Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson explains why he quit playing live with the band

nme.com:

Linkin Park guitarist Brad Delson has shed light on why he quit playing live with the band.The guitarist played in the band for classic albums like 2000’s ‘Hybrid Theory’, 2003’s ‘Meteora’ and 2007’s ‘Minutes to Midnight’, as well as later albums including ‘A Thousand Suns’ (2010), ‘Living Things’ (2012), ‘The Hunting Party’ (2014) and ‘One More Light’ (2017).However, when the band announced their comeback last September – announcing Emily Armstrong as the new vocalist and new album ‘From Zero’ – Delson later confirmed that he would be taking a step back from touring duties.The record marked the first from Linkin Park in seven years, and the first since the tragic death of frontman Chester Bennington.Now, in a new interview with Guitar World, the longtime member shed light on the reasons why he is sitting out of the upcoming 2025 tour.

Explaining his decision, he recalled that he simply noticed that it was mainly the time in the studio which allowed him to “thrive”.“For me, and, I guess, all the guys, the last however many years gave us the opportunity to really think qualitatively about the band – what energizes us, where we feel most fulfilled, and where we thrive,” he said.“It wasn’t like, ‘Let’s go back to what we were doing.’ It was, ‘Let’s take what we’ve learned to approach our roles with greater self-awareness and insight.’ I really thrive in the studio.

I love making new things. That’s why I decided to focus my energy on that area.”Explaining why Alex Feder was enlisted as his replacement, he said: “It’s just a great friendship.

He’s an amazing musician and a strong live player. I think he brings a lot to the show – and I’m really proud of the show.”“Even though I’m not onstage, I put a lot of my creative love.