Mike Shinoda: "It’s Emotional Every Night"

Mike Shinoda has revealed that touring in support of his debut solo album Post Traumatic has helped process the loss of his friend, Chester Bennington, and that his moments of reflection before Linkin Park's In The End has become a pivotal part of the set.

“It’s emotional every night,” the singer tells Kerrang!. “It’s part of the set that I tailor to each individual audience; I just read the crowd and speak from the heart. Some nights we have fun, even comical back-and-forth. Some nights it can be sad. Some nights it can even get a little political.

“I will say this, though,” he adds, “I don’t want my whole set to boil down to that one moment of tribute. I don’t think this should ever become a memorial. I’m aiming for a vibrant, meaningful experience with a lot of different moods. I just couldn’t live with that sort of funeral feeling day in, day out. It would depress me to the point where I would just want to go home.”

You can read the full interview in the latest issue of Kerrang!. It's available from all good UK newsagents from Wednesday, 28 November, but you can have it delivered to your door anywhere in the world from NewsStand.

Mike Shinoda will tour Europe in March, including a Kerrang!-sponsored show at the London Roundhouse on March 10.