Linkin Park have revealed that they had “inquired” about touring alongside My Chemical Romance in 2025.
Yesterday (Novemebr 13), My Chemical Romance announced their “Long Live The Black Parade” 2025 North American stadium tour in celebration of their 2006 album ‘The Black Parade’. Each show will feature a different hand-selected artist as opening support – Violent Femmes, 100 Gecs, Wallows, Garbage, Death Cab for Cutie and Thursday, Alice Cooper, Pixies, Devo, IDLES and Evanescence.
The announcement of select support acts left fans with mixed emotions after realising that some of the acts make more sense than others, meaning certain bands ended up coming as a surprise.
Mike Shinoda has said via Discord that Linkin Park were looking to tour with My Chemical Romance but both bands were already planning huge tours. pic.twitter.com/cCViHrRgcM
— State of the Scene (@SOTSPodcast) November 13, 2024
Now, it was revealed by Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda that the ‘Numb’ hitmakers had looked into touring with Gerard Way and co but each band were already planning huge tours.
In a Discord chat, Shinoda responded to a fan discussing how if the two bands were to tour together, they would sell out. “We inquired, but both bands were already planning huge tours individually,” he wrote. “Love those guys, I’m sure their tour will be incredible.”
The two bands previously toured together in 2007 for Linkin Park’s Projekt Revolution. It marked the fourth iteration of the band’s Projekt Revolution Tour and was Linkin Park’s first big US tour for their album ‘Minutes To Midnight’.
Along with My Chemical Romance, the bill also included Taking Back Sunday, HIM, Placebo, Julien-K, Mindless Self Indulgence, Saosin, The Bled, Styles Of Beyond, Madina Lake and Art Of Chaos.
In an interview with the late Chester Bennington for Revolver Magazine, the singer revealed that My Chemical Romance was Linkin Park’s first choice for the Projekt Revolution tour. “This year, I wanted bands that I felt were the total package. And my first choice was My Chemical Romance. I was like, if we get them to do this tour, it doesn’t matter who else is on the bill. Because I personally would love to see My Chem and Linkin Park play,” he said (per Linkinpedia).
It was also on that tour that My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way met his wife, Mindless Self Indulgence bassist Lyn-Z, and where they got married backstage during the final show.
The confirmation that Linkin Park have been planning a huge tour comes after Wembley Stadium had teased something with the band. Yesterday (November 12), a post appeared on Wembley’s X/Twitter, account featuring a photo of the external screens at the stadium reading “Counting From Zero” – ‘From Zero’ being the name of Linkin Park’s upcoming album, out this Friday (November 15) – pre-save/pre-order the album here.
The show would become the only the third UK performance from Linkin Park since their reformation in 2023 with new members Emily Armstrong and Colin Brittain on vocals and drums respectively, after they went on hiatus following the death of singer Chester Bennington in 2017. They previously played The O2 in London on September 24 and November 2.
12PM GMT. Thursday 14th November. pic.twitter.com/NrUELosVdl
— Wembley Stadium (@wembleystadium) November 12, 2024
Elsewhere, the band previewed an as-yet-unreleased song from the album, ‘Casualty’, with Shinoda telling fans, “If ever there was a time in a Linkin Park show to show us the biggest pit that you can [this is it].”
The preview came after the band brought out Helmet’s Page Hamilton for a surprise appearance as they performed ‘All For Nothing’ live for the first time.
In September, Shinoda opened up about the new “culture” of the band, describing it as the “best we’ve had”. He said on the From Zero podcast: “I’m not saying that as a knock on the old line-up. I’m saying that specifically about the growth of Brad [Delson] and Joe [Hahn] and Dave [Farrell] and me. Everybody is in a really good place and part of that is maybe the gratitude of being able to do it again.”
He also spoke about Bennington, saying: “With Chester, I had another human being where I could feed him ideas and he could bring them to life like nobody else. It was amazing. And I didn’t know any better,” he explained. “I hadn’t had very much experience with anybody else so I was just like, ‘Oh this is just what it’s like to have a really good singer and be like what do you think about this?’ Here’s an idea and you both try it and then you go high five. That’s great.
“When I started working with other people, I started to realise it’s harder to find. That’s unusual.”
Ahead of their live shows this autumn, Shinoda explained that the current iteration of the band was “not about erasing the past.” He said: “We are thrilled to be back out here… it is about starting this new chapter into the future, and coming out here for each and every one of you.”