Linkin Park’s explosive return after a seven-year hiatus features a new co-frontperson, Emily Armstrong, but it’s met with both excitement and controversy

Tonight, September 5, Linkin Park made a comeback to live performance with a unique livestreamed performance that included new vocalist Emily Armstrong.

 Vocalist/guitarist Mike Shinoda said, "This is a very special day for us," early in the set before the Los Angeles band began playing Crawling, the second hit off their wildly popular debut album Hybrid Theory. 

 Along with Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, and turntablist Joe Hahn, the new band also introduces Armstrong, frontwoman of the LA rock group Dead Sara, and new drummer Colin Brittain.  The webcast performance lacked Delson.

The band claims in a statement that they felt "a special kinship" with Armstrong and Brittain, their new members.

 In front of an enthusiastic home crowd at the special performance in Los Angeles, Armstrong remarked, "This is fucking fun," as the band performed their new single, The Emptiness Machine, along with timeless hits like One Step Closer, Somewhere I Belong, Numb, What I've Done, In The End, Faint, and more.

 Warners will release the band's first album since 2017's One More Light, From Zero, on November 15.