Linkin Park's Next Concert Will Be A Tribute To Chester Bennington In More Ways Than One

The Linkin Park lead singer's tragic death in July 2017 left family, friends, and fans reeling. But Linkin Park's first concert after Chester Bennington's death will be a one-off event to commemorate their friend's life, and that's the kind of heartwarming news that makes this hard time feel a little easier. Even better, Chester Bennington Memorial Concert funds will go to one organization that was particularly close to the musician's heart.

As news of the concert broke, the band dropped a heart wrenching video for "One More Light," a song from their latest record. It shows the late singer surrounded by fans, reaching into the crowd as well as showing him backstage with friends. Mike Shinoda, who co-founded Linkin Park in 1996, explained the track "was written with the intention of sending love to those who lost someone. We now find ourselves on the receiving end." He then expressed appreciation for the efforts of fans, stating,

"In memorial events, art, videos, and images, fans all over the world have gravitated towards this song as their declaration of love and support for the band and the memory of our dear friend, Chester. We are so very grateful and can’t wait to see you again."

According to Linkin Park's website, tickets will go on sale to the general public on Friday September 22 at 10 a.m. Los Angeles time. However, "LP underground members" will get earlier access, being able to buy tickets from Tuesday, September 19 from 12 p.m. Los Angeles time. But there's no point in joining the membership scheme now to get tickets, since apparently LPU members that joined after 11:59 p.m. PST on Sunday, September 17 won't be eligible for the ticket pre-sale.

The concert itself will take place on October 27 at the Hollywood Bowl and the band's website confirms that other musicians will take part in the evening, though they've not yet released any specific names. If you're not based close by and would still like to express sympathies with a financial gift, the website also provides users with the option of making a donation.

Entertainment Weekly reports that those in the band plan to donate their fees to Music For Relief’s One More Light Fund. According to Music For Relief's website, the charity was founded by the band in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, and, if the copy is anything to go by, they sound like a potent force for good in the world. They have two aims: helping "survivors recover and rebuild" following natural disasters and mitigating "damage caused by natural disasters by reducing greenhouse gasses[sic] and educating the public about climate change."

They report raising over $9 million for survivors of disasters including "Hurricane Katrina, China’s Wenchuan earthquake, a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe," amongst others, plus they've planted over 1.3 million trees in an effort to reduce climate change, which is all very impressive. Still, on reflection, the profits could be used for something slightly different than the above. This is because they're going to the One More Light Fund (which was founded shortly after Bennington's death), not the larger charity. As of yet, details are sparse about specifically what the One More Light Fund will be used to do. However, given how effective the band's charity work has been so far, let's call it: it's almost certainly going to a good cause.

Since a week after the musician's death, the Music For Relief website informed visitors that all donations would "now be directed to the One More Light Fund in honor of Chester Bennington," it seems relatively likely that the money would be used to support those in need, perhaps with similar issues the lead singer went through — possibly providing support for those struggling with depression or general mental health issues. Still, presumably we'll get more details closer to the time.

During an interview on the radio station KROQ on Monday morning, Shinoda implied that fans should prepare themselves and that the show shouldn't necessarily be purely about mourning and sadness, but something more hopeful, too. "I know it’s going to be a rollercoaster of emotion," he said. "but when we talk about this, when we’re focusing on the show, it’s really about celebrating life." If you love Linkin Park and want to celebrate the life of an incredible man, going to the concert could be one way to do so.