Linkin Park beat out Imagine Dragons and 21 Pilots to win "Favorite Alternative Rock Artist" at the 2017 American Music Awards last night, November 19th. The band's co-frontman Mike Shinoda, who was joined onstage by drummer Rob Bourdon and guitarist Brad Delson, dedicated the award to the band's late front-man Chester Bennington in an emotional acceptance speech.
"We want to dedicate this award to him, to his memory, to his talent, to his sense of humor, to his joy," Shinoda said, after acknowledging the support of Linkin Park's fans and fellow artists (including their aforementioned AMA competitors). "Remember, you guys — all of you, tonight — whether you're a fan or an artist, I want you guys to take a moment to appreciate what you've got and make Chester proud. Thank you guys so much."
But the band's AMA story doesn't end there. Moments after Shinoda and Co.'s big win (which, for some odd reason, was announced by three of the "sharks" from NBC's reality show Shark Tank), security booted Linkin Park out of the awards ceremony due to an error with their credentials. Fortunately, the mix-up was quickly resolved, and the champs enjoyed the rest of the night without incident. Shinoda chronicled the band's eventful evening — ejection and all — in a hilarious Instagram story, which you can view below.
