Linkin Park interview: Dave Farrell on getting the band back together and finally coming to India

Ahead of nu-metal legends Linkin Park’s first-ever amusement successful India, bassist Dave Farrell sounds grounded and somewhat astonished that the set is lasting wherever it is again.

After a seven-year soundlessness pursuing Chester Bennington’s decease successful 2017, the band’s aboriginal erstwhile felt suspended successful grief and unanswered questions, but that ambiguity made their surprise 2024 livestream comeback onshore with seismic force, introducing a caller lineup, a caller medium successful From Zero, and a satellite circuit that felt similar a hard-won continuation of the legend. When the set announced they would yet bring that circuit to India aboriginal past year, die-hards similar myself responded with corporate disbelief and unfiltered euphoria astatine the prospects of our puerility dreams yet coming true.

Alongside Mike Shinoda, Emily Armstrong, Joe Hahn, Brad Delson and Colin Brittain; Farrell volition measurement onto an Indian signifier for the archetypal clip successful Bengaluru, followed by headlining slots astatine Lollapalooza India successful Mumbai this weekend. Three decades into a vocation that erstwhile seemed closed, helium speaks astir grief, patience, and the slow, uncertain locomotion backmost to euphony that felt live again.

“This volition beryllium my archetypal clip successful India and I’m excited,” helium says implicit a video telephone from Abu Dhabi. “I’m excited not lone to play the shows but adjacent conscionable to get to acquisition a tiny spot of Indian culture, the consciousness of being there.” For a set with a planetary fanbase that has followed them crossed continents for years, the information that India remained retired of scope stayed with them. “They [Indian fans] person travel and seen america astatine places each astir the satellite but it’s yet clip for america to travel and spot them there.”

The consciousness of serendipitous timing comes up again erstwhile Farrell talks astir the band’s instrumentality successful 2024. The astonishment livestream was not the effect of a cleanable determination oregon a neat roadmap, alternatively it followed years of affectional uncertainty aft Bennington’s death. “From 2017 to 2021, determination was a batch of worldly to fig retired and enactment through,” helium says. “Obviously, losing Chester was truly hard for each of us.” The aboriginal years were astir family, mourning, and recalibrating beingness distant from the band. Public questions came faster than interior answers, and Farrell recalls however his banal effect became a mode of protecting that uncertainty: “I’d beryllium truly amazed if we bash thing successful the adjacent year. And I’d beryllium truly amazed if we don’t bash thing successful the adjacent 10 years.”

The prodigious instrumentality began devoid of ambition. Farrell had started gathering with the band’s laminitis and vocalist Mike Shinoda, and turntablist Joe Hahn, simply to write. “We were conscionable having fun,” helium says. There was nary unit to revive the set name, nor immoderate consciousness of work to recreate its legacy. “It was much just, let’s conscionable marque worldly and spot what that becomes.” That openness allowed thing acquainted to re-emerge naturally. “It was undeniably for us; it had the Linkin Park dependable and it had our soul.” When the band’s caller pb vocalist Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain entered the picture, the chemistry was immediate. “We couldn’t get escaped of Colin and Emily,” Farrell laughs. “They were the radical that we gravitated towards.”

There is an unmissable irony successful Farrell’s long-standing nickname, ‘Phoenix’, resurfacing during this chapter. He acknowledges it with a chuckle, “a full rising from the ashes”, though helium explains however the nickname itself has faded with time. “More and much present I’m conscionable Dave than ever before.” What hasn’t faded is his consciousness of however uncommon this 2nd beingness of the set feels. “We got a accidental to bash thing connected a standard that is insane and unimaginable, and I consciousness truthful fortunate for that. For it to enactment a 2nd clip astir feels similar winning the lottery twice.”

From Zero carries the value of the band’s past without sounding trapped by it, folding unneurotic the heaviness, electronics, and melodic instincts that defined antithetic phases of their catalogue portion leaving country for caller voices to reshape the contours. Looking back, Farrell resists the thought that the set had clarity aboriginal on. “It feels similar you’re wandering astir successful the wilderness until you scope this awesome spot,” helium says.

Armstrong’s accomplishment marked the astir disposable change. Formerly the frontwoman of Los Angeles stone set Dead Sara, she came successful with a raw, high-voltage vocal benignant built connected grit and affectional swing, stepping into a relation defined for astir 2 decades by Bennington’s singular presence. Farrell speaks astir her with attraction and specificity, steering distant from comparisons. “You ne'er cognize until you truly beryllium down with idiosyncratic and enactment with them however overmuch they tin deliver,” helium says. What amazed him was her range. “She tin sing heavy, she tin sing worldly that’s emotive and strong, and past successful the adjacent line, sing thing that’s truthful beauteous and soft.” Beyond technique, it was her magnetic beingness that seemed to person an contiguous effect astatine home. “My 3 teenage daughters… Emily was instantly to them the coolest idiosyncratic successful the world.” Farrell laughs that immoderate lingering credibility helium had astatine location vanished the infinitesimal Armstrong entered the picture, dropping him respective notches down the coolness ladder overnight.

Returning to the roadworthy brought its ain recalibrations. Farrell says the situation wasn’t remembering however to play together, but remembering however to endure touring itself. “You turn older, and you turn a small little resilient.” Early routing was punishing by design, a mode to reintroduce the set globally. He recalls jumping from New York to Germany, past the UK, connected to Korea, backmost done Texas, and down to Brazil successful accelerated succession, a agelong of dates that hardly allowed the assemblage to drawback up. “It was conscionable bonkers.”

Their evolving setlists had besides go a tricky balancing act. Farrell calls it “a dance” betwixt what the set loves and what the assemblage hopes for. Perfection, helium admits, is impossible, and idiosyncratic was ever bound to miss their favourite song. But the extremity was consistency and intention. “We privation to enactment our champion ft guardant and play the champion presumption of our euphony that we can.”

Even aft decades, nerves inactive find their mode successful — sometimes done musculus representation misfiring. Farrell recalls precocious playing the outro of ‘One Step Closer’ successful a mode helium had not done successful implicit a decade. “There’s nary crushed wherefore my encephalon decided to bash that.” He laughs, calling it “control alt delete”.

With the Grammys connected the skyline conscionable aft the India shows, Farrell sounds appreciative and self-aware. From Zero is nominated for Best Rock Album, portion ‘The Emptiness Machine’ is up for Best Rock Performance, adding to a past that has already seen the set triumph aggregate Grammys earlier successful their career. “It’s ever bully to beryllium nominated,” helium says, earlier admitting that his excitement is mostly for the band’s newest members. “I particularly anticipation we triumph for Colin and Emily’s sake. They don’t person a Grammy yet.” The ceremonial itself however, sits extracurricular his comfortableness zone. “I sometimes get tense and stressed retired and anxious astir putting connected Grammy apparel and walking reddish carpets,” helium adds. What steadies him is simpler. “I get excited astir being successful [countries like] India and playing shows for the archetypal time.”

As for what comes next, Farrell keeps expectations deliberately loose. Touring pauses successful June, aft which the set plans to retreat backmost into the studio, penning and experimenting without deadlines hanging overhead. He is candid astir the pace. “Our originative process is not fast, to accidental the least” helium says, chuckling astatine the understatement. Here’s hoping it arrives sooner alternatively than later, though Linkin Park fans person learned their patience intelligibly finds meaning successful the end.

Linkin Park is bringing the From Zero World Tour to Bengaluru for a peculiar standalone performance connected January 23, astatine Brigade Innovation Gardens. It volition past header Lollapalooza India 2026 successful Mumbai connected January 25, astatine Mahalaxmi Race Course. The events are produced and promoted by BookMyShow Live.