Linkin Park’s recent reunion was big news this year, but it came with a massive change in lineup. Aside from Emily Armstrong stepping in for the late Chester Bennington, and drummer Rob Bourdon deciding to leave the band, longtime guitarist Brad Delson announced that he would be stepping away from touring. Though he is still technically a member of the band and works behind the scenes to write and record music, Delson was replaced on the road with guitarist Alex Feder.
Now, in a new interview with Guitar World, Delson gave some more details about his replacement, his decision to leave touring behind, and revealed whether or not he would ever return to the stage.
“Alex is just so good-looking that the world could not resist him,” Delson said, laughing. “Even if I wanted to hold him back, his charm is like wish fulfillment. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Delson explained that spending time away from the band allowed him to re-evaluate his life as a professional musician.
“For me, having less time active over the last however many years gave us each a great opportunity to think qualitatively about the band, what energizes us, where we feel most fulfilled, and where we thrive,” he said.
Delson added that with Linkin Park returning, change would be inevitable, and says Feder is “an amazing musician and a strong live player.”
“For everyone, it wasn’t like, ‘Let’s go back to what we were doing.’ It was like, ‘Let’s take what we’ve learned in the time off to approach our roles with greater self-awareness and insight,’” he expands. “I really thrive in the studio. I love making new things. That’s what energizes me personality-wise.
“That’s why I decided to focus my energy on that area and have Alex as my world-traveler doppelganger. I think he brings a lot to the show.”
Despite not touring with Linkin Park, Delson was instrumental in developing their live show.
“I’m really proud of the show,” he says. “Even though I’m not onstage, I put a lot of my creative love into the show. I’ve always been obsessed with the setlist, the concept of the show, and how it flows. I worked really hard on the current show; that’s no different than the past.”
But Delson isn’t ruling out returning to the stage, saying: “You never know. I don’t have a crystal ball, I can’t definitely say.”
