Lars Ulrich Calls Chester Bennington a ‘Very Kind and Gentle Soul Who Had a Really Big Heart’
We've seen numerous musicians give their thoughts on the late Chester Bennington in recent weeks, speaking to their experience with the singer while he was still with us. The latest musician to speak of Bennington was Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, who recently reminisced about the Linkin Park singer in an interview.
He spoke to Los Angeles radio station 95.5 KLOS (seen above) about his experience hearing the band for the first time. "Chester was a very kind and very unassuming and very gentle soul, who had a really big heart," said Ulrich. "The first time I heard Linkin Park, just singing those songs on this first album — when was it? '99 or 2000? — the power that came out of him was just unbelievable. It was so original and so unique. He was one of those singers that has that rare gift where every word that comes out of him sounds authentic. He's not just writing something down that he sings… Everything that comes out of him sounds like he feels and he means every word, every nuance, every syllable."
Ulrich also brings up their "Summer Sanitarium" tour, a totally stacked lineup that also featured Limp Bizkit, Deftones and Mudvayne. "They were kind enough to come and play with us across America on a 'Summer Sanitarium' tour and we had a lot of fun. And all those guys are great guys and my heart goes out to all of 'em and to the family," stated Ulrich.
Capping things off, Ulrich looked at it broadly, saying, "I think more than anything, I think it reaffirms — without sounding too cheesy — that we've gotta live each moment to the max and just be in the moment. Every time we go out onstage, we try to take it all in. You never know when something can go sideways or something [can] happen to you physically or something. So life is beautiful and we've gotta just harness and maximize each moment to its fullest."
Bennington's funeral took place this past weekend in Palos Verdes, Calif. We've heard from many speak about the impact he had, including Alice Cooper, Fred Durst, Incubus guitarist Mike Einziger and more. His widow Talinda and his ex-wife Samantha also penned messages as well.
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