiting For The End success

2011-02-08T12:17:00.000-06:00

Mike and Chester discussed the success of "Waiting For The End" with MTV yesterday

"I think we've ... maybe a switch went off in my head when Hybrid Theory went diamond [for certified sales of more than 10 million copies]. It's like, 'Nobody's going to have a diamond record [again], so why try?' " he continued. "We want to be happy — of course, we want the band to be successful — but, you know, at the same time, we do want to push the envelope and do things that are creatively challenging."

Read the whole article and watch the interview under the cut

Linkin Park On 'Waiting For The End' Success: 'People Are Getting It Now'

'It was important for it to marinate for a little while,' Chester Bennington tells MTV News.
By James Montgomery (@positivnegativ)

Last week, Linkin Park promised they'd have something "unique" up their sleeves for their return to "Saturday Night Live," and they weren't kidding. During a pair of performances, they broke out video screens, skittering laser lights and even some old-fashioned black-and-white (a move that no doubt had some folks checking their sets).

And, if it seemed like LP were working extra hard to put on a spectacle, well, that's because they were. After all, pretty much everything about their "SNL" performance — from the fact that it came nearly five months after the release of their A Thousand Suns album to the slow-burn success of one of the songs they tackled, current single "Waiting for the End" — was an apt metaphor for the past year of the band's life. In short, Linkin Park were on a mission to prove the naysayers wrong.

"It took two years for us to make that record, and it took that whole process for us to really digest the new music, so we knew that it was going to take people time to really let it settle," Chester Bennington told MTV News. "And 'Waiting for the End' is a perfect example of that ... it's taken it a while for it to elevate up the charts, and it went to #1 at the Alternative charts, and then kinda went back, and then went back to #1. ... People are getting it now. And I think, especially for our fans in the States, it was important for it to marinate for a little while before we came back and started playing these shows."

And it's because of shows like "SNL" — and their ongoing U.S. arena tour — that Linkin Park are finally beginning to feel vindicated. A Thousand Suns may have confounded fans initially, but now, after months of repeated listenings, its long-playing charms are finally revealing themselves. In a lot of ways, you could say everything is unfolding exactly the way LP planned it.

"Another thing about this record is that, I feel like we wrote it as an album, and to us, we grew up listening to albums, and these days, people don't make albums anymore," Mike Shinoda said. "I know a lot of younger people don't understand the difference — they don't care, and that's fine — I think one day they will discover the album, though, and I think for us, right now is a great time to make a case for it, because it's so off people's radar. And I don't want to see the album go away, or become extinct, or become so unpopular that labels are afraid to do it. I felt like we had an opportunity as a band to step up and do something like this, that is clearly kind of against the grain and arguably detrimental to sales ... and we're OK with that.

"I think we've ... maybe a switch went off in my head when Hybrid Theory went diamond [for certified sales of more than 10 million copies]. It's like, 'Nobody's going to have a diamond record [again], so why try?' " he continued. "We want to be happy — of course, we want the band to be successful — but, you know, at the same time, we do want to push the envelope and do things that are creatively challenging."

Has A Thousand Suns grown on you since its release? Let us know in the comments!

MTV Shows

Happy Birthday Phoenix!

2011-02-08T12:03:00.006-06:00

Happy birthday to our lovely Ginger Linkie a.k.a Mister Bassist Dave Michael Pharrell. Be more awesome this year, we love you!

All hail the laser catz

More Bennoda on twitter

2011-02-07T03:20:00.002-06:00

Man, this whole Lunar New Year affair is killing me. Promise you guys we will update more frequently after today. Anywho, here's some Bennoda love on twitter!

from chesterbe: @m_shinoda what a douche
9:06 PM Feb 4th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to m_shinoda

From mags tweets: @m_shinoda Poor @ChesterBe I pity him. We (the fans) are victims of your nonsense on Chat, LP shows, twitter, your blog, etc..It's terrible!

From chesterbe: @mags_tweets fuck off then!
9:08 PM Feb 4th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to mags_tweets

From D_Shinoda12: @ChesterBe It took you this long to follow Mike!? ..well, I suppose you probably already follow him around enough in real life ^^ jk, jk

From chesterbe: @D_Shinoda12 I know I'm a jerkface. I should have been following Mike.
9:21 PM Feb 4th via Twitter for iPhone in reply to D_Shinoda12

From m_shinoda: @ChesterBe and I are bored in the SNL dressing room. Came up with a new game. Medieval Text-Abbreviations.
2:12 PM Feb 5th via Twitter for iPhone

Mike and Chester on Twitter

2011-02-03T14:26:00.000-06:00

Some cutesy happened on Twitter! Chester finally followed Mike, what a win for all parties involved!

From Chus:

@m_shinoda I'm following you now... Mister man!!

about 16 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone in reply to m_shinoda

Reply from Miek:

@ChesterBe "I'm following you now... Mister man!!" M: Great! Now you'll be the victim of my nonsense in person AND on Twitter.

about 16 hours ago via web in reply to ChesterBe

Mister Man, how flirtatious. "Victim of my nonsense?" Guys, guys, I am a puddle of mud, thanks to you! I can watch this kind of 'nonsense' for EVER.

Chicago, St. Paul, Boston pictures

2011-02-03T14:17:00.000-06:00

Newest pictures from the North American tour. From St. Paul, MN, January 28th show:

More under the cut

Michael and slicked back hair, what do you think?

Details of these shows will be updated when LPlive is back again (:

Credits: Darshy, Byron Pol, scotteisenphotography, three11phil, Future Breed, matlockbruce27, lainetorres, Ugly Scene, christieherr

Happy Lunar New Year!

2011-02-03T13:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Lunar New Year to all who celebrate this holiday! May our couple be like bunnies in this year of rabbit (:

Artwork belongs to blacksea301

Atlanta, Tampa, Stuttgart pictures.

2011-01-26T14:46:00.001-06:00

Lastest pictures from the North American tour and two from shows in Germany.

Credits: Morbid Andrew, KL, Radko Keleman,Kasper83, theCameraClicks, NaughtyKittyKat, WalkATightrope.

One On One With Linkin Park

2011-01-24T23:44:00.000-06:00

Lumino Magazine had a short discussion with Mike and Chester on their music, touring and fans.

Every once in awhile they do come across a fan, or somebody who relates to a song in a particular way and they can see it in their eyes. They can see that they've touched them in a very special way. Bennington admits that as a songwriter, this is the ultimate goal. In his words, “that's like the big wet dream, to write something that really means, and really matters to somebody.”

Written by JOANNE KIM KRUIZENGA
Monday, 24 January 2011

Lumino caught up with Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington, singers for the rock group Linkin Park, for a two hour teleconference, in anticipation of the band's new A Thousand Sun's tour.

The band will kick off their tour today, January 20 in Sunrise, Florida. When asked what to expect, visually, for this tour, Shinoda answered that it's going to have a lot to do with the look of a thousand suns. Their art team has developed technology specifically for this tour. They will not play the same set list every single night, so the visuals will have to vary. This band loves to improvise, so they want the visuals to ebb and flow along with the music.

This will be Linkin Park's first tour where they are basically, giving a free “souvenirs” away with the price of each ticket. They've been offering mp3 music for awhile, but have now decided to do it for no additional price. There will be a special mix of their music available online for all fans who have attended a show.

Linkin Park is constantly reinventing their music. It has completely evolved from “Hybrid Theory” to “A Thousand Suns.” This is not an accident. They have set out to do this. As they were working on their newest album, they didn't even know if they should bring in a new producer to “muck” it all up. Rick Rubin was brought in, though, and it ended up being a good match. He loved the stuff they were making, and didn't intend to change that. He wanted to try and help to get them there in the best way possible. Have they changed since the beginning? Yes. They have learned new things. They are playing new instruments. They are changing by inspirations, and growing as people.

A Thousand Suns is what can be referred to as a “concept album.” When this was pointed out to Shinoda and Bennington, there was an inquiry on whether or not there is a temptation to play the album in its whole format. They admit there is definitely a temptation to do that, but not at this point.

Linkin Park is a very globally aware band. They started “Download to Donate” a project where supporters can get an album for free and donate to the cause. “Download to Donate” has risen over a quarter of a million dollars and it's an ongoing effort.

I had a chance to ask Shinoda and Bennington how they felt about the impact that they have on the listener's of their music. The younger generation live and breathe Linkin Park's music. Bennington answered that it's definitely something that's hard to see. The band plays, and they go and do their shows for a lot of people, and they meet a lot of people. He admits, though, that it's difficult to see how deeply people react to their music.

Every once in awhile they do come across a fan, or somebody who relates to a song in a particular way and they can see it in their eyes. They can see that they've touched them in a very special way. Bennington admits that as a songwriter, this is the ultimate goal. In his words, “that's like the big wet dream, to write something that really means, and really matters to somebody.”

Shinoda and Bennington are two of the music industry’s biggest icons these days. Yet, they are articulate, polite and down to earth. They were compelling to listen to, and so much makes up these men's lives.

Shinoda knows that there is awe and importance in the show, and how important it is to the fans, but that there are clearly people who would never recognize them if they were walking down the street. That it wouldn't register at all. His point is, in spite of the fact that they are very grateful that the band has been so successful, they are also very grateful that they've been able to retain a certain level of anonymity. That they keep their wits about them, and keep things more understated in their personal lives, to some degree.

Linkin Park is made up of some remarkable musicians, and it was a privilege to sit down, and take part in this interview. Their tour is sure to be mind-blowing at its best. If you don't have tickets, you should see if you can get some. It will be well worth it.

Linkin Park is refined and recharged for Joe Louis show in Detroit

2011-01-24T23:36:00.000-06:00

Gary Graff from The Oakland Press has a short but intriguing interview with Mike and Chester

“Chester and I would write often about fear and hope,” he says, “particularly fear of accountability, personally, or fear of accountability as a culture — of things we’re doing to each other and to the world around us. And fear of self-annihilation, that we’re just going to destroy the planet and blow ourselves up.

Read the whole piece under the cut

By GARY GRAFF
For Journal Register Newspapers

Having albums debut at No. 1 is something of a habit for Linkin Park.

The group’s latest title, “A Thousand Suns,” bowed atop the Billboard 200 chart when it was released in September, marking the Los Angeles hard rock troupe’s third consecutive No. 1 debut following 2007’s double-platinum “Minutes to Midnight” and 2003’s quadruple-platinum “Meteora.” And “Hybrid Theory,” the group’s 2000 debut, hit No. 2 on its way to selling 24 million copies worldwide.

Co-founder Mike Shinoda says Linkin Park tries hard not to take those successes for granted, but the reception for “A Thousand Suns” was particularly sweet.

“This is a treat because this is a really different kind of record for us,” explains the vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, who co-produced the album with Rick Rubin. “To feel the fan’s support on it is something we’re really grateful for.”

Chester Bennington, the group’s other lead vocalist, adds that, “I never thought about what people might think ... about the new direction. I know our fans, the die-hard fans of Linkin Park, are really open to what we do. Sometimes it takes people awhile to digest the new music, but ... I think people have really grown to appreciate what we’ve done here and seen it for what we meant it to be.”

“Different” is, in fact, the operative term for “A Thousand Suns.” While Linkin Park — which formed in 1996 and has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, winning two Grammy Awards along the way — is no stranger to tinkering with its sound, its previous three albums largely followed an aggressive rock-rap hybrid mold, dominated by guitars, energy and angst. But this time out the sextet focuses on ambient, solemn soundscapes, relegating guitarist Brad Delson to the back burner — and barely even in the oven — in favor of keyboards, loops and samples over the course of nine songs and six interludes.

There are certainly rocking moments, including hip-hop styled throwdowns such as “When They Come For Me,” “Waiting for the End” and the Public Enemy homage “Wretches and Kings,” but those are laced amidst the hymn-like sensibilities of “Iridescent,” “Robot Boy” and the first single, “The Catalyst,” as well as the chilled-out aura of “Burning in the Skies.”

Linkin Park didn’t necessarily set out to reinvent its sound on “A Thousand Suns,” says Shinoda, who launched another band, Fort Minor, and several art shows between albums while Bennington started his own group, Dead By Sunrise. But, Shinoda explains, “we were just at a point where we were hearing a lot of things out there in the music world that was boring to us, and our own music that we were writing sounded like what Linkin Park would do — and that was kind of boring us, too. We wanted to really challenge ourselves to try something that felt fresh and exciting.”

Linkin Park fortunately “never got very far along” with the initial batch of material. Shinoda says the group’s working process — putting songs together in groups of two or three members, then meeting each Monday to review what they’d come up with, occasionally with Rubin — quickly steered the band in a different direction.

“When something would come in that was familiar,” Shinoda, 33, recalls, “it kind of just got shrugged shoulders and not very excited reactions. And when something would come in that sounded challenging or was something that you didn’t really know if you liked a lot, that would get everyone’s attention and we’d see where that would lead.”

Appropriately enough, one of the first of those latter tracks was “The Catalyst,” which came in a group that also included “Robot Boy” and “Burning in the Skies.” “That was one of the reasons ‘The Catalyst’ got its name,” Shinoda explains. But he adds that “Robot Boy,” which is “drastically different from any song we’ve done,” was the real catalyst for the adventurous direction Linkin Park ultimately took.

“That was, in our minds, definitely on the record a year and a half ago,” he says. “That was kind of the bar for how different we wanted the record to be. If things couldn’t match up to that, they weren’t going to work out.”

The change, Shinoda notes, represents a “challenge” for the band with its fan base. “I think everybody’s kind of getting older and growing up, and we want to make music that represents where we’re at right now,” he explains. “But the fact that we’ve made a record that sounds the way this one does is not in any way a message or directed to anyone who’s supported the band over the years. We’re not saying, ‘We’re going in a new direction, and ‘F’ everybody who likes the old stuff.’

“But we know it’s going to be more of a battle to get this into people’s hands and help people understand we’ve made a record that is going to kind of redefine the band in some regards. People are going to love it and people are going to hate it, but at least at this point people are really talking about it ... and that’s a fun conversation for us to have started.”

That said, Shinoda contends that “A Thousand Suns” is not necessarily foreign to those who have been following Linkin Park over the years.

“It’s really some of the same elements, just reshuffled,” he says. “You take the elements of our songs — the vocals, the heavy guitar, some hip-hop elements and electronic elements — 10 years ago we wanted to hear the live drums and the guitar and the screaming vocals right up front.

“Well, with this record I think we had more of a feeling of, ‘Let’s kind of spread everything out. Let’s not just stick those things up front by default. Let’s really give people a dense-sounding record and put things more on par with one another so you can actually hear all the other stuff. It’s always been there, now we’re just moving them more up front.”

Early reports indicated that “A Thousand Suns” would be a concept record, and Shinoda agrees that’s what the band — particularly he and Bennington — expected at the outset of recording. But without a specific narrative thread unifying the songs, they’ve since backed off of that and feels the album has “multiple concepts that show up on the record and kind of mix and match.”

“Chester and I would write often about fear and hope,” he says, “particularly fear of accountability, personally, or fear of accountability as a culture — of things we’re doing to each other and to the world around us. And fear of self-annihilation, that we’re just going to destroy the planet and blow ourselves up.

“It’s admittedly a broad-scope kind of album,” Shinoda adds with a laugh, “and it was a lot to take on. So we’re excited to see that some people are listening to the album and really walking away, with no help from us, with the same questions and the same themes on their minds, and they’re talking about it. At the end of the day that’s a real blessing for any band.”

As high as Linkin Park is on “A Thousand Suns,” Shinoda promises that fans will hear “songs from all our albums” at the group’s concerts, though he adds that “we take some of the old stuff and manipulate it and make it sound newer.” Meanwhile, the band is also planning to write some new material while on the road and will hopefully have a next album ready sooner rather than later — breaking the multi-year wait that’s become habitual between Linkin Park’s first four releases.

“Creatively I feel like the band is really energized,” Shinoda says. “It’s definitely a creative time for us; hopefully that means the next record is in the works.”

Bennington, meanwhile, adds that, “Honestly, anything goes. What we’re doing now in the studio, over the last two records, is completely fulfilling in every way. I feel like I could come in with a banjo piece and sing some honky tonk and we’ll probably figure out a way to make it work.”

If you go

Linkin Park, Pendulum and Does It Offend You, Yeah? perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 25, at Joe Louis Arena, 600 Civic Center Drive, Detroit. Tickets are $69.50 and $35. Call 313-471-6606 or visit www.olympiaentertainment.com.

Here are a couple things to know about your ticket:

All ticketholders will be able to download a recording of the show within a few days of the concert. A special access code will be announced at the venue. Fans will also be able to buy recordings of other shows on the tour, though only the concert they attended will be available for free.
$1 from each ticket is donated to Music For Relief, Linkin Park’s charity that helps victims of natural disasters. The group also re-launched its Download to Donate for Haiti on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake there, and bassist Dave “Phoenix” Farrell recently visited the country to see how the money was being used.

Pics from Germany and Sunrise, FL. Mike and Chester on Radio1

2011-01-23T13:41:00.000-06:00

A huge thank-you to Teagan and Iris for sending in pretty pictures of the boys in Germany.

Two from Sunrise, Floride show last Thursday

We also uploaded Mike and Chester's interview with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 back in Nov 2010 to our media library. Thanks MSC for the original file. Click HERE (.MP3 file, 7.9 mb) to download the interview if you haven't heard it yet. Listen to Mike and Chester discussing ATS, the 'cracking the code' process, the visual side of their music and how they got back to their root.

First pictures from Sunrise, FL. Old pics of LP in Israel.

2011-01-21T07:56:00.000-06:00

Some pictures from the show last night at Bank Atlantic Center, Sunrise, Florida has surfaced. Here are they.

Also, three old pics of the boys when they were visiting the Wailing Wall in Israel

Credit: Mikayla Davis, MSC

Zurich, Manchester, Newcastle, Hamburg, Sao Paulo.

2011-01-21T03:34:00.000-06:00

More beautiful pictures from South American and European 2010 tours.

More under the cut

Credits: Reznoreyes, netster71, southpaw2305, John Robert Charlton, Wonderland LP, IK Photos, gotasde miel, br_pedro, anaphx

Manchester, Burswood, London, etc. concert photos

2011-01-21T01:36:00.002-06:00

20 pictures from last year's shows

Credits: alessiasphotos, sheylinha, usagionthemoon, felipe albertoni, Rockbots, Phoenix 409, ryan muir, a beautiful lie 84, kidzandtango, chillpillo82

T4 interview with Mike and Chester

2011-01-20T14:32:00.002-06:00

MSC uploaded a video of T4's interview with Mike and Chester back in November during their time in London. Some screencaps

Moar + download link under the cut

Watch the video here:

Or download it HERE (.FLV file, 16.7 mb)

Crossbeat Magazine November 2010 issue scans

2011-01-20T13:56:00.000-06:00

Some scans from the November 2010 issue of Crossbeat magazine.

Source: MSC

Rap-rock: a swear word that no longer applies

2011-01-20T13:46:00.000-06:00

To celebrate the art of necroposting, here's an article from October 25th, 2010 for you guys. Think archiving purpose (:

"When I started reading reviews at the beginning," says Bennington, the band's singer, "some guy in Seattle basically said I was the antichrist, and that we were the reason the world sucked, and I was like, 'Wow, we must be doing something really good if this guy thinks that.' At that point, I decided, 'I don't really care.' "

Shinoda, the band's rapper and the chief architect of its sound, says: "We're used to being beat up in the press, and to feeling uneasy when we walk in to do an interview. We hold the music so closely, it's so dear to us, that when somebody takes a shot at it we feel like they're taking a shot at us."

Read the whole article under the cut

Rap-rock: a swear word that no longer applies

* Dan Cairns
* From: The Australian
* October 25, 2010 12:00AM

THE Californian band Linkin Park has, over the years, earned a reputation so scary that writers swap horror stories about interviews with the group.

Tales abound of heavy-handed management, glowering security guards, confiscated mobile phones, one-word answers and confidentiality agreements that stop just short of asking you to sign away your life.
That's going to be unhelpful for any band. For a band synonymous, arguably unfairly, with rap-rock, a genre reviled by many critics, it borders on reckless. Expectations, then, are set pretty low: 30 minutes, if I'm lucky, of frosty face time in this small fortress of a recording complex in Los Angeles, then I'm out.

That script can be thrown away. For starters, Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington, one third of a band whose 2000 debut, Hybrid Theory, sold more than 20 million copies, smile as they cue up the opening track from their new record, A Thousand Suns. And the realisation that this album is, sonically, one of the most ambitious and haunting of the year is, well, dumbfounding.

Were it by Muse, it would be praised to the skies. There are moments where the noises-off detailing and eccentricity recall the Who's Quadrophenia. It is safe to bet that neither of these observations will be the norm.

"When I started reading reviews at the beginning," says Bennington, the band's singer, "some guy in Seattle basically said I was the antichrist, and that we were the reason the world sucked, and I was like, 'Wow, we must be doing something really good if this guy thinks that.' At that point, I decided, 'I don't really care.' "
Shinoda, the band's rapper and the chief architect of its sound, says: "We're used to being beat up in the press, and to feeling uneasy when we walk in to do an interview. We hold the music so closely, it's so dear to us, that when somebody takes a shot at it we feel like they're taking a shot at us."

Shinoda is disarmingly honest about the conflicts that accompany huge success. Hybrid Theory flew off the shelves, but it also cemented perceptions of the band that, he says, hindered them more than it helped them. Before making the new album, the six-piece sat down to discuss their ambitions for it.

"I remember being really passionate, and saying things like, 'I don't care if nobody buys the record, I don't care if we don't have a single song that can be played on the radio, I'm willing to go completely in the other direction.' "

But life as a major-label artist is rarely that simple, he adds wryly. "I went home afterwards and kind of said to myself, 'If that is actually really true, and we're looking at the record two years from now and it has sold 50,000 copies, whether or not we are comfortable with that, people at large are going to see it as a failure.' Because that's the way it works. I mean, the record label is going to look at us and go, 'You're crazy.' Clearly, if only 50,000 buy it, as opposed to five million, then there's a lot of people out there who are saying, 'We don't like it, can you please do something else?' So I had to kind of get to grips with that."

They were supported in their attempts to square this creative-commercial circle by the uber-producer Rick Rubin, a man who clearly didn't edit his prescriptions. An early version of the new song Blackout provoked a reaction that would have felled many bands. "Rick came in and went, 'That song was awesome when it was on that really great record that came out 10 years ago,' " Bennington says.

Was he right?

"It was a cool-sounding song, but it felt like it had been done before, and done right by somebody else. And we thought, 'Maybe there's a good lesson we've learnt here.' We started thinking, 'We can just play piano, we can go in with an orchestra if we feel like it, we can play banjo and slide guitar, it doesn't f . . king matter.' "
It may matter, though, to fans: something the pair are clearly aware of. Shinoda's description of a recent interview with a metal-magazine writer is instructive. "He walked in, black Dr Martens, black jeans, long hair, piercings in both ears, tattoos. Without being told where the guy was from, I took a look at him and I knew. And we proceeded to have one of the most uncomfortable interviews for, well, for as long as I can remember. It was like being on a bad blind date."

The writer admitted that his favourite Linkin Park album was still Hybrid Theory, and that the new one had left him "confused". Shinoda adds: "The conversation kind of ended with me saying to him, 'Ten years ago, when we made Hybrid Theory, we were looking for a new sound, we were trying to do something that was different, that represented us and was kind of unique, and fresh.' But as time went on, it became less fresh, other bands heard it and thought 'We like that too', and did their own versions. And, to be totally blunt, if other bands can listen to it and do it too, how easy do you think it would be for me to turn around and try to do it again? That would be a lazy record."

"There's a rhyme on the new record," Bennington says, "where Mike goes, 'The blueprint is a gift and a curse / Once you've got a theory of how the thing works / Everybody wants the next thing to be just like the first.' It's really easy, once you figure out how something works, to keep going back to it.
"That's what people like, that's what they're familiar with. But the real challenge is . . . how are you going to create new architecture?"

On A Thousand Suns, Linkin Park has opened up. It's up to the fans now. And, of course, the critics. I think it's a beautiful album, pulling me this way and that, almost beyond genre, experimental, occasionally bonkers, invariably intriguing. Linkin Park, a surly, monosyllabic, control-freakish corporate rap-rock band? You may be in for a surprise.

Linkin Park plays the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, December 3; Burswood Dome, Perth, December 7; Adelaide Entertainment Centre, December 9; Acer Arena, Sydney, December 11 and 15; Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, December 12 and 13.

Source: The Australian

Happy Birthday Bourdie!

2011-01-20T13:34:00.002-06:00

Happy birthday to our dearest drummer boy, Rob Bourdon! May he stays yummy and fantastic forever ;) Keep banging that drum, Bourdie!

Today also marked the first show of the US tour. Sunrise, FL be the place. Are we all ready to rock with Linkin Park? \m/

LPTV updates and screencaps

2011-01-19T12:38:00.000-06:00

Download link for "Announces 2011 A Thousand Suns North America Tour" LPTV episode and screencaps from some other eps.

Watch the video HERE or download it HERE (.MP4 file, 16.8 mb)

More under the cut

Watch the episodes HERE and HERE

Interview with Metromix

2011-01-19T11:24:00.000-06:00

Metromix talked to Mike and Chester about their dark new album and high-tech tour.

What drew you to explore the dark and heavy themes on “A Thousand Suns?”
Mike Shinoda: It turned out that all six of the guys felt like there was a universal fear that I think a lot of people these days do have: that fear, whether it be in the front of their mind or in the back of their mind, that humanity as a whole is and has been for a long time on the brink of destroying itself. Whether that be slowly or quickly, it’s just that a possibility exists in the world, and I think we’re all scared of it to some degree. So that’s kind of how we decided that…it was proper for it to be a part of the record.

Read the whole article under the cut

Q&A: Linkin Park
Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda talk about their dark new album and high-tech tour
By Tamara Palmer
Special to Metromix
January 18, 2011

Linkin Park is one of the country’s hottest selling rock bands, part of a rarified group of artists who have sold more than 10 million copies of a single album. Following a sold-out European tour, co-frontmen Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington held a press teleconference to share their excitement for their jaunt around the United States, which will feature live performances of songs from the band’s current album “A Thousand Suns,” as well as classic favorites from throughout Linkin Park’s career.

A free recording of each show will be available for ticket holders, and $1 of each ticket supports Music for Relief, the band’s non-profit organization benefiting victims of natural disasters around the world.

Feeling particularly energized more than a decade after Linkin Park’s debut, Shinoda and Bennington explained how exploring some uncomfortable and fear-filled themes musically on this album have made the band closer friends than ever before.

What drew you to explore the dark and heavy themes on “A Thousand Suns?”
Mike Shinoda: It turned out that all six of the guys felt like there was a universal fear that I think a lot of people these days do have: that fear, whether it be in the front of their mind or in the back of their mind, that humanity as a whole is and has been for a long time on the brink of destroying itself. Whether that be slowly or quickly, it’s just that a possibility exists in the world, and I think we’re all scared of it to some degree. So that’s kind of how we decided that…it was proper for it to be a part of the record.

Have you found over the years that your lyrics have challenged the rest of the guys in the band to write music equal to the words that are presented to them? And on the flip side, have the guys created music that in turn inspired either of you to write lyrics equal to what you were hearing from them?
Chester Bennington: That’s probably the most interesting question I’ve ever been asked about what we do. I think that our styles are different when we work individually…but when we get together, something really special happens. We're both working intimately on the lyrics, but then you have another person to come in and look at it and go, "You know, I'm not feeling this line. This seems a little obvious or cliché; let's find a better way of saying that." I think it works really well because we both do have to sing it and we both do have to feel it in a very real way and a very honest way.

Is new Linkin Park material coming together right now? Do you write on the road?
MS: We do and we’re always writing. I think we benefit from the fact that the music recording and writing technology has gotten so compact and so easy to carry around in your laptop. In the last couple weeks, I keep getting emails from guys in the band saying, “Hey, you want to get together and write some stuff? What are you up to? Are you bringing any gear on the road?” And I expect on this run, they’ll be knocking on my hotel door looking to collaborate on some ideas.

Did you write anything while you were on your recent European tour?
MS: Yeah, yeah, a couple ideas. The best things that I’ve come up with on the last couple legs of this tour were actually on my iPad. I use a couple different apps and, yeah, I’ve come up with stuff that I like.

What does your new show look like?
MS: Well, the look of the show has a lot to do with the [topics] of “A Thousand Suns”; a lot of the themes that are going on in the new record kind of take a central role in the visuals of the show. Our art team developed technology that’s new and specific to this show and it had a lot to do with the fact that in our show we don’t play the exact same thing every night. We play different set lists and then within those set lists we improvise, so we wanted a way for the look of the show to kind of ebb and flow with whatever we do with the music. So from night to night the music will be different and the visuals will be different as well. No two shows will be the same.

What are the biggest lessons you’ve learned when you look back on more than a decade of work?
MS: So far, I feel like we’ve done a lot of things right. We’ve had a lot of luck. In 10 years, most people run the whole gamut, so for us it’s just a matter of trying to be the band that we want to be and learn from our mistakes and our successes. I definite like where we’re at right now. Creatively, I feel the band is really energized. “A Thousand Suns” was really an important record for us and not only on a creative level but actually also just as a group of friends. I think that things are really positive and so we’re looking forward to what the future holds.

Linkin Park playing soccer

2011-01-19T07:01:00.002-06:00

Some pictures of the boys playing soccer at unknown event. Did this happen in Australia? It seems to me Mike could not handle that ball ;) Say hai to tEh Mark Fiore! He looked pretty awesometastic!

More under the cut

More pictures at linkinparkbr.com. Thanks anila over LPF MB for the tip.

Linkin Park KROQ Staples Center Show Announcement

2011-01-18T04:46:00.001-06:00

Mike and Chester 'the Transformer Dinosaur' (also, the infamous Phoenix) made an announcement for the Staples Center show on February 23rd, 2011. The couple + 'mouthwash' hints + whispering nicknames = WIN. Some screencaps

Doesn't that scream 'Kiss me, I'm contagious'? Watch the video and DOWNLOAD the HD version under the cut.

Download the 720 HD version HERE (.MP4 file, 18.2 mb).

Thanks Umi for the tip!

Mike and Chester vandalizing Mars' Dressing room

2011-01-18T04:13:00.002-06:00

Mars's lovely Jared Leto had some naughty pictures of Mike and Chester up on his blog back in November. Fantastic

Jared's entries and more photos under the cut

MARS ROOM VANDALIZED. LINKIN PARK SUSPECTED.
November 18th, 2010

@linkinpark BUSTED!
November 18th, 2010

LINKIN PARK WANTED BY AUTHORITIES IN EUROPE AFTER MARS DRESSING ROOM BARRAGE

Scandalous photographic evidence surfaced this week providing officials with evidence of Linkin Park’s break in of 30 Seconds To Mars dressing room at the EMAs in Europe earlier this month. The reckless gang of rockers, known in some circles as “LP” left plenty of evidence of their ‘wild partying’ behind including some sparkling water and a half empty bottle of gatorade.

More on page 12…

Source: JaredLeto.com

Linkin Park Feels 'Energized' to Write New Music on the Road

2011-01-17T13:35:00.001-06:00

Billboard reported a conference call with Mike and Chester about writing new musical material and Linkin Park's future plans.

"I like we're where at right now," the group's Mike Shinoda said during a conference call with reporters. "Creatively I feel like the band is really energized...We are really trying to get focused on getting in the studio as often as possible...It's definitely on our minds that we want to be trying to write as much as we can."

Read the whole article under the cut

Linkin Park Feels 'Energized' to Write New Music on the Road

by Gary Graff, Detroit | January 14, 2011 4:32 EST

As it prepares for the Jan. 20 launch of its "A Thousand Suns" tour in North America, Linkin Park is hoping to do some songwriting on the road and perhaps bring out its next album sooner rather than later.

"I like we're where at right now," the group's Mike Shinoda said during a conference call with reporters. "Creatively I feel like the band is really energized...We are really trying to get focused on getting in the studio as often as possible...It's definitely on our minds that we want to be trying to write as much as we can."

And, Shinoda added, he expects some of that process will take place while the sextet is together on tour.

"We're always writing," he notes. "I think we benefit from the fact that the music recording and writing technology has gotten so compact and so easy to carry around in your laptop. I keep getting emails from the guys in the band saying, 'Hey, you want to get together and write some stuff? What are you up to? Are you bringing your gear on the road?' I expect on this next run they'll be knocking on my hotel door looking to collaborate on some ideas. It's definitely a creative time for us; hopefully that means the next record is in the words."

Linkin Park Sets 'A Thousand Suns' Tour Dates

"A Thousand Suns," which has sold 630,000 copies since its release last September, according to Nielsen SoundScan, is Linkin Park's first studio set since the double-platinum "Minutes To Midnight" in 2007, and the band has habitually taken three or four years between releases. But Shinoda says a four-month gap between the end of the North American tour and Linkin Park's next show indicates how serious the group is about getting its next album in gear.

"It's not like 12 months of straight touring, like it used to be," he explains. "It's more like write and tour, then write and tour. It's nice to be able to get into the studio in the middle of a cycle...go home and write a little bit. It just keeps it more fresh on my mind."

And while Linkin Park's breaks allowed Shinoda and Chester Bennington to delve into solo projects such as Fort Minor and Dead By Sunrise, respectively, neither feels the pull of those external endeavors anymore.

"When I started writing the music for Dead By Sunrise, I felt like they were stylistically outside (the band's) box," Bennington said. "I don't have that problem anymore. I don't have that feeling [of], 'Is this right or is this wrong for the LP?' Honestly, anything goes. What we're doing now in the studio, over the last two records, is completely fulfilling in every way. I feel like I could come in with a banjo piece and sing some honky tonk and we'll probably figure out a way to make it work."

Linkin Park Frontman Speaks Out On Arizona Shooting

Shinoda added, "It's a good feeling to know the other ideas we have, these kind of off-the-wall things, not only are they accepted now but they're welcomed, and the whole band is excited about them."

Linkin Park is continuing several of its other endeavors during the upcoming tour. A dollar from each ticket is being donated to the group's Music For Relief charity, and bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell is traveling to Haiti prior to the tour to investigate how the money is being used. They've also relaunched the Download to Donate for Haiti program to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the earthquake and are providing a free, downloadable recording of each concert for each ticket buyer.

And, Bennington said, the band is "totally looking into" 3-D technology for future use in videos and web site offerings. "It's exciting, and it's so accessible and it's good," Bennington noted. "It's not 'Jaws 3-D' when I was a teenager, which was absolutely...stupid. There's so much good stuff that can come out of that, so, yeah, we're looking at that for sure." Added Shinoda: "It's like a new tool in your tool box. It's a new toy to play with."

Source: Billboard.com

Nova FM's backstage interview pictures

2011-01-17T13:17:00.002-06:00

Pictures from the Nova FM's backstage interview.

More under the cut

Source: Nova FM

Nova FM's backstage interview with Mike and Chester

2011-01-17T13:07:00.001-06:00

Nova FM's backstage interview with Mike and Chester where they discussed trashing venues and post-gig rituals.

Mike and Chester from Linkin Park caught up backstage with Maz from The Action Battle Team and they used the time to reminisce about the time they broke the Enmore Theatre in Sydney

Maz from The Action Battle Team caught up with Mike and Chester from Linkin Park backstage at their gig to chat about how they wind down after a big night.

Sources: NovaFM

Linkin Park rocks out Down Under: interview with Mike and Chester

2011-01-17T12:55:00.000-06:00

MTV Australia caught up with Mike and Chester after the Australian tour and got them talk about the touring experiences and interesting collaborations.

MTV: You’ve just finished touring here Down Under – how did it go?

Chester: For me personally, the first couple of shows on this tour were pretty rough. I felt very kind of disconnected and just off, I wasn’t feeling very well and I almost was compelled to send out like a public apology or some kind of Twitter. But then I was like, no, I don’t want to do that coz it’s part of what we do.

Mike: (Laughs) Chester’s version of bad, when you do what we do, we’re kind of perfectionists, and what’s acceptable to us is a very narrow margin. Our shows here have been a tonne of fun, and touring down here feels like you’re on vacation the whole time, its so warm and pleasant, the people are great, we always have a good time each time we come, which is why we keep coming back!

Read the whole interview under the cut

The Grammy-Award winning band rock out Down Under

Jan 4, 2011

Source: Sophie Barnett

With their incredibly energetic performances and chart-topping rock ballads - US heavy-weights Linkin Park aren’t an act to miss seeing live.

But that’s something you’ll already be well aware of if you were lucky enough to catch the legendary alt rockers in Oz for their ‘A Thousand Suns’ world tour.

Despite a shift in direction for their fourth record, ‘A Thousand Suns,’ with a heavier focus on hip hop and electronic – they’ve still proved they’ve got what it takes to thrill even the most hardcore of fans, as well as bag some new ones.

And with more mature vocals, a greater range of notes, and deeper lyrics, their latest record was more than worth the year-long wait.

Fresh from their Aussie performance, MTV caught up with singers Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington, to talk touring Oz, The Wiggles and future collaborations…

MTV: You’ve just finished touring here Down Under – how did it go?

Chester: For me personally, the first couple of shows on this tour were pretty rough. I felt very kind of disconnected and just off, I wasn’t feeling very well and I almost was compelled to send out like a public apology or some kind of Twitter. But then I was like, no, I don’t want to do that coz it’s part of what we do.

Mike: (Laughs) Chester’s version of bad, when you do what we do, we’re kind of perfectionists, and what’s acceptable to us is a very narrow margin. Our shows here have been a tonne of fun, and touring down here feels like you’re on vacation the whole time, its so warm and pleasant, the people are great, we always have a good time each time we come, which is why we keep coming back!

MTV: You’re touring with Pendulum next year. Which other Aussie artists are you fans off?

Mike: Chester’s a big fan of The Wiggles.

Chester: Yep, huge. I mean they are the equivalent of The Beatles.

MTV: Talking of huge, how was it teaming back up again with uber producer Rick Rubin for the new record?

Mike: By the time we got to this record we’d built this kind of friendship and this working relationship that made things very comfortable and we were able to just go in and focus on the record and not be distracted by that whole image of who Rick Rubin is. He's a great leader and he’s also a team player at the same time.

MTV: You famously teamed up with Jay-Z in the past, any more collaborations in the pipeline?

Chester: What’s special about that stuff is that it’s all been very spontaneous and not planned and that’s what makes it so good I think. So we’re definitely open to doing things, I think we’ve got a couple of ideas in the works, but they’re not solid so I don’t like jinxing those kinds of things.

But we do have some interesting ideas floating around, so our diehard fans who look forward to that kind of stuff, there’s going to be some stuff coming in the pipeline.

MTV: So no one specific on the wish list then?

Chester: Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, those are a few, but I think it’d be really difficult! (laughs)

Make sure you get your hands on Linkin Park’s outstanding new album ‘A Thousand Suns’ out now!

Sources: MTV , LPL

We are back. International LPU Summit pictures.

2011-01-17T11:57:00.002-06:00

Hello mateys, Ann's speaking. I am not dead. Maybe I will be in several minutes after the stoning. So no rocks and no tomatoes in the house, please.

I apologize for disappearing without leaving a word. Months. Life has been a very sadistic lover of mine for a while - an Ann Angst Whore that she was. I found my way back. I tried to quit Mike and Chester, but they did not let me - those old bastards. No explanation and no promise - they will all turn into lies in the end. I will run this town as long as I can.

Since I have gone for months and the US tour will start in 3 days, I have very little time left to fill in the news I missed. Help me out by sending in news/ pictures or notice me if something is missing. Thank you.

Restart with some easy stuff: some pictures from International LPU Summit events, taken from Linkin Park's official FB.

New Year & Annoucement

2011-01-07T18:03:00.001-06:00

Hello everyone,

first of all, Ann and I would like to wish you a very happy new year. We hope that you had amazing holidays, and that 2011 will bring you everything your heart desires.

Now on to the serious part.

You have noticed (don't lie!) that we haven't been active, whether it's here or on the message board. Yes, you could say we've literally disappeared quite suddenly, without any warning.

I won't lie to you and tell you that we're coming back, I won't tell you to wait and be patient, because the truth is that we have no idea what will happen. Our lives changed, we have changed, and there are things that are out of our control.

We've had some incredible moments together. We've met amazing people through this website, discovered beautiful artists, flailed and drooled over our favourite boys. These memories can't be taken away, but we must move on.

I am not saying that we are closing the site. I am not saying that we'll come back. I am not saying that we'll give it away. I am saying that we are still confused about the future of this beautiful place, and it is because we love it so dearly that we don't want to just let it die without warning you.

I am hoping that we'll figure out a solution soon-ish, and that we'll be able to let you know about it then.

With love,

Jules & Ann

PS: I don't have admin access to the CBox, but there seems to be an increasing amount of spam. Stay careful.

Happy Birthday to Hybrid Theory

2010-10-24T22:37:00.000-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HYBRID THEORY!

A decade has gone by since Linkin Park released their first baby Hybrid Theory. Time flies, people changed, the music industry itself and the once younger band have grown up, but the value embedded deep within artworks like this album will remain the same. Ten years is a long time enough to prove anyone this is a gem among all musical gems. Today, we celebrate the birthday of Hybrid Theory and together, we hope the band will work harder and create more pieces of art for music lovers all over the world. Thank you for everything, Linkin Park.

Berlin show Oct 20th 2010 pictures

2010-10-22T00:02:00.000-05:00

Pictures from the Berlin show, October 20th 2010 - the first show of Linkin Park's European tour have popped up on the net! Here are some for you to enjoy

Another picture from the Chile show

Credits: _Natalia_, MSC, JanaLP

We want more pictures from the Berlin show. Keep sending in them if you attended the concert and took some!

New Bennoda picture. NY portrait HQs

2010-10-21T23:57:00.000-05:00

Tyshangshan posted one wonderful picture on our MB. I would love to see the whole set in near future.

MSC has some HQ pictures from the New York portraits shoot up. Since they are hard-earned photos, it's understandable that they are tagged, but hopefully someday we can get the tagless versions of them!

Chester's "It gets better" message. iTunes playist download

2010-10-21T23:16:00.000-05:00

Chester's wife has uploaded a video of Chester talking to the LGBT youth and all the victims of bullies in general as a part of the "It gets better" project. As a LGBT, this means a lot to me personally. My heart sent to the Benningtons for what they have done for the young and the depressed out there. Together, we will make it get better!

A download link to the iTunes Celebrity Playist Podcast by Mike and Chester has been added to our download archive. You can download the podcast HERE or HERE (.m4a file, 40.3 mb). Thanks swsrd and ShireRock for the link!

Pics and video from Brazil show

2010-10-17T23:32:00.000-05:00

Two more pictures from Brazil, Oct 11, 2010

Source: Alex, Raphael Bianco

Eve sent in a video of the Brazil show's ending where you can spot Mike and Chester hugging and holding the Brazillian flag together. Watch the video under the cut.

Mike and Chester on iTunes Celebrity Playist

2010-10-17T23:08:00.001-05:00

Mike and Chester are featured this week on iTunes Celebrity Playlist where they discuss their favorite songs. Whenever together, they are always a bucket of hilarity. Don't forget to check this podcast out.

You can listen to the podcast here. ~~If anyone can grab the audio file of this, please let us know!~~

Download link: HERE (.m4a file, 40.3 mb)

Source: MSC . Thanks ShireRock and swsrd for the download link!

October 17th: Fanart Update

2010-10-17T11:21:00.004-05:00

Here's a small update since we didn't get that many new fanarts in the past two weeks. BUT we have probably one of my very favorite Bennoda pieces of all time. Click Read More to see it

TYshangshan did it again with My Snowman Lover.
It's sad, it's beautiful, it's perfect. Check it out

my snowman lover by TYshangshan

Here's a sketch from zephyrianBoom, who gave us some of the best Bennoda sketches.
Glad to see you back, Boom!

candy4 by zephyrianBoom

Team Chester or Team Mike by NickyToons

Chibis by ibehjessi

Bennoda by Anticipation96

Lost in you by LPflokatilein

And here's a very sweet and domestic drawing of our boys.

A Present by Chessuliini

Happy Birthday, Bennoda! Halloween 06 pics

2010-10-17T00:23:00.001-05:00

Happy belated birthday to Bennoda.com. Our baby is already a 3-year-old, growing healthily and steadily, thanks to the support of our great fans. No pep talk is needed this year because we all know what we should know - please keep on coming back and help build Bennoda into a great community!

By this chance, we're giving you guys some old pictures originally posted on the old LPU (LPU 5 Photos Journal - long deleted off the archive of LPU) of the naughty boys that are Mike and Chester. Hope you guys enjoy them!

More under the cut

Noisecreep: A day of the life - Linkin Park

2010-10-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

Noisecreep has a brilliant article on Linkin Park titled A day of the life where they followed Mike and Chester around, interviewed them and took breathtaking pictures (Diana Levine is a goddess!)

There was a exquisite video of the boys posing for photoshoot, doodling on wall and joking around during interview together. You can download the HD version HERE (.FLV file, 17.7 mb)

Follow the trip with Noisecreep and Linkin Park under the cut

Read the whole article with the interview HERE and watch the video here:

Linkin Park and Sad Keanu

2010-10-14T14:28:00.000-05:00

Michael was being silly and posted some pictures of the band with a SAD KEANU. You nerdy dork, Mike.

LINKIN PARK AND SAD KEANU
October 13, 2010

I just downloaded these pictures from my camera. They came out way different than the ones I remembered taking…

Chester's facial expression is priceless! More pictures at Mike's blog

Pics from Brazil show, 11th Oct 2010. More from Chile

2010-10-14T14:08:00.000-05:00

Dani on the Shoutbox reported that there were two Bennoda moments at the Brazil show. Thrilling!

Hey guys, yesterday was the LP show here in Brazil and I was there! And I can't let to say there was TWO Bennoda moments. One before the last song and they hug each other. And the second moment, they got a brazilian flag and extended it. After that, they hugged each other again! Much love.

NILLP also sent in a picture of Mike and Chester showing off the Brazillian flag to the crowd. Thanks a lot for sending in information and photos, my friends. We would not be able to run this site without your help!

Now it's time for us to enjoy those wonderful pictures from the last show in South America! More pictures at Chile were also added

More under the cut

Three more pictures from the Chile show

Look at that purple thing! This is the most awesometastic pair of shade Mike Shinoda has ever possessed, we have to say!

Credits: Coral Zaine, nataliaalmeida_shinoda , PEREIRA F.C., paularobertarm, rockcampinas, HELL CITY STUDIOS, Focka , Ariel Cahen, Aggresi0n

Pics from Chile show, 9th Oct 2010

2010-10-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

Lots of gorgeous pics from the Chile show, 9th Oct 2010! Seems like the guys had great fun there, especially our couple. Also, my hats off to the heroes in the glorious mine rescue. You guys amazed the world!

More under the cut

Credits: Agrolate, Carlos Varela, Phillip Goddard, gonzata, Felipe Villaroell and the superb MSC

ATS promo pics and Buenos Aires live photos

2010-10-14T12:30:00.001-05:00

Some pictures of Mike and Chester from the ATS promo photoshoots and several ones from Buenos Aires, 7th Oct 2010 show

More under the cut

Pictures from Argentina show

Source: nisti2, kikilp, MSC

Buenos Aires, Argentina show - a small moment

2010-10-13T00:18:00.000-05:00

My apology for the slowness on the front page these days. I have been sick and both of the admins (Jules and I) have been very busy. Linkin Park has been back, powerful more than ever with their very first tour in South America. Concert goers, if any of you have been there enjoying them, any feedbacks?

A big thank-you to Rose Marie for sending us two videos of the ending at the Buenos Aires, 7th October 2010 show. There's a small moment between the two boys - we hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Some screencaps

You can download the video here:

Video 1 (.flv file, 44.5 mb)| Video 2(.flv file, 54.1 mb)

Or watch the videos under the cut

Premiere of "Waiting For The End"

2010-10-08T21:50:00.001-05:00

The video for Linkin Park's next single "Waiting for the end" is out. If I have to say one thing about the video, then it is beautifully creative. This is definitely one of my personal favorite Linkin Park music videos. Thanks Joe for the great job (and the whole band for participating in filming such a gorgeous piece of art)

Linkin Park - New Music - More Music Videos

Joe's message to the fans:

Today we are premiering the music video for “Waiting for the End.” It was an opportunity to experiment with pushing the digital envelope as it pertains to the visual language created thus far for A Thousand Suns. It was my attempt to digitally crush us to the point that you feel the soul of the music through what has become the essence of us. We become the ghosts in the machine. Some may say that because of technology, we lose a sense of who we are. I counter that by illustrating that we can get closer to who we are if we sift through the noise. If this sounds like it’s too ‘out there,’ just ignore what I said and enjoy the pretty pictures. Watch the video here.
Then go here and let me know what you think. Enjoy.
-Joe

October 3: Fanart Update

2010-10-03T12:29:00.002-05:00

I know, we haven't had one of these in a while and a lot of amazing fanarts haven't been plugged on our website. We are sorry for this. But we're going to try to keep these updates a little more regular from now on. I only included pieces that were submitted after the last ones we featured (newest to oldest). Let's go!

When my time comes by Shire-Rock

make sure to check out the sketch version of this piece, beautiful!

Nom by SSjUmi

Zombie!Noda nomming on Chester's brain? Loving it!

I want to break free by Sire-Rock

Bennoda's Creed RAWR by Sire-Rock

Miriam has definitely been productive, and we're very happy about it!

we are blessed by micosipicosi

TC: Rough Smoke by TYshangshan

you're like a... by yurugi716

To Die Alone by Chessuliini

Serenity by SSjUmi

Mike x Chester - Sugar by KarniMolly

random picture with cool title by SSjUmi

three chubby things by TYshangshan

bad romance by TYshangshan

[Adult content warning]

[+]mine forever
[+]Feel
[+]bennoda
[+]kiss me
[+]Boundless Love
[+]Take Me

Keep them coming, guys! Otherwise I won't have anything to update with next week ;)

Mike and Chester's interview with AP news in New York

2010-10-03T00:19:00.001-05:00

Mike and Chester discussing the new album with AP news

You can download the video HERE (.FLV file, 8.8 mb)

Four pictures from the same interview

Source: AP Photo via MSC. Thanks Trueblue for the tip!

Chester and Mike on iheartradio

2010-10-03T00:11:00.000-05:00

From Mike's blog

October 1, 2010

The other day I got a chance to record a station for IHeartRadio. It’s an online station where we (Chester and I) get to play whatever we want; we host the show ourselves. The best part was that I got really tired of just hearing myself talk, so I started messing around, calling people and bothering them, and even playing some rare Linkin Park tracks (and I think one Fort Minor one). It’s going to go up some time in October. (I asked some of you to send questions and stories via Twitter; thanks for your help making the show interesting.)

In the days between then and now, I’ve been rehearsing with those other five guys to put a show together. We leave for tour in four days. We’re hitting a few places in South America, A bunch of dates in Europe, and a bunch of dates in Australia (What’s up PERTH and ADELAIDE).

Whenever Mike and Chester hosted a show by themselves, expect something extra funny. Hopefully we can got this show soon. Predict another gay strip club inner joke?

New fans come with new sound for Linkin Park

2010-10-01T23:42:00.001-05:00

Associated Press has an interview with Mike, Chester and Rick Rubin where they discussed "A Thousand Suns" and the fans' reaction on the album

"As artists (making music is) a completely selfish endeavor," he said. "We're making music for us, that we like. We're not making music for other people ... We're not thinking, 'Let's make a pie-graph of all our fans and find out how many people fit in whatever category and then make the perfect album for them.' Like, that would be absolutely ridiculous."
Bennington says the band is more interested in growing creatively: "We like putting (ourselves) on the line so to speak and really take chances with the music that we're making and we're becoming more and more comfortable doing that."

Read the rest of the article HERE

Source: Yahoo!News via LPA

On a lighter note, Jeff Christensen, the photographer who took this picture of Mike and Chester has great interest in gay couples photographing. I wonder what went through his mind when he took this particular photo (:

Linkin Park Drop the Bomb, Revel in the Aftermath of 'A Thousand Suns'

2010-09-30T01:57:00.002-05:00

Noisecreep has an intriguing interview with Mike and Chester about the aftermath of "A Thousand Suns"

Mike Shinoda: When we were writing 'A Thousand Suns,' we did some interviews where we called it a concept record 'cause at the time I think we were thinking that's what we might be doing.

Chester Bennington: It was a sexy idea, making a concept record. It felt challenging and we wanted to challenge ourselves, so that was appealing. And then we realized very quickly that would put a lot of our creativity into a single box and kind of work against the free flowing ideas that we had.

You can download the HD videos of these interview here

Part 1 (.avi file, 37.5 mb)| Part 2 (.avi file, 61.2 mb)

Edit: Some noticed us about the .avi files not working, here are the original .flv files for y'all

Part 1 (.flv file, 39.0 mb) | Part 2 (.flv file, 63.6 mb)

Read and watch the whole interview under the cut

Read the full interview HERE or watch them HERE:

Mike and Chester on Channel 4. Dave's tweet

2010-09-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

What a quiet week - after the frenzy last week, nothing much happened after. But hopefully, more news is streaming in soon.

UK fans will be able to see Linkin Park give a behind the scenes tour of the making of their album, A Thousand Suns next week, as well as performing some live tracks for the session as part of the Music on 4: 360 Sessions series. Tune in early October 5th, Tuesday morning at 12:10AM (Monday night) to watch the 35 minute show.

"Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda from US rock band Linkin Park give a behind-the-scenes tour of the making of their new album A Thousand Suns and perform tracks from it."

Source: Channel 4 via LPA

UK peeps, don't forget to catch it for us!

Our dearest Dave has just amused the fans again with his Q&A session

Bennoda RT @shugahcolby: what are u going to be for Halloween? RT @phoenixlp: Quick Q and A anyone?

10 minutes ago via Echofon

Sirius Octane's interview with Linkin Park

2010-09-23T22:04:00.001-05:00

LPA had a very intriguing interview of Sirius Octane with Linkin Park up. Mike and Chester discussed the change in their music and told some good ole anecdotes. "Club Tatoo", ha. You can listen and download the full audio HERE (.mp3 file, 11.7 mb)

Source: Sirius Octane

Linkin Park Sirius Octane Interview

2010-09-22T02:13:00.000-05:00

You will be able to catch an interview with Mike and Chester on SXM Octane tomorrow, conducted by Kayla Riley. Tune into Sirius XM Octane at 5PM EST on the 22nd September for the full interview and check out a snippet below.

Source: Sirius Octane via LPA

You can download the video HERE (.avi file, 19.2 mb)

Linkin Park on CrossBeat and GrindHouse's covers

2010-09-21T12:39:00.001-05:00

CrossBeat magazine's November issue released November 18th, 2010 have a Linkin Park special feature with a promising long and in depth interview + posters. You can order this issue here (and send us the scan later!).

The band will also be on GrindHouse magazine with a Mike Shinoda grinding into his co-vocalist on the cover.

I still cannot figure out what that thing on Chester's head is. Look very similar to some headwrap made specifically for women with hair loss, but then, I can be wrong. Fashionista Bennington's new choice of headwear: yay or nay?

Source: WMJ via Tyshangshan

If it's not broken, break it

2010-09-21T09:44:00.000-05:00

Adam has posted a scan of The Sunday Times' article discussing the new album with Mike and Chester. Check it out below

Vote for Linkin Park at EMA

2010-09-21T09:20:00.000-05:00

Voting online for bands seems to be quite a joke for older fans, but this year, let's make an exception. The new album is receiving many conflicting reviews - I think it's time the band needs out support. Linkin Park is confirmed to performed at the MTV Europe Music Awards and nominated in two categories. Vote for them HERE (easy and fast - you don't have to sign up to vote), spread the world some Linkin Park love.

Mike and Chester's interview with Evropa2

2010-09-20T07:24:00.001-05:00

Mike and Chester did an interview with Czech radio station Evropa2. The interview is in Czech so we'll be very grateful if someone can tell us what they talked about here. You can listen to the radio here:

Source: Evro Malarkey via LPtimes

EDIT: Fly let us know via our cbox that the interview is a fake! We still don't know what was said, or how they faked a whole interview, but a big thanks to Fly for the telling us!

NYC show kiss video: finally here

2010-09-18T07:34:00.003-05:00

Finally! Here is the moment we are all awaiting: the infamous NYC kiss. Thanks MeMyselfandI for the tip and drewboi83 for the video. You can watch the video here

Or download it HERE (.mpg file, 29.4 mb)

The sound is a little ear-bleeding, you may wanna put your volume down a little.

Some screencaps of the lovebirds

Out of three times Mike kissed Chester, two happened in New York City. What's the secret charm the city is embracing that creates magic upon these two all the time? Concrete jungle where dreams are made of, there's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York? NYC, you are special.

Don't forget to check out the beautiful videos recorded at the show posted on Linkin Park's MySpace

[+]Waiting For The End
[+]New Divide

NYC show kiss details: video and more pictures

2010-09-17T22:51:00.001-05:00

Since everyone is curious about the kiss at the NYC show, 14.09.2010, the lovely arbiter was very kind to deliver us some details about what happened

Could never forget a single moment from this show, especially when the whole band were so in-synch. It was crazy good.

The moment I talked about happened after the show. Mike and Chester said thank you. Then Mike for a second looked like he was about to dive into the crowd. But instead, he jumped down from the stage on the right side and started shaking and greeting the fans. And then Chester who was on the left side of the stage jumped down too and proceeded to greet the fans. They started moving from the opposite side of the stage and when they met in the middle, Mike grabbed Chester in a one arm hug, patted him and then as he proceeded to cross over to the other side, he grabbed Chester and kissed him on the head and kept going. I thought it was sweet. I like affectionate Mike. He seemed really eager to get to Chester too. It was both hilarious, and cute.

So now we know the kiss was several seconds after this picture was taken

The closest thing we can grab is this video

Start at 5:04, you can see Mike had one arm draping over Chester and then he moved in very quick - which can be assumed as the moment where he kissed Chester on the head. Since the crowd was crazy about the two frontmen getting down to say hi, it's understandable that everything is a little blurry. If you have captured this on camera or seen it elsewhere, please notice us!

Some more pics from this show

Credits: helen01bond, nick51228

Floods in Pakistan

2010-09-17T22:28:00.000-05:00

Find more videos like this on Music For Relief

Please go here to help:

http://www.musicforrelief.org/

mike

Source: Mike Shinoda's blog

Mike and Chester at Sirius XM Radio

2010-09-17T06:06:00.000-05:00

The amazing PFF has found some pictures of Mike and Chester together at Sirius XM Radio. From the official site of SIRIUS Satellite Radio:

Hit-Bound with Linkin Park
Tomorrow 1:00 am ET
Mike and Chester from Linkin Park play new music from Jesse McCartney, Mike Posner, the Jersey Shore’s DJ Pauly D and Stone Sour. Plus, they’ll bring you behind-the-scenes look at their new album, A Thousand Suns. (1 hr)

Rebroadcast: Tomorrow 5:00 am ET; Tomorrow 9:00 am ET; Tomorrow 2:00 pm ET; Sun 9/19 12:00 am ET

Check them out here:

They seemed to have a lot of fun with each other and the DJ (and those soft, loving eyes is pure love). Hopefully we can grab this show soon!

Mike and Chester iTunes playists. NYC show pictures.

2010-09-16T22:42:00.000-05:00

In the wake of the release of "A Thousand Suns", the iTunes Store has recently created a special page dedicated to the band which includes not only limited time low prices for each of the albums (as low as $7.99, including Fort Minor and Dead By Sunrise), but the following as well:

- Linkin Park iPod Touch / iPhone Applications, including the newly released "Linkin Park Revenge" on sale for $4.99
- Selected song playlists for both Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington
- Brad Delson's Top 15 TV Shows, including "The Wire," "Lost," and "Dexter"
- Joe Hahn's Top 15 Movies, including "Fight Club," "Crank," and "Robocop"
- Phoenix's Top 15 Apps, including "Angry Birds," "Flight Control," and "Plants vs. Zombies"
- Rob's Recommended Books, including "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell, "Oil!" by Upton Sinclair, and "The Art of Raising a Puppy" by The Monks of New Skete

Check out the special features while you can, because these, as well as the lowered prices on releases prior to "A Thousand Suns", are for a limited time only! And if you haven't already, purchase the new album on iTunes, one version of which includes special iTunes LP features and the bonus track "Blackbirds" from 8-Bit Rebellion!

Click here to check out the Linkin Park Page on the iTunes Store!

Source: LPA

In case you couldn't access iTunes store and see Mike and Chester's playists, here are some screencaps

Metromix has some photos from the NYC, Best Buy Theater shows.

Artisan News posted an interview with Chester and Brad where you can see Chester sporting THE SHIRT again. Neat.

More pictures from ATS release show, NYC 14.09.2010

2010-09-16T02:52:00.000-05:00

More pictures from the NYC show at Best Buy Theater/ 14.09.2010 to come!

Check out rachel.esterday's gorgeous album and some of her Bennoda shots

One taken by digender

Two by Chaos25

Enjoy!

MTV News Extended Play: Linkin Park

2010-09-16T02:24:00.001-05:00

MTV put online a series of 8 videos called "MTV News Extended Play: Linkin Park" interviewing Mike and Chester pre-VMA, discussing Linkin Park's new album and all that jazz. You can check out those videos HERE

MTV also has an article based on this interview.

"People asked us if it's a concept record, and in the middle of the process, we were contemplating whether or not that was what we wanted to do," LP's Mike Shinoda told MTV News at their VMA rehearsal on Saturday. "And I think, as we finished it, it became clear that, usually the problem with concept records is, like, [the] term usually refers to things like [the Who's] Tommy or ... rock operas and stuff like than that has a narrative. And this doesn't have a narrative; it's more abstract that that.

"So if those albums are more of an Andy Warhol, this is more of a Jackson Pollock," he continued. "You can kind of look at it, and all the stuff's in there; you pull out whatever it means to you."

So now that we're clear that A Thousand Suns isn't a concept record, we couldn't help but wonder: What concept was Bennington mulling over in his head when he sat down with MTV News back in November '08? Let's just say it involved a boy and a bike — and that it's probably better he abandoned the idea completely.

"I tried to write 30 songs about a kid with a red bike and make it the most moving thing that ever happened in music, and it wasn't good at all," he said. "So we kind of dumped the kid-and-the-red-bike concept really early on."

Tell me if the concept about a kid with a red bike is not just painfully adorable (and painful...) But of course, it's smart that they moved on from that idea before the Union of Straight Linkin Park fans would get pissed off. Love Mike's comparison of the album with Warhol/Pollock's works. I am not the biggest fan of Pollock, but Mike surprised me with how accurate it is to compare their newest work with Pollock's - considering the trippy vibe both sharing. Does the Warhol/previous albums say something? Watch the interview HERE (one of the 8)

Mike and Chester's doodle on AOL Music wall

2010-09-16T00:27:00.002-05:00

From Linkin Park's facebook

Mike and Chester just drew on the wall at AOL Music in NYC

Reminds me of the doodle they did on Andrew's Canadian flag. Cute. They need to collaborate on some paintings. Next Mike Shinoda's artshow, hopefully?

VMA 2010 rehearsal and NYC 14/9/10 show pics.

2010-09-15T10:30:00.002-05:00

RomanDenovaJr has some huge pictures from the VMA 2010 Rehearsal for us. Check them out

Some pics from the NYC show last night at Best Buy Theater, brought to you by allysa, sheenabeaston and PFF

The LPU posted some exclusive pictures from the VMA performance with Mike and Chester. Check them out HERE if you are an LPUer.

I also recommend a video from last night show: LP performed Jornada Del Muerto/ Waiting For The End. Beautiful blend of Mike's and Chester's voice and you have to hear them sing Japanese together. How insane is that!

Mike and Chester on In Rock cover

2010-09-15T07:24:00.000-05:00

Mike and Chester will appear on the cover of In Rock magazine this October issue. They will bring the fans an interview with Chester along with a Linkin Park poster and a 2011 calendar.

The infamous shirt is there again (:

Source: WMG Japan via LPT

Linkin Park Gundam. VMA 2010 best surprise.

2010-09-15T04:37:00.001-05:00

animenewsnetwork has some crazy news for Linkin Park fans:

Warner Music Japan has announced on Wednesday that the American rock band Linkin Park is contributing a theme song for Bandai Namco Games' Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. arcade game. In addition, a deluxe box of the band's newest album, A Thousand Suns, will bundle a limited-edition Gundam plastic model ("Gunpla") in Japan on November 24.

The theme song, "The Catalyst," is the first single from the album. Two editions of the album will ship in Japan on September 15, two months before the "Gunpla 30th Anniversary Edition" will ship. This is the first time that a video game from the Gundam franchise has featured a song from a Western musical artist.

The album's Gunpla 30th Anniversary Edition will include a HGUC 1/144 RX-78GP01Fb Gundam GP01Fb Full Vernian "Linkin Park Edition" plastic model kit. According to their official Japanese website, the members of the band are big fans of the Gundam robot anime franchise, and they designed the custom color scheme of the model. The Gunpla Edition will feature special box art with the band members and the Gundam design.

This is too amusing to be ignored on our site. I feel like pumping my fist in the air. Gundam + Linkin Park = a nerd's heaven. And do you see those boys in uniform? I can haz a thousand new fics inspired by this? You may wanna consider buying this.

Another great news: MTV reported that Linkin Park's performance at Griffith Observatory was voted best surprised at VMA 2010, leading by 56 per cent of votes. MTV also commented

When the band appeared at the observatory (watched by thousands of excited fans on hand) and kicked into "The Catalyst," it was a truly epic moment in VMA history.

In second place, Rihanna racked up 32 percent of the vote for her surprise appearance during Eminem's show-opening performance of the pair's chart-topping single "Love the Way You Lie." Third place belonged to Cher's outfit and Lindsay Lohan's cameo (both got four percent), while Swift's song, Justin Bieber's drum solo and the drop-in by Pusha T during Kanye West's "Runaway" brought up the rear. But in a show full of surprises, Linkin Park topped them all.

Seems like our boys just had quite a smooth start so far. Congrats!

ATS release show in NYC review.

2010-09-15T00:40:00.001-05:00

The very first show of the ATS tour has ended, and we got in your hands an awesome review from a slash fangirl (ha, we DO need that!). Here's arbiter from LPLive and her review!

That was so awesome! The freaking show was orgasmic and wayyyyyyyyyyyy too short! I forgive them because it is their first real show and they're probably using us for warm up and they debuted songs and the view was fantastic. But their future shows better not be so short or I will be super pissed and kill someone.

No matter what though, Linkin Park never fails to take me away some place wonderful and reduce me to a silly fangirl. They will always be my favourite band. I've never connected with any other artist the way I do with them.

Since I absolutely refused to listen to the leaked album and the song previews except for the one they sent us, I went in a virgin. I still refuse to listen to the new songs until I can play my own hard copy in a stereo and as loud as I can be.

But "Irridescent" and "Waiting for the End" was pure beauty. I have been waiting for these songs and I didn't even know it. Mike & Chester's voice were like having awesome sex with each other and my ears and heart welcomed it. They need to write more songs like that. I hope there are more songs on the album and future albums where that marriage continues blissfully.

Stand-out moments:

I like how Brad & Mike switched instruments. In fact, the band seem more involved and active than they usually are with their music and stage performance.

I loved Chester's guitar playing fake-out and pose. (it was adorable.)

Mike kissed Chester on the head when they met up across the crowd.(yes I squeed because it was cute and I am a slash fan-girl.)

Mike was looking really hot as always. (although, why the damn beanie? It wasn't that cold)

The way Mike and Chester played well off each other on Wretched & Kings. (magic.)

Mike & Chester coming down and shaking the fans hands was just so sweet. I appreciate that they took the time to do that.

Random: Chester has beautiful skin. Everytime I see this man up-close, I marvel at how this always seem to be true and wonder if he is born with it.

Brad on keyboard is awesome.

Nothing is like a slash fangirl's review, that's guaranteed ;) Mike kissed Chester on the head, again? Are they coming out this year? ~~please do!~~

LPAssociation has a pretty neat cover on this show. You may want to check this post out. Thanks Teagan/tightrope_walk for the tip!

Linkin Park in the studio

2010-09-14T22:59:00.000-05:00

Some pictures of Mike and Chester in the studio - making of A Thousand Suns

Credit: PFF

Kevin & Bean's Breakfast with Linkin Park: Kiss him!

2010-09-14T21:06:00.000-05:00

A few day ago, we have heard love_lp's review about this show, and today, we finally have a chance to listen to the band's fantastic performance and their Q&A at the Kevin & Bean show. The most interesting part (to Bennoda fans) is where the 'kiss' chanting happened.

As soon as they finished “What I’ve Done,” Linkin Park went right into one of the songs off their new album A Thousand Suns, called “Waiting For The End.” You could tell as the band was performing this song, they were looking to the crowd for some sort of approval, which they received plenty of from the die-hard LP fans in attendance.

Once the song ended, Kevin & Bean came back up on stage and started asking the band a few questions about the new album. Mike talked about what it was like working with producer Rick Ruben and how important it was to them to change their sound and song structure on this album. Chester and Mike started receiving some encouraging shouts from the crowd to kiss, but left those fans a little disappointed when they just laughed it off.

Read the whole Live Blog from the show HERE ON KROQ.

You can listen to this part on KROQ radio official site or download it HERE (.MP3 file, 9.0 mb)

The moment started at around 06:50. Chester was talking about walking out of their comfort zone, getting away from writing standard-structured songs and letting the music do what it wants to do. Mike took on right after, and right when he was rambling about "That's a good point, Chester yadda yadda", a very surprising question hit him "Do you wanna kiss him?" and Mike got obviously flustered! He started laughing and could not finish his sentence when the crowd started cheering for them to kiss. Do we hear correctly when he was very nearly going to say "maybe"? He was stuttering (and almost giggling) "I... may... he really... put... that... together... in a way... like... when we finish... the record." Freudian slip, Michael! You really wanted to kiss him, didn't you?

When Mike could not finish what he's going to say, Chester said it was a horrible joke and he got some visual in his mind. After being demanded for some 'man on man' action, they only laughed it off and continued.

That was so close! I'm sensing something big gonna happen after ATS!

Enjoy some pictures from the show:

Thanks love_lp and ShinigamiPWN for the tip!

A Thousand Suns official release. NYC show tonight.

2010-09-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

14th Septermber 2010 - Linkin Park's lastest album "A Thousand Suns" is officially released worldwide today. Celebrate ATS day by buying the album and leaving some supportive reviews for the band! Mike has a letter sent to all the fans

A THOUSAND SUNS OUT NOW

Today, our new album A Thousand Suns is out everywhere. We're thrilled for you to finally hear and see this ambitious project in its entirety.
To those of you who pre-ordered it or have already gone out and purchased it, thank you. If you have not, we're offering a number of different bundle packages at LinkinPark.com. The album is also available on iTunes. Thanks for your continued support, and we're looking forward to seeing you on tour.

-Mike

Also, Linkin Park will be taking over the Best Buy Theater in NYC tonight - rocking their very first full show of the ATS tour route. Don't forget to check back for more news on this show!

Linkin Park's Surprise VMA Location: Story Behind Griffith Park Observatory

2010-09-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

It's fair to say that Linkin Park's VMA performance of their hit "The Catalyst" at the Griffith Park Observatory was pretty epic. Naturally, the band's killer rock stylings were a major part of the effect, but the historic scenery definitely enhanced the experience. For astute pop culture fanatics out there, if you feel like you've seen the picturesque setting before, you have — especially if you've seen "Transformers" or Adam Lambert's music video for "If I Had You."

The Griffith Park Observatory is so named for Col. Griffith J. Griffith, an eccentric and generous early L.A. land baron, who bequeathed the land upon which the landmark now sits to the city of Los Angeles in 1896. The historic site is a popular tourist destination for its science- and space-related exhibits, but also because it has been featured in dozens of films, TV shows and music videos.

Old-school classics filmed here include "Rebel Without a Cause," "Back to the Future," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "The Rocketeer" and Paula Abdul's video for "Rush Rush." More recently, "Transformers," "Yes Man," "Funny People," the TV series "24," "Beverly Hills 90210," "The Simpsons" and Lambert's "If I Had You" have included footage from the historic site. Versions of the GP Observatory are also featured in the video games "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines" and "Future Cop: LAPD."

In addition to the landmark's pop culture ties, the Griffith Park Observatory's planetarium was used to train pilots in celestial navigation during World War II, and again in the '60s to train Apollo program astronauts for the first lunar missions. The observatory underwent a major renovation from 2002 to 2006 and now features an expanded exhibit space, the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon Theater and Wolfgang Puck's Café at the end of the Universe.

Watch the behind-the-scene video here:

2010 MTV Video Music Awards - More VMA Video

Article via: MTV

Linkin Park Promise 'Epic' VMA Performance

2010-09-12T04:26:00.001-05:00

LOS ANGELES -- When Linkin Park signed on to perform at the Video Music Awards, they only had one request: They wanted it to be big.

It made sense. After all, this was going to be the first performance of "The Catalyst," the massive, sweeping debut single off their upcoming A Thousand Suns album (in stores Tuesday), and they needed an equally massive -- and sweeping -- stage from which to launch the next chapter in their career.
And though we're not allowed to say just where they'll be performing, suffice it to say, they succeeded in finding the right spot.

Watch the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards at MTV.com! - More VMA Video

"We're really excited about the new music, and this being the first performance, it's a big show for us," LP's Chester Bennington told MTV News. "So we're beyond thrilled that we were able to make it happen."
"It's an epic location and it does fit the tone of the song, and there are definitely themes about this location and the song that tie together," Mike Shinoda told MTV News. " 'The Catalyst' was one of the first demos on our record that really felt like the nucleus of what the record was going to be. ... There's a complexity to the ideas in the song. I think there are layers to the lyrics; there's obviously layers to the music."

And judging from what we saw in rehearsals Saturday night (September 11), the performance is definitely going to match the scope of the song. It's big, it's loud, and it reaches unabashedly for the stars. Which is fitting, because given where the performance is taking place, Linkin Park can practically touch them.
Infer from that what you will. Or not. Because Bennington and Shinoda aren't quite ready to make the big reveal just yet.

"It's going to be really beautiful looking. This is a very unique kind of opportunity for us to play this particular location," Bennington said. "It's not really a place where normally a band would be able to come perform at."
"Personally, I can't wait to meet Shamu," Shinoda added. "Oh sh--, did I say that out loud?"

The 27th annual MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday. The party starts with MTV News' VMA Pre-Show at 8 p.m., followed by the main event at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Fans can go to VMA.MTV.com (or text VMA to 97979 if they are Verizon subscribers) to vote for Best New Artist from now through Sunday.

Article via: MTV, MSC

Go inside Linkin Park's secret VMA rehearsal!

2010-09-12T04:15:00.002-05:00

We're less than 24 hours away from the 2010 MTV VMAs. Down to the wire. And while all VMA performances are created equally, Linkin Park's rehearsal was on a higher level. Literally, since there's a helicopter involved.

I just got back from Linkin Park's rehearsal at the remote location where they'll perform tomorrow night. It'a famous Los Angeles location, and it was absolutely freezing during their run-through of "The Catalyst."
While the whereabouts of Linkin Park's VMA performance is a surprise, I can tell you that it's an iconic location known for its role in movies but not in music. In fact, this will be the first time a musical performance has been staged there. And believe me, it's a place that matches the intensity and dramatics of "The Catalyst," as it pretty much looks and feels like the end of the world.

If you're familiar with Los Angeles, you know it gets cold here at night. Just ask the Linkin Park fans on who'll be featured in the crowd shots. One fan (also a member of the Echelon!) drove up from Arizona. Huddled next to her was another Linkin Park fan in a tank top who contemplated whether she'd rather have a jacket or meet Chester Bennington. "Right now I'd probably say a jacket, but otherwise, yeah. I'd rather meet Chester!" Point is, she was willing to sacrifice warmth to take in Linkin Park's colossal performance.
And colossal only skims the surface. Against a backdrop of fog, shockingly dramatic lighting, the moon and the night sky, and, of course, an iconic landmark that will finally be revealed tomorrow night, Linkin Park looked, well, rock as f---.

After more than a decade in the business and too many platinum albums to count without a calculator (admittedly, I'm bad at math) Linkin Park's probably not too worried about whether they've "made it." But just in case they weren't sure, watching them chant "God bless us everyone" against a night sky that looked like heaven is proof that not only are the at the top of the game, they're on top of the world.

Check out more VMA rehearsal photos. And don't miss the 2010 MTV VMAs, live from Los Angeles, on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 9/8 c.

Article via MTV, MSC

Watch "Meeting of A Thousand Suns" on YouTube

2010-09-11T04:47:00.000-05:00

For international fans who haven't purchased the CD/DVD combo and cannot access Hulu to watch Linkin Park's documentary "Meeting of A Thousand Suns", now you can watch the whole thing on youtube in high quality. A big thanks to theroxasskater for ripping the video off Hulu and uploading them on youtube for everyone to see!

Enjoy the hard but beautiful musical and emotional journey of the band through making A Thousand Suns!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Listen to ATS and watch the entire documentary "Meeting of ATS"

2010-09-11T00:59:00.000-05:00

As you wish, Linkin Park is giving out their lastest album A Thousand Suns for free! You can listen to A Thousand Suns: The Full Experience on their MySpace. LinkinPark.com also provided the fans with a lyrics page.

For U.S citizens, you have a chance to watch the entire documentary "Meeting of A Thousand Suns" on Hulu. Some other DVDs and music videos of Linkin Park are also streamed on this site. Check it out!

On a lighter note, P. Diddy is showering his twitter followers with Linkin Park love today. Amazing!

new lptv: waiting for the end

2010-09-10T18:08:00.001-05:00

We got a new Bennoda-only LPTV episode!

Mike and Chester ta-na-na'ing, what is there not to love?

(this shit should be called bennodatv. Oi!)

ATS: 2 versions

2010-09-10T12:35:00.000-05:00

From Mike Shinoda's blog

ATS: 2 VERSIONS
September 10, 2010

Regular version on the left, Special Edition on the right. Check out the rainbows.

Box set is on the way…

mike

We're definitely digging the rainbows, Mike. Anyone who has a physical copy of the album by now, share your thoughts with us!

According to LinkinPark.com, A Thousand Suns' earliest worldwide release date happened today. The album is already No.1 in iTunes: Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Austria. Great news!

Also, if you don't know, then today is World Suicide Prevention Day. Spread some love!

KROQ Breakfast with Linkin Park review

2010-09-10T06:37:00.000-05:00

love_lp on LPA has some interesting review of the KROQ Breakfast with Linkin Park

The purpose of this event, partly, was to record the Kevin & Bean show for next Tuesday. Selected people were able to ask the band questions, all of which had very interesting answers. At one point, the crowd was cheering for Chester and Mike to kiss! That was really funny. Mostly Mike and Chester were answering the questions. Brad and Joe answered one, but briefly. If anyone is interested I can tell you later about some of the Q & A.

The entire show was recorded with cameras. I think that it will be posted on KROQ.com at some point.
The show was at Paramount Pictures in LA, in a kind of small stage room.
There were about 50 people there, so of course, everyone had a good view.. I was up front! Literally 2 or 3 feet from the stage!
Sadly NO cameras, cell phones.. anything. Not one person snuck one in. I could’ve taken some bomb ass pictures.
There was a full stage set up, and a video show in the background.

The band came out & started with What I’ve Done, do I even need to review? It was just great. Next was Numb! I think they performed these just to get the crowd going with something familiar.

Now for the new songs:
Waiting for the End. This song put me near tears. (I’m a very emotional girl..) It was performed beautifully. Mike’s rapping and singing were wonderful. Chester’s voice was amazing (as you all know already) They both sung with such passion, and that made the entire audience mesmerized. I looked around and everyone was moving together, back and forth. This song will do great as a single, in my opinion.

Iridescent : I’m very sorry that I won’t have a better review of this song. I was so hypnotized. Ok, well just as with Waiting for the End, beautiful singing. I loved how the choir was performed by the entire band. That was so cool! The piano in the song was more prominent live, and the music just set the mood. Wonderful song J

The Catalyst: WOW! As I said before, I liked this song before I heard it live. Not my favorite, but I didn’t hate it. After hearing it live, I love the song! They put so much extra into it on stage. It was like a different song, in a way. SO. MUCH. ENERGY! I didn’t want this song to end! I can already tell you that the tour is gonna be insane!

Once the show ended, people were about to leave (we were told we could not get any autographs). Then Mike and Chester walked down to say hi and sign autographs! I reached out and Mike grabbed onto my hand, I smiled like a starstruck teenager. Sadly, I froze up! I got Mike’s autograph then walked over to see Chester. All I could say was “I love you guys” and he said “thank you!” after laughing a bit. I also got Chester’s autograph.

The new cd will be amazing, as will the tour. I’m lucky enough to have seen my favorite band live and up close. This will be something that I will never forget!!

Did you hear that? How powerful is Bennoda? This fandom has never ceased to amaze me!

love_lp also commented on Mike's vocals

The whole band made up the chorus for Iridescent. That was very nice to see & hear! But other than that, just Mike and Chester on vocals. And Mike's vocal performance was great! He was not shy or nervous this time. He had such confidence and he had fun with it. Especially during The Catalyst!

I just honestly can't wait to see them perform A Thousand Suns on stage!

Thanks Tyshangshan for the tip <3

A Thousand Suns has leaked.

2010-09-07T13:40:00.000-05:00

A Thousand Suns - Linkin Park's 4th studio has leaked today. You might have listened to it. Wanna talk about it? Come HERE!

quick updates round 2

2010-09-04T10:59:00.004-05:00

- If you've pre-ordered A Thousand Suns on LinkinPark.com, you probably received a little gift in your inbox last Thursday: Wretches And Kings. But don't worry, it's not too late to pre-order and automatically get the song! (Or you can be a pirate -arr arrr- and search for a download link somewhere)
We'd like to know what you think of the song, so drop by our MB to discuss!

- If you're interested in hearing a 30 second snippet from Waiting For the End, head over here.
(I am personally fighting the urge to listen to it. Must not give in to temptation.)

- A new LPTV has been uploaded on Linkin Park's Youtube channel. No, it doesn't feature our beloved Bennoda, but Mike and Brad are being adorkable (and we fully support their bromance. Wheee!)

10 MORE DAYS TO GO!

quick updates round

2010-09-01T11:39:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! We're sorry for being quiet lately, I am very busy with school and Ann is on vacation (miss you!). But here's a couple things that's happened in the Linkin Park world recently

- This week's Kerrang features an interview with Linkin Park (again!). Here's a scan of the double page spread, brought to you by the LPA.

- Check out the trailer for the Meeting of A Thousand Suns DVD. You can also hear a little snippet from a song, Wretches & Kings. Excited yet? I AM!

- Don't miss the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday September 12th. Linkin Park will deliver the first ever live performance of The Catalyst. Gon be gud! (source)

- Talking about MTV, they have posted a very interesting article about A Thousand Suns, comparing it with Radiohead's Kid A. Read it right here.

Okay, gotta run. Stay safe, shortcakes.

New LPTV "Chester's Lullaby"

2010-08-27T23:30:00.001-05:00

New LPTV episode is up with Mike and Chester in the process of finding a name for "The Catalyst". Chester's lullaby? Cute (:

You can download the video HERE (.MP4 file, 28 mb)

The Catalyst 1080p HD video

2010-08-27T12:09:00.003-05:00

I just realized that Linkin Park's youtube channel has the 1080p HD version of The Catalyst up. Finally! Enjoy every single splendiferous moments in HD quality, NOW!

You can watch the video HERE on Linkin Park's youtube channel or DOWNLOAD the video HERE (.mp4 file, 122 mb). The high quality video will reveal a lot of amazingness you haven't seen before.

Also, check out another exclusive behind-the-scene of The Catalyst on ARTISTdirect. Great stuff!

Help promote Bennoda.com. Bennoda banners

2010-08-27T01:48:00.001-05:00

Just came back to the Linkin Park fandom scene since the very start of August, Bennoda.com has received ultimate love and appreciation from all the awesometastic supporters out there. First and foremost, please let us say thank you for that.

Working as a small site feeding news on Linkin Park and focusing on the friendship ~~and more <3~~ of Mister Shinoda and Mister Bennington, we decided not to put our tags on pictures and other media material in order to bring you the best tag-free source of news. However, this decision also decreased our chance of promoting the site to a larger audience.

With that saying, why don't YOU - the readers of Bennoda.com help us out by promoting our site to your friends and your own readers?

What you can do is easy peasy: put the banners beneath on your blog (LJ/wordpress/blogspot/LPU/LPN, etc), your signatures in forums you join, or link us on your twitter/facebook/myspace. In short: spread the world!

Here are some banners that Jules and I made:

If you are a designer and wish to contribute some artworks to promote our site, please feel free to send in your own banners and post your banners over the blogs/forums. It's our honor to receive your contribution.

A ~~lame ~~wallpaper (2 sizes) since I was bored~~~~

If you have a twitter account, why don't you add a Bennoda twibbon to your avatar to show our boys some support? Thanks the beautiful Ina for creating this!

AND THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE!

Old Mike and Chester pics: with MFR and Jay Z

2010-08-26T13:51:00.000-05:00

Pictures time! Some old pictures we have found all over the net.

Working with Music For Relief

Portugal 2009

Two from Shanghai, China, 2009

An ancient one from circa 2003-04 era.

Some which are not exactly Bennoda-ish, but simply Mike and Chester with Jay Z.

Credits: life, Ana, S3dRic

The Catalyst video. Making of The Catalyst.

2010-08-26T01:20:00.000-05:00

"The Catalyst" is finally here

Linkin Park - New Music - More Music Videos

Also, check out the high quality video of 'The making of The Catalyst' HERE

Scans from Kerrang!Magazine August 25th

2010-08-25T09:02:00.002-05:00

Our hats off to JJ from LPAssocition for scanning the magazine and bringing this brilliant interview to us. A must read. Don't forget to DOWNLOAD the pictures (instead of right click + save) to get the best quality scans.

The last three scans are bigger scans of the text parts - if you want to read the article, download these ones!

Linkin Park featured on Kerrang's August 25th issue

2010-08-24T19:15:00.001-05:00

Linkin Park will be featured on Kerrang! Magazine's issue tomorrow (August 25th, 2010) with an exclusive interview. Have a sneak peek at the cover with Mike and Chester

The rebirth of Linkin Park!

Over three years since the release of their last album, Linkin Park are returning with something new, something different and something fun. With their past finally behind them, in this week's Kerrang! magazine, we bring you Linkin Park as you've never heard them before...

Source: kerrang.com

That shirt seems to be Chester's and Mike's favorite, no?

August 23rd fanarts update

2010-08-23T22:52:00.003-05:00

Some fanarts from months ago. Still hot nonetheless!

Sexy Easter by ShireRock

Never ceases to amaze us, that is Miriam. Naughty Easter!Chester is ace.

Fingerling by chesters-linkin-lady

Old naughty pic collection by TYshangshan

If you are a Bennoda slash fan, then this collection of TYshangshan is a must have

In mai pants by chesters-linkin-lady

Love this! You have to agree with Chester: that's the best place to keep Mike ;)

Bennoda on fire by AubsurdBread

Kiss me again by xXsmilifishXx

Sakura by yurugi 716

Absolutely adore Mike's facial expression in this one. The sakura theme is pretty.

DeadWalking I by TYshangshan

Memories by SSjUmi

Your cheeks are cold by yurugi716

Bennoda by cyberous

I actually dig the idea behind this piece. The artist's skill is not bad either. Reanimation!Bennoda robots is win.

Prince of Persia by ShireRock

Gorgeous color blend, sharp features, strong expressions, insanely good idea - words escape me!

Pirate in diary by TYshangshan

Everything about TYshangshan's works started with a 'B': beautiful, bold and brilliant. Closely-knit position, strong contrast of black and white, she once again proved the world that she is a professional.

The Dragons by Chessuliini

Bucket O Love by TYshangshan

[Adult content warning]

[+]I love you

[+]Come here little dork

[+]bennoda_lmao

[+]Gentle touch

An amusing emote made by Emily-Hedgehog. 'Raep face' - that made me laugh out loud!

Warner NZ's teaser for "A Thousand Suns"

2010-08-23T03:44:00.000-05:00

Warner Bros New Zealand uploaded a brief promotion video for A Thousand Suns. One of the most promising teasers we have seen. May the album live up to this great expectation. You can watch the video HERE or download directly from their channel HERE.

Some screencaps:

Source: LPA

Breaking The Habit at Smokeout Festival

2010-08-22T13:20:00.003-05:00

Reminiscences for idle time part II: most of you must have seen this video, but the classic never gets old. Breaking The Habit - the song that Linkin Park loves so much they decided to put its live version on a zillion of LPU CDs. No matter how cliché, it's still an epic song nonetheless. Linkin Park's concert at Smokeout Festival, National Orange Show Events Center, San Bernadino, California, November 15, 2003 was the first time Chester and the band performed this song.

Some famous quotes from Chester about this experience

"When Mike wrote it, I said, 'I swear to God you wrote this song about me.'" says Bennington.

"It took me a long time to be able to perform the song," Bennington says, "because I had such an emotional connection. I would break down in tears."

From LPL: "A fan that went to the show remarked, "And yes, Breaking the Habit was quite a suprise....even Chester said before they started the song that they were never going to play it live."

Check out this performance, recorded professionally by Fremont Studios

Or you can download the video HERE (29.7 MB, .AVI file)

At the end of the song, Chester got really emotional. This is one of the rare performances of the band that touches me deeply. Chester's passion and pain exuded during this song makes the fans understand how much Linkin Park have put themselves into their work and pushed their own boundaries for the sake of music. Hopefully we can see such emotions again in their upcoming record.

Concert photos from Lisboa, Berlin, St. Petersburg and Moutain View

2010-08-21T14:31:00.002-05:00

Some old pictures from their previous tours

June 08, 2007. Lisboa, Portugal. Passeio Marítimo de Algés:

June 27, 2008. Berlin, Germany. Waldbühne

July 26, 2009. St. Petersburg, Russia. Telebashnya Stadium

August 09, 2008. Mountain View, California. Shoreline Amphitheatre

Credits: RaMiK, darkLP, MacShepard, Deko, carouselstepup

These photos bring back so many memories of the on-fire, passionate concerts of the band. Can't wait for Linkin Park to hit the road again!

Linkin Park MTV News 2001 Kotzteufel Spinnenbiss

2010-08-20T21:28:00.000-05:00

In the idle time waiting for The Catalyst video to get released, a clearer explanation on LPU X, or some new promo pictures from the band - basically everything revolving around the new album, why don't we awake some reminiscences and enjoy them ourselves?

An 2001 interview that many of you may have seen, but has not been posted on Bennoda.com yet: MTV News 2001 Kotzteufel Spinnenbiss.

You can download the video HERE (7.4 mb, .avi file)

Some screencaps

Ain't they so young and adorable?

New Linkin Park promo pics

2010-08-19T21:58:00.001-05:00

Some new promo pictures of the band have surfaced. Check them out.

The band looks amazing, and it's not hard to see this is one of their better photoshoots. If you notice, Chester wears Mike's plaid shirt again. Check out THIS POST for more information about this infamous shirt ;) Pictures of other band members have been posted HERE. (the Bourdie is love!)