Chester Bennington tribute concert today
It was indeed a sad moment, when the world discovered that Linkin Park’s (LP) lead vocalist, Chester Benington had taken his life.
Lara
Today marks World Suicide Prevention day and in light of that, Theme institute, a non-profit organization will launch ‘LIVE- Because It’s Worth It’’ a campaign aimed at creating awareness on suicide and prevention, across the country. The programme will come alive with an awareness walk today (September 10) followed by ‘Somewhere I belong’, a Chester Bennington tribute concert at the Viharamahadevi Amphitheatre.
This week we spoke to a few musicians, who will be performing at “Somewhere I belong.” They tell us, just how LP’s music inspired their lives.
Progressive Metal band Constellation became winners of the best band category at TNL Onstage 2014. Since then, their lineup changed once or twice, but they were never short of talent. Eshantha Perera, their drummer and vocalist, tells us that “every single member of Constellation was heavily influenced by Linkin Park. “It was LP’s unique sense of music and diverse styles which eased our transition from other genres into rock music.”
‘Somewhere I belong’, is a song taken off LP’s ‘Meteora’ album. To Eshantha, the song means so much, because he often found it hard to find a place to belong to. “Ironically, it’s only this year that life has somewhat settled for me, and finding somewhere I belonged was a journey for me,” he shares. He explains that now, even though weeks have passed since Chester’s passing, “many of us are still kind of operating on auto pilot. I think September 10 is when it will actually start to sink in, and the emotional flood is going to be really difficult to hold back. For most of us, ‘Somewhere I Belong’ is a way of getting closure.”
Lara Modder (20), a talented musician, who’s making a name for herself in the industry began playing the guitar and performing around the age of 13. At the age of 17 she started writing her own songs.
She recalls that Linking Park inspired her at the time she was getting into Rock music. “Their deep and meaningful lyrics stood out from most of the mainstream music at the time, which talked mostly about partying,” she explains. Lara’s favourite album from the band was ‘Hybrid Theory.’ She felt that it tackled a lot of emotions and issues that everyone goes through at some point of their lives. “It’s very raw and real and my favourite song would have to be Papercut,” she shares.
Aside from paying tribute to an artist who made an impact in her life, Lara also wanted to take part in the tribute show, because she wanted to use her voice and talent for something meaningful and worthwhile.
She explains that she believes suicide prevention goes way beyond donating to charities and organising fundraisers, “even though these things are extremely valuable and can make a huge impact.” Lara believes that outside of them it’s all about understanding people, being empathetic and reaching out when necessary.
“In terms of this campaign I believe that the best we can do is educate ourselves, create awareness, and give the absolute best performance we can.” “People need to understand that with compassion and guidance, as well as direction to proper medical care and counselling, a great difference can be made. This is why awareness is of utmost importance,” Dr. Gayan Danthanarayana, an avid music lover and musician, shares.
Gayan is the founder of the progressive melodic death metal band ‘Neurocracy’ and a doctor by profession. He tells us that Linkin Park was one of the first bands that directed him to a ‘heavier’ realm of guitars. “I had not quite heard anything like it; melodic, angst, amazing compositions and arrangements with electronic and rap influences. They were a very influential source to me in my early days.”
Aside from this though, Gayan had a more personal connection to LP’s music. He recalls how the songs off their album ‘Hybrid Theory’, really resonated with him and helped pull him through the loss of his eldest brother, almost 15 years ago.
Constellation
As a fan of the band he was in absolute shock to hear of Chester’s passing. “It was unbelievable that the man who so emotionally screamed and sang his sorrows ultimately succumbed to it! It made me realize that those close to him should have seen this coming miles away, as should we when it comes to those around us.”
Our final call was Sasith, a Drum and Bass and Dubstep producer going by the alias ‘’iClown’. He is also the keyboardist/Sampler/producer for ‘Constellation’. Sasith was introduced to Linkin Park more than 15 years ago by his classmates. That was his first exposure to heavy music. “Linkin Park directed my taste in music to a different direction. I realized how well Metal can co-exist with Electronic music,” he explains.
From the perspective of someone who suffered from severe depression, and being someone who understands what it is like to feel isolated and down the black hole, Sasith shared that he would not want anyone else to suffer the same. “Also, I just want to let everybody know that there are people willing to help you out in any way they can. Seek out for help. Don’t keep everything inside you and battle the demons in silence.”
The real reason for Chester to take his life can never be fathomed. But Chester wasn’t the only person who contemplated on taking his life. We as a community can still help those around us and sometimes a simple act of kindness can go a long way. Tickets for the show are priced at Rs. 800 and all proceeds would be directed to the cause of saving a life via the LIVE foundation.