Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington died by suicide on July 20, 2017 — days before the band was scheduled to begin the North American leg of their One More Light World Tour with Machine Gun Kelly. Linkin Park understandably canceled that tour. Five-plus years later, MGK is headlining his own arena tour in support of Mainstream Sellout, his March 2022 sixth studio album.
On Saturday (October 1), the 32-year-old hybrid provocateur spoke to his sold-out audience at London’s OVO Arena Wembley about Bennington before performing “Glass House.” The moment was captured by a fan and posted to YouTube.
“Great human being. He took me in,” Machine Gun Kelly said. “Him and Mike [Shinoda] would always f*cking give me words of encouragement. We had a tour that we were about to start, and three days before we started that tour, Chester passed away. But the last time I saw him was here in Europe. So, I encourage you, because life is short, to go live this life. I know it’s hard, man. I know this sh*t is f*cking hard, but nights like tonight make life worth it. So, I hope you leave here [and] you find more nights like this and that you live this short life. I love you very much.”
In the second verse of the 2019 ballad “Glass House,” MGK mourns Bennington and other artists who have gone too soon: “Look, wish Lil Peep and me had spoke, but I can’t get that back / Just came from Pittsburgh, damn, I miss my homie Mac / Yeah, last time I got off the stage, I looked Chester in the face / But now he gone and ain’t no going back.”
Machine Gun Kelly had performed with Linkin Park at the Poland stop of their One More Light World Tour before they tapped him as an opener.
This isn’t the first time MGK has used his current tour to acknowledge lost life. In late June at Madison Square Garden, he dedicated “Lonely” to TikTok star and aspiring model Cooper Noriega, who passed away earlier that month. Noriega, 19, had tagged along on MGK’s fall 2021 Tickets To My Downfall Tour because of his friendship with the opener, Jxdn.
MGK’s MSG date coincided with the release of his Hulu Life In Pink documentary, which revealed his own struggles with suicidal ideation.
Watch Machine Gun Kelly’s tribute to Bennington above.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or contemplating self-harm, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741, or visit Speakingofsuicide.com for additional resources.