- WHAT'S UP, EVERYONE?
THIS IS CHESTER FROM LINKIN
PARK, CLUB TATTOO,
AND, OF COURSE, GREY DAZE,
AND I'M HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE
THAT ON JUNE 23RD
AT THE MARQUEE THEATRE
IN TEMPE, ARIZONA,
GREY DAZE WILL HAVE
OUR 20TH-ANNIVERSARY
REUNION SHOW.
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU GUYS THERE.
IT'S GONNA BE A LOT
OF FUN. PEACE.
- CHESTER'S ON THE ROAD
AND CALLS ME,
AND HE SAYS,
"I THINK IT'S TIME WE DO
ANOTHER CLUB TATTOO PARTY."
"WE HAVEN'T DONE ONE
IN A FEW YEARS."
AND I SAID, "OH, THAT'S COOL,"
AND HE SAYS,
"AND I THINK WE SHOULD PUT
GREY DAZE BACK TOGETHER
AND PLAY THAT SHOW."
- CHESTER WANTED TO REUNITE
WITH GREY DAZE.
HE WAS LOOKING FORWARD
TO BEING ABLE
TO REUNITE WITH GREY DAZE.
- GREY DAZE WAS A POINT
AT THE BEGINNING THAT SET
HIM ON A LONG JOURNEY
TO BECOME A ROCK STAR.
[ROCK MUSIC]
♪ ♪
- WELL, I KNEW HE WANTED
TO JOIN A BAND.
I THINK WE ALL DID.
HE WOULD TELL US
FROM THE TIME HE WAS LITTLE
HE WAS GONNA GROW UP
AND BE A ROCK STAR.
YOU COULD ASK HIM, "WHAT DO YOU
WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?"
"A ROCK STAR."
[ROCK MUSIC]
- I BELIEVE CHESTER WAS A
SOPHOMORE IN HIGH SCHOOL
AT THE AGE OF 15.
AS SOON AS HE STARTED SINGING,
WE WERE JUST BLOWN AWAY, LIKE
WHEN CAN YOU START
AND THEN HE SAID,
"I HAVE TO GO ASK MY DAD."
- THE WORLD OF CHESTER BEGAN
WHEN HE WAS 15,
AND HE COMES HOME,
AND HE SAID,
"WELL, THERE THIS GUY I KNOW,
"AND HE WANTS TO START
A GARAGE BAND.
AND HE THINK I CAN SING."
- SO HIS DAD AND I AND CHESTER
SAT IN THEIR LIVING ROOM,
AND WE KIND OF SAID,
"HEY, WE'D LIKE YOUR SON
TO SING FOR OUR BAND;
IS THAT OKAY?"
AND HIS DAD HAD, YOU KNOW,
FIRED OFF 50 QUESTIONS,
AND THEN, OF COURSE, CAME THE
FATHER-SON EXCHANGE OF,
"IF YOU DON'T HAVE
YOUR HOMEWORK DONE,
I CAN'T LET YOU PLAY
IN THE BAND."
SO OF COURSE HE'S PROMISING
HIS DAD THE WORLD
THAT HE'S GONNA DO EVERYTHING
SO HE CAN DO THIS,
'CAUSE HE WAS REALLY
EXCITED TO BE IN A BAND.
THEN HIS DAD SAID,
"SURE, LET HIM GIVE A TRY,"
AND THEN FROM THAT DAY FORWARD
WE STARTED REHEARSING THREE,
FOUR TIMES A WEEK
AND STARTED GETTING
REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT IT.
AND THEN CHESTER AND I
DEVELOPED OUR FRIENDSHIP
FROM THAT POINT.
- CHESTER WAS KIND OF A NERD.
IF YOU'VE SEEN PICTURES OF HIM,
HE'S SKINNY, KIND OF A
NERDY-LOOKING KID,
A LITTLE BIT PICKED
ON AT SCHOOL,
AND SEAN JUST KIND OF TOOK HIM
UNDER HIS WING.
- I DON'T THINK HE AND I
COULD HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT,
ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW.
HE'S A VERY LOVING,
FUNNY, HYSTERICAL,
IN-YOUR-FACE
KIND OF PERSONALITY.
AND I THINK I'M
A LOT MORE RESERVED.
THE CONNECTING THREAD
WAS, I REALLY FELT
PROTECTIVE OVER HIM.
I THINK HE HAD, YOU KNOW,
THERE WERE SOME BULLIES
AT SCHOOL, AND I--
I HAD HEARD A COUPLE
OF THESE STORIES EARLY ON,
AND I JUST FELT
VERY PROTECTIVE OF HIM
AND JUST WANTED HIM TO BE
LIKE MY LITTLE BROTHER,
AND THEN WE KIND OF TOOK
THAT BIG BROTHER--
LITTLE BROTHER ROLE.
[LIGHT MUSIC]
WE STARTED GREY DAZE IN 1993.
THE BAND ENDED UP BREAKING UP
IN 1998.
IN 2003, CHESTER AND I
BECAME BUSINESS PARTNERS
IN CLUB TATTOO.
FAST-FORWARD TO 2016,
AND CHESTER'S OUT ON THE ROAD
AND CALLS ME, AND HE SAYS,
"I THINK IT'S TIME WE DO
ANOTHER CLUB TATTOO PARTY.
WE HAVEN'T DONE ONE
IN A FEW YEARS."
AND I SAID, "OH, THAT'S COOL,"
AND HE SAYS,
"AND I THINK WE SHOULD PUT
GREY DAZE BACK TOGETHER
AND PLAY THAT SHOW.
JULY OF 2017 WE WERE SUPPOSED
TO BEGIN OUR REHEARSALS
WITH HIM AFTER HE GOT OFF
THE ROAD.
OBVIOUSLY, JULY 20TH
WHAT HAPPENED HAPPENED,
AND CHESTER WAS TRAGICALLY
TAKEN FROM US.
[LINKIN PARK'S "SOUL SONG"]
- ♪ I WILL BE WAITING ♪
- THE GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING
FATHER OF SIX
BELIEVED TO HAVE TAKEN
HIS LIFE AT HIS HOME.
- ♪ WITH A SONG IN MY SOUL ♪
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
- I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU
HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU
AND HOW MUCH I MISS YOU.
- AS SOON AS HE PASSED,
I MEAN, OF COURSE IT WAS,
"OH, MY GOD.
I LOST MY FRIEND.
"OH, MY GOD. MY FRIEND'S WIFE
IS NOW A WIDOW.
MY FRIEND'S KIDS
ARE NOW FATHERLESS."
I MEAN, IT WAS ALL THESE
EMOTIONS,
BUT THERE WAS STILL PART OF ME
THAT WAS LIKE, "OH, MY GOD.
AND WE DIDN'T GET TO FINISH
WHAT WE STARTED TOGETHER."
ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN MONTHS,
I STARTED SOME OTHER
CONVERSATIONS, AND I SAID,
"YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT TO
FINISH THIS ALBUM.
"WE'RE NOT GONNA ACCEPT
MEDIOCRITY.
"WE'RE GONNA DO
OUR FRIEND PROUD.
"WE'RE GONNA MAKE
CHESTER PROUD.
"AND WE'RE GONNA MAKE SURE
THAT THIS IS SOMETHING
HE WOULD HAVE BEEN
ABSOLUTELY ELATED TO PUT OUT."
- THEY'VE MADE ME PROUD.
THE FIRST TIME HE SENT ME
A VIDEO--
OR JUST A TAPE OF CHESTER,
AND I TURNED IT ON, AND I
JUST SAT THERE AND CRIED.
I ACTUALLY CALLED HIM AND SAID,
"BEFORE HE DIED,
DID HE RE-RECORD THIS?"
HE'S LIKE, "NO, WE JUST...
WE JUST ENHANCED IT."
I'M LIKE, "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT."
- IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN
WHAT WE'RE DOING.
LIKE, I'VE SEEN FANS SAY,
"IS THERE ANY SONGS
WITH CHESTER ON IT?"
AND THEY THINK WE'RE
DOING A NEW RECORD AS
GREY DAZE OR SOMETHING.
THEY DON'T EVEN--LIKE,
SOME OF THEM DON'T KNOW
CHESTER'S SINGING ON IT.
IT'S HARD TO EXPLAIN HOW
YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT RECORD
FROM VOCALS FROM 20,
22 YEARS AGO.
- EVERYTHING IS BACKWARDS, YEP.
EVERYTHING IS GOING
FROM VOCALS,
THEN WE WORK ON THE
ARRANGEMENT OF THE VOCALS,
AND THEN WE PUT THE FOUNDATION
BASS AND DRUMS BEHIND IT.
- EVERYTHING THAT WE DO IS--
IS VIEWED THROUGH A LENS OF,
"WHAT WOULD CHESTER
THINK OF THIS?"
AND WOULD HE BE OKAY
WITH THIS?"
- ♪ IF I HAD A SECOND CHANCE ♪
♪ I'D MAKE AMENDS ♪
♪ ONLY TO FIND MYSELF LOSING ♪
♪ LOSING ♪
- IT'S QUITE A THING, HUH?
- THERE IT IS.
- WHOA.
- THAT IS REALLY...
- IT'S QUITE A THING.
- THE RANGE, THE POWER...
IT SOUNDS LIKE HE'S IN
HIS PRIME, YOU KNOW,
IN HIS PEAK AND JUST--
I GET CHILLS WHEN I HEAR HIS
VOICE ON THIS PROJECT, MAN.
THAT JUST...
- IN ORDER FOR US
TO BRING IN SOMEBODY,
THERE HAS TO BE SOMEBODY
THAT EITHER CHESTER REALLY
ADMIRED OR WAS INFLUENCED
OR REALLY LOVED
FOR US TO LET THEM IN.
WE'RE REALLY TRYING
TO PICK AND CHOOSE PEOPLE WHO
REALLY HAD A CONNECTION
WITH CHESTER.
- IT'S A WAY TO SAY,
"THANK YOU.
WE'RE GONNA MISS YOU,"
AND BE PART OF SOMETHING
HE WAS PART OF
IS JUST REALLY AN HONOR TO--
TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
LIKE THAT.
- TONIGHT THEY ISOLATED
HIS VOICE FOR ME,
YOU KNOW, WHERE IT'S, LIKE, JUST
HIM WITHOUT ANY INSTRUMENTS,
AND IT'S JUST SO FAT
AND SUCH A BIG, YOU KNOW,
BEAUTIFUL SOUND;
I LOVE IT.
- WHEN WE TRACKING THE GUITARS
ON THE SONG TODAY,
I MEAN, ALL OF US IN
THE ROOM FELT IT.
I FELT LIKE CRYING
AT A MOMENT,
BECAUSE IT WAS, LIKE,
YOU KNOW, I JUST HAD KIND
OF GOOSE BUMPS
NOT ONLY FROM HIS VOICE ABOUT,
BUT WHAT HE WAS SAYING.
AND I FEEL LIKE HE--
HE'S STILL KIND OF
COMMUNICATING TO US
THROUGH HIS--HIS MUSIC.
- I HAD THIS IDEA OF
TRYING TO GET CHESTER'S
CHILDREN INVOLVED.
I KNEW I COULD CONNECT
THOSE DOTS FOR CHESTER,
'CAUSE HE HAD NEVER GOTTEN
TO RECORD WITH HIS KIDS,
AND I KNEW IF HE WAS ALIVE,
IT'S SOMETHING HE WOULD
HAVE WANTED TO DO.
- IT'S VERY WEIRD.
LIKE, IF YOU TOLD ME
EVEN A WEEK AGO
THAT I WOULD BE HERE
DOING THIS, I'D BE LIKE,
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
NOT THAT I DIDN'T WANT TO,
YOU KNOW.
I THINK IT'S--IT'S MORE
OF A CATHARTIC EXPERIENCE NOW.
- I HAVE A TON OF RESPECT
FOR SEAN.
AND I KNOW THAT HE WOULD JUST
LIKE THE FAMILY TO HEAL.
HE WANTS THIS TO BE A PART
OF THAT HEALING.
HE WANTED TO MAKE THIS
AVAILABLE TO THEM
TO HELP THEM HEAL,
TO HELP THEM FEEL
CLOSER TO THEIR DAD.
I REALLY APPRECIATE
EVERYTHING HE'S DONE.
- BUT THE MIND-SET WAS REALLY
ABOUT MAKING SURE
THAT WE'RE STAYING TRUE
TO THE INITIAL VISION
AND WHAT CHESTER WANTED
AND MAKING SURE
THAT WE MAKE HIM PROUD
AND MAKE THE PEOPLE
WHO LOVE HIM PROUD.
- WE PUT A LOT OF TIME
AND ENERGY
INTO MAKING SURE THAT
EVERY LITTLE THING WAS RIGHT.
I THINK CHESTER WOULD BE
VERY PROUD OF THIS ALBUM.
- ♪ DON'T GO TOO FAST ♪
