Mike Shinoda on touring with a Chester Bennington hologram: "I cannot f*** with that"

December 18, 2017

During a recent Instagram Live video, Mike Shinoda commented on the future of Linkin Park and the possibility of touring with a hologram of late singer Chester Bennington.

Shinoda began the live stream to discuss the release of the band's One More Light Live album and respond to fan questions. When asked about the possibility of Linkin Park touring with a Chester Bennington hologram, he immediately ruled out the idea.

“Can we not do a holographic Chester? I can’t even wrap my head around the idea of a holographic Chester,” Shinoda responded (transcription by Alternative Nation). “I’ve actually heard other people outside the band suggest that, and there’s absolutely no way. I cannot fuck with that.”

“I can’t do a hologram Chester you guys, that would be the worst,” he later commented. “For any of you guys who have lost a loved one, best friend, family member, can you imagine having a hologram of them? Awful. I can’t do it. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but we’ll figure it out eventually.”

Shinoda also hosted a listening party yesterday via Instagram Live for One More Light Live, which was released this past Friday, Dec. 15. Though he comments that he's “fine,” the musician departed the listening session early because it was too hard for him to listen to Bennington's voice for that long. You can read the full tweet below:

I did a listening party on Instagram Live today for the new album. I left early, and didn’t really give a reason. To be honest, it was because it’s hard for me to listen to Chester’s voice for that long. I‘m fine, I just wanted you to know. Thanks for understanding. ��❤️

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) December 16, 2017

Shinoda recently talked about his grieving process following Chester Bennington's sudden death earlier this year.

“Grief is a non-linear process,” he told Billboard. “It doesn't have 'stages' that go in order, it has phases that come and go at random. Some people are having sad days, others are having good days, others are having angry days…add the constant stress and fear of things like the news cycle, and you've got some exceptional chaos on your hands!”

One More Light Live now available here, and features 16 songs from the European leg of band’s tour of the same name. Check out the record's full tracklisting below.

One More Light Live track list:
1. “Talking To Myself”
2. “Burn It Down”
3. “Battle Symphony”
4. “New Divide”
5. “Invisible”
6. “Nobody Can Save Me”
7. “One More Light”
8. “Crawling”
9. “Leave Out All The Rest”
10. “Good Goodbye” (feat. Stormzy)
11. “What I've Done”
12. “In the End”
13. “Sharp Edges”
14. “Numb”
15. “Heavy”
16. “Bleed It Out”

Watch more: 11 Linkin Park deep cuts