Machine Gun Kelly Pays Homage to Chester Bennington at U.K. Show
The death of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington still resonates with many of his fans, and one of his fans in the music industry, Machine Gun Kelly, took the opportunity to pay tribute to Bennington during a recent show in London.
While performing at the OVO Arena Wembley this past weekend, MGK stopped down his set to speak about Chester, whom he called a "great human being."
Kelly had performed with Linkin Park in Poland back in 2017 and he was set to join them on tour later that year in support of their One More Light album. But as we know now, Bennington took his own life in July of 2017. MGK would later join Linkin Park that fall for their tribute show honoring Bennington's life and music, performing the song "Papercut" with the band.
Speaking about Bennington, MGK told the audience, “We had a tour that we were about to start and three days before we started that tour, Chester passed away. 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 shit is fucking hard. But nights like tonight make life worth it.”
To honor Bennington, Kelly played the song "Glass House," a cut from his 2019 album Hotel Diablo. The song reflects on the deaths of rappers Nipsey Hussle, Lil' Peep and Mac Miller, but also includes a line that addresses Bennington, as he raps, “Last time I got off the stage, I looked Chester in the face / But now he gone, and ain’t no going back."
Having spent the summer stateside for the "Mainstream Sellout" tour, MGK is currently wrapping up a European tour leg. There's a week left of dates on the run and you can find the remaining stops and get tickets here.