As the infamous date of July 20th is fast approaching, news of meetups and tribute shows from around the world are being announced. We at LPFCW wanted to help spread the word so that fans globally can attend an event that will help them not only celebrate Chester's life and influence but also speak about their experiences with the band and enjoy each other's company.
We reached out to Tristan Caroll, bassist of Fenix Park, to find out why they'll be performing in honour of Chester and how they plan to make the tribute night special.
What was your first experience with Linkin Park's music?
I think I must've heard some of the early singles on the radio when they came out, but my first conscious time listening to Linkin Park was buying Hybrid Theory when I was 12 and just getting into playing and enjoying music. It was the coolest thing I'd heard up to that point and definitely still holds up years later. Meteora came out a little while later and I had to get my hands on it immediately.
What's your favourite part of performing these shows?
It's definitely seeing a room full of people lose their minds for these songs we all grew up on and celebrating Chester's legacy. I was worried it would just be us up on stage, stumbling through these songs for a handful of people and it was amazing to see how much this music meant to so many people.
You played Hybrid Theory at last year's performance and this year's poster looks as though it reflects Meteora. Was this intentional and if so, do you intend to eventually perform each LP album?
Initially, we were going to just play Meteora this year, but we decided it would be an even better gig if we played all the best songs from both of the first two albums, plus a few later songs. The poster design was definitely meant to look a bit like the Meteora cover though! My girlfriend, Jade is a graphic designer and that was her idea as soon as we decided to play again.
All proceeds are going to Aware. Did you choose this charity in particular, and if so, why?
I chose Aware because they do a lot of work centred around mental health. Everyone struggles with their mental health at some point and Linkin Park's music helped a lot of people to deal with their's growing up. It seemed right to try to help people by remembering how Chester's music helped people too.
What was the best part of your tribute show last year and what do you think will be the best part of this year's show?
I think the best part of the night was just how relentlessly into it everyone was for the whole thing. Hopefully, it's the same this year but with more surprises and twists and turns in the set.
Do you think that more should be done to help musicians with mental illness?
Definitely. More should be done to help people with mental illness in general and for some reason, musicians seem to be a big subset of those people.
How did you find the support acts for the event and was it important that they understand why you were doing this show?
All of the support acts are friends of mine and the rest of the guys in the band. They were all more than happy to play on the night to support Aware and help the cause. Everyone is very eager to take part and celebrate Linkin Park and Chester's legacy.
More information can be found on the event's Facebook page. More information on the support acts such as Element X, Ritual Effect and Cork Street Posse can be found on their respective Facebook pages, as well as more information on the charity Aware on their official website.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised, help and resources can be found at BuddyProject.com