On July 14, Linkin Park joined comedian Ken Jeong for a special, hilarious round of "Carpool Karaoke," James Corden's recurring "Late Late Show" segment where artists hit the road for a sing-along session comprised of their standout cuts and personal favorites. Less than a week after the episode was filmed (July 20th), Chester Bennington took his own life, prompting "Late Late Show" producers to table the clip out of respect for the frontman's family and bandmates.
Today, Linkin Park unveiled the bittersweet "Carpool Karaoke" segment in full on Facebook as a tribute to Bennington. The singer takes the wheel for most of the 23-minute episode, leading Jeong and bandmates Mike Shinoda and Joe Hahn through impassioned takes of Linkin Park staples ("Numb," "In the End," "Talking to Myself"), and radio hits (Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge," Outkast's "Hey Ya!") Later, Jeong makes Bennington pull over so the comedian can audition as back-up dancer for the newly-minted LinKEN Park – get it? – and teach the group some very awkward dance moves (while simultaneously rapping about condiments, natch).
The guys eventually take their carpool karaoke to the party bus for a touching send-off featuring a jovial Bennington belting along to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" with a crab-shaped hat on his head and a purple boa around his neck.
Linkin Park's ongoing tribute to Bennington continues later this month with a tribute concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. On October 27th, the band's surviving members will deliver their first onstage performance since the frontman's death, joined by a slew of special guests: M. Shadows and Synyster Gates (Avenged Sevenfold); Daron Malakian, John Dolmayan and Shavo Odadjian (System of a Down); Blink-182; Jonathan Davis (Korn); Oliver Sykes (Bring Me the Horizon); William Ryan Key (Yellowcard); and Machine Gun Kelly. Proceeds from the show will benefit Music for Relief's One More Light Fund.
