Linkin Park's New Lineup To Play at Globe Life Field

The newly relaunched Linkin Park is embarking on a world tour. After announcing the new lineup, with Emily Armstrong replacing the late Chester Bennington as lead vocalist, the rebooted band debuted in Los Angeles. This was followed by the release of a handful of follow-up dates: five shows on four continents.

The only North American stop will take place at none other than Globe Life Field in Arlington on Nov. 8.

Texas may seem like a random choice given how coast-centric the American concert market can be. It could be because Linkin Park are lining up festival dates for next year and Arlington aligns with the radius clauses in their contracts. It might be because the band just loves Texas, as their 2003 live album Live in Texas would indicate.

Regardless of the reasons, they’re coming to Arlington and likely bringing with them fans from across the country who are willing to hop on a plane to see the reunion.

This is assuming, of course, that fans are on board with the new lineup — and that’s a little iffy right now. A relaunch of Linkin Park was always going to be a complicated endeavor. Bennington’s death by suicide in 2017 sent shockwaves through the music industry and is an emotional subject among fans to this day.

These fans, predictably, include Bennington’s family. His son, Jaime Bennington, accused the band of “quietly [erasing] my father’s legacy [...] during Suicide Preventon Month.” Chester Bennington’s mother, Susan Eubanks, claimed that the surviving members had walked back on a promise to notify her if they were moving forward as a band.

“I feel betrayed,” Eubanks told Rolling Stone. “They told me if they were ever going to do something, they would let me know. They didn’t let me know, and they probably knew that I [wasn’t] going to be very happy. I’m very upset about it.”

While fans sympathize with the perspectives of Bennington’s family, the choice to hire Armstrong in particular added insult to injury.

Armstrong has been called out for her ties to the Church of Scientology and specifically for her support of Scientologist actor Danny Masterson during his 2020 rape trial, which resulted in a conviction.

Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta and At The Drive In (whose wife Chrissie Carnell-Bixler was among Masterson’s accusers) confronted Armstrong in an Instagram comment.

“Remember how your fellow Scientologist goon squad surrounded one of the Jane Does as she was trying to leave the elevator?” Bixler-Zavala wrote. “Do your fans know about your friend Danny Masterson? Your rapist friend.”

Armstrong later took to her Instagram story to “clear the air,” claiming she was supporting someone she thought was her friend but after “unimaginable details emerged,” she stopped talking to him. She emphasized her support for victims and condemned violent crimes against women.

Time (and attendance numbers) will tell if Linkin Park fans can accept Armstrong into the fold. Given how the only North American date is happening in our backyard, we’ll get to find out firsthand in November.

Linkin Park will play at Globe Life Field on Nov. 8. Signup is now available for presale tickets, including VIP and travel packages, on the band’s website.