Linkin Park 2017-10-28 Mashable, 'F*ck depression': Linkin Park tribute concert celebrates Chester Bennington's life

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'F*ck depression': Linkin Park tribute concert celebrates Chester Bennington's life

Musicians from Linkin Park; Dave Farrell, Joe Hahn, Brad Delsen, Rob Bourdon and Mike Shinoda perform during the "Linkin Park And Friends Celebrate Life In Honor Of Chester Bennington" event at the Hollywood Bowl on October 27, 2017 in Hollywood, California.

By Brian Koerber

"I don't have the words and I don't think any of us do," Linkin Park's pianist and vocalist Mike Shinoda told the sold out crowd at the Hollywood Bowl on Friday night.

He didn't need them. The band, joined by a laundry list of famous friends, orchestrated a truly beautiful and cathartic tribute concert that was much more powerful than words. They celebrated the life of the band's singer, Chester Bennington, who died by suicide in July.

Helping fill the stage were members of popular bands who had their heyday around the turn of the century like Blink182, Sum 41, Yellowcard, Bush, System of a Down, Avenged Sevenfold, No Doubt, and many, many more. Limited by no specific genre or style, it felt like the entire industry came together to support the band and honor the life of their friend. The musicians helped sing some of Bennington's parts or filled in on guitar in Linkin Park's songs, while others performed their own tributes.

Fans' countless crying faces were projected onto screens surrounding the stage, but the event didn't feel like a funeral — this was a celebration. Linkin Park's songs are dark and emotionally driven, adding a deep layer of intimacy between the band and its fans. It was hard not to choke up hearing the crowd sing powerful lyrics like "In the end, it doesn't even matter," and "Who cares if one more light goes out in the sky of a million stars?"

Every song, in some way, felt related to Bennington's tragic death and that much more meaningful.



Image: Christopher Polk/Getty Images

Shinoda had once shared the role of band frontman with Bennington — on this night the responsibility was his alone. He proved he was up to the task, acting with professionalism and genuine love for both the music and Linkin Park's fans. A band performing without a lead singer may sound impossible — Shinoda called the concert one of the "hardest things I think we've ever decided to do." In honor of Bennington, though, Linkin Park made it work.

After a few songs to kick things off, the stage went dark and a single microphone stand covered in greenery was illuminated at the center of the stage. No one sang into the mic as the band performed "Numb," one of Linkin Park's most popular songs off the band's 2003 album Meteora.

After a few bars, the crowd came to the realization that nobody was going to step out from the back of the stage to sing this one for Bennington. It was on the fans to fill the void. The audience became a little closer with that knowledge, tension eased. Those who knew the words sang a little bit louder. The emotional moment appears in the video below, complete with chants of "Chester! Chester! Chester!" to close out the song.



While the music alone spoke volumes, musicians also used the stage to advocate for mental health awareness, which received praise and cheers from the crowd of over 18,000.

"There's been a lot of vilification of people with depression, and addiction, and being troubled, and being in the public eye, and being made fun of for the challenges that we as a huge community of people with notoriety have gone through. And it's an extremely, isolating, challenging journey to go through," Alanis Morissette said to the crowd as she introduced the song "Rest" off her upcoming album. "And so, for me, I just want to offer empathy to all people in the public eye. To all of you here tonight, to everyone around the planet who's grieving."

The crowd roared for Morissette, who's probably one of the last people you'd expect to perform at a Linkin Park concert. There was no ego that night. Nobody scoffed at the mix of genres or musical backgrounds the diverse lineup presented. The crowd may have been filled with rockers, but none of that seemed to matter.

Later in the evening, Bennington's microphone made another appearance as Talinda Ann Bentley, Chester's wife, took the stage to thank the Linkin Park family, the performers, and crowd. She introduced a new mental health resource, called 320 in collaboration with Change Direction, in honor of her husband.

Talinda Ann Bentley speaks during the Linkin Park and Friends Celebrate Life in Honor of Chester Bennington at the Hollywood Bowl, in Los Angeles, California.

Image: Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock

"It is time to recognize that mental health is as important as our physical health," Bentley said to the crowd. "It is my mission to make it easier to have access to mental health resources ... Together we will build a recourse, not only for those suffering emotionally, but also for friends, and family members, and medical practitioners, who are seeking answers to questions about mental health, illness, and addiction, so they can best support people in their lives."

Bentley announced there were mental health professionals from Change Direction available at the show for anyone seeking help.

"Fuck depression, let's make Chester proud," Bentley said before exiting the stage.

While the show could have been somber, it was packed with energetic and uplifting performances, including one from Bennington himself. Using footage and audio from a performance from Linkin Park at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2014, the band played "New Divide" with Bennington at the helm. If I closed my eyes, it felt like Bennington was on stage, singing along with the crowd packed with devoted fans. The song, for a brief moment, brought Bennington back to life to perform one last time.

As the masses exited the venue they were greeted with a memorial wall, where they wrote tributes and messages to Bennington. The vibe was positive and people were in good spirits despite being stuck in an endless line of people slowly trying to exit the massive venue.

Fans write messages on memorial wall for Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, located outside the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California.

Image: Mashable/Brian Koerber

"I thought it was wonderful. I thought it was beautiful," longtime fan Angela Schippers, 35, of Moreno Valley, California, said about the concert after signing the wall.

"I just thanked Chester for all the beautiful music that inspired everyone," she said.

Longtime Linkin Park fan Angela Schippers signs a memorial for Chester Bennington.

 

Image: Mashable/Brian Koerber

"It was so good, so fun. I go to a lot of concerts [and this was] one of the best concerts I've ever been to. And the thing is, I don't know all their music," Jason Wisch, a Los Angeles native, admitted. "It was poetic."

Before ending the show, Shinoda touched on a topic that was on every fan's mind: What will happen to the beloved band now that its lead singer is gone?

"You guys, we don't know where we're going from here, we certainly appreciate your support as we get there ... most importantly, keep Chester in your hearts and make Chester proud," he said.

This was so much more than a concert, or a memorial for a dear friend — it was proof that music can heal and bring people together for good. There's no doubt: Bennington would have been proud of what he saw on stage on Friday. Proud of his friends, proud of his bandmates, proud of his family, and most importantly, proud of his fans.

David Bowie 2016-01-11 Mashable, How David Bowie pushed the boundaries of gendered fashion

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How David Bowie pushed the boundaries of gendered fashion

Bowie's rejection of traditional masculinity cemented him as a trailblazing icon in the gender-bending fashion movement.

Image: Justin de Villeneuve/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

By Rachel Thompson

LONDON — David Bowie, the legendary rock singer who died Sunday at the age of 69, was a powerful fashion force who catapulted androgynous fashion into mainstream culture and transcended the boundaries of gendered clothing.

During his decades-long career, Bowie's innovation and tireless creativity was not only reflected in his iconic music, but also in the trailblazing style his fans seldom managed to keep up with.

Bowie is best known as a performer who adopted and cast off a plethora of alter egos, including Ziggy Stardust, the Thin White Duke and Major Tom. But Bowie was also the first mainstream music star to bring gender-bending fashion centre stage. Bowie's androgyny knew no bounds; from his scarlet red mullet to his piercing neon-blue eye makeup, his flamboyant makeup and experimental hairstyles revolutionised masculine fashions in the 1970s, setting trends for both men and women alike.

Bowie performed in heels; he sported dresses, blouses and crotch-hugging jumpsuits; he painted his face with neon colours and glitter, all while oozing sex appeal and nonchalance that made it impossible to see gender-bending as anything other than cool.

For Bowie, however, this rejection of conventional masculinity was not just about gender — it was about shirking what it meant to be human. "I always had a repulsive need to be something more than human," Bowie once said in an interview.

"I felt very puny as a human. I thought, 'F*ck that. I want to be a superhuman.'"

A pre-glam David Bowie jams at a party in Los Angeles in January 1971

Image: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

In 1970, the world first took note of the 23-year-old, long-haired, androgynous oddity from Brixton after he released his album The Man Who Sold The World. This album heavily influenced the glitter-soaked glam rock decade that followed, but the look that accompanied the album cemented Bowie as a style icon whose legacy still endures today.

Yet, in 1970, Bowie's brazen femininity was a bold and risky move. It had been a mere three years since homosexuality was legalised in the UK, and the Gay Liberation Front had just been established in response to growing concerns over widespread homophobia.

David Bowie performing at Earls Court Arena in 1973 during the Ziggy Stardust tour

Image: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns

In a tribute to Bowie, British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman wrote of the extent of Bowie's style influence on youth culture during the 1970s. "My friends and I looked to David for our style inspiration," she said.

"The covers of Aladdin Sane, Pin Ups, Ziggy Stardust were our moodboards. Shaven eyebrows, mullet hair, pale skin, blue and pink eye make-up were all attempted with varying degrees of success."

David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust period is pictured in Philadelphia, Dec. 1, 1972.

"The 'swishy satin and tat' of Queen Bitch was our look of choice. We spent all our pocket money on skinny silk scarves from Biba, Forties tea dresses from Kensington Market, panne velvet loons from the Jean Machine, multicoloured platform boots from Sacha," Schulman continued.

David Bowie performs 'Rebel Rebel' on TV show TopPop in 1974.

Image: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns

Bowie's pirate-inspired ensemble — complete with eye-patch — became his era-defining, signature look. The painfully tight crotch and high-waisted body suit paired with a feminine blouse encapsulated the glamorous camp sensibility at the heart of glam rock.

Bowie's signature red mullet, eye patch and silk scarf.

Image: RTNWalter / MediaPunch/IPX

Dylan Jones, editor-in-chief of UK GQ, told Mashable: "You only have to look at the wild array of designs on show at London Collections Men to see just how influential Bowie was in terms of gender fluidity. This generation wouldn't be this generation without him."

Bowie's impact on the fashion world is a significant one. During a decade of recession and discord, Bowie made fashion fun and accessible for generations young and old. He reinvented what it meant to be masculine by wearing women's clothing and makeup. The ease with which he pulled off these looks made androgyny — an erstwhile social taboo — the new normal.

BONUS: Remembering the music of David Bowie across 6 decades

Watch the video on the link on top of post.