The buzz has been heavy about a potential Linkin Park reunion since the spring of this year and a countdown timer on the band’s socials has only added to the suspense, so what do we actually know about a potential Linkin Park reunion?
About That Countdown Timer
Linkin Park posted a countdown timer to their socials on Saturday (Aug. 26) that started at 100 hours. For those wondering, the countdown is set to end on Wednesday (Aug. 28).
Who Shared the Timer on Social Media?
In addition to Linkin Park, Mike Shinoda, Joe Hahn, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and Brad Delson all shared the countdown timer on at least one of their social media platforms. Drummer Rob Bourdon has remained off social media. A Linkin Park fan site also caught that the Welcome to Rockville festival’s X account had also shared the countdown for a period on Saturday. That’s fueled speculation that the band might perform at the 2025 edition of the festival.
The Spring Buzz About a Reunion …. With a Female Singer
In April, Orgy frontman Jay Gordon revealed during an interview that Linkin Park were going to reunite and hire a female lead singer, although he later attempted to walk back those comments: “Don’t quote me on that. I’m not sure who the singer is gonna be, but I heard it was gonna be female. They might just try to move on like that. That ought to be interesting.”
Later that same month, Evanescence‘s Amy Lee responded to rumors that she was going to be Linkin Park’s new vocalist by calling it “an incredible compliment,” but also denying the story. “No, I have not been contacted [by Linkin Park] or anything like that. But [I’m a] huge fan [and] feel like our worlds, our fanbases are a lot of the same people.”
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In May, Billboard reported that Linkin Park was considering a 2025 reunion tour, again mentioning a female lead singer and teasing the involvement of three classic-era members: vocalist / guitarist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist / keyboardist Brad Delson and bassist Dave Farrell. Perhaps with Hahn’s re-sharing of the countdown on socials, he too could be involved.
Linkin Park Since 2017
Linkin Park have not performed live since an Oct. 27, 2017 tribute concert for lead singer Chester Bennington, who died by suicide on July 20, 2017, less than two weeks after performing his last show with the group.
The band went on hiatus following Bennington’s death and with the exception of making interview appearances to promote the 20th anniversary editions of Hybrid Theory and Meteora, they’ve been relatively quiet.
Mike Shinoda has been the most visible of the band’s members, starting up a solo career that’s included 2018’s Post Traumatic album as well as 2020’s Dropped Frames that was inspired by fan interactions on his Twitch channel. Shinoda and Phoenix Farrell did appear together onstage during a 2018 Halloween concert.
Shinoda has also indulged his production talents, interacting with fans on social media to find undiscovered talent to produce non-album singles in 2021. He’s also produced Demi Lovato and PRVIS in 2023.
Joe Hahn has been relatively quiet, producing a video for Steve Aoki and BTS in 2018, then adding his touches to Linkin Park’s 2024 video for “Friendly Fire.”
In 2023, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell told Loudwire Nights’ Kevin Vargas that it was his personal hope to do something again with the band, even though he insisted that nothing was currently in the works.
“There’s five guys that are in all different places. We’re still close. We still keep in contact. There’s zero animosity, which is awesome. These guys are guys that mean so much to my life and are really the only guys that can related to some of these crazy things that I’ve gone through so each one of them kind of has a special place in my heart,” said Farrell about the band’s current state, before adding, “Everybody’s on their own path and everybody’s in their different point of view when it comes to the band.”
He then continued, “Having said that, speaking just for myself, I think there’s more stuff that I want to do with the band at some point. There’s no immediate plan. There’s no process that is started or mapped out in any way shape or form, but I think at some point down the road we have more to say, and I think we’ll want to do some more stuff, whatever that means.”
Farrell also addressed the idea of the band being respectful of Bennington’s memory and legacy, noting, ““For anything, when it comes to Chester, it just has to pass, first and foremost … a heart check. Does it fit something we feel like he would love or be a part of or kind of be into? If that’s even a little bit shaky, then it just feels gross.”
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Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire