"I thought I understood how big this band was, but I didn’t." Spiritbox's Courtney LaPlante on the legacy of Linkin Park - and getting to play stadiums with them next year

(Image credit: Courtney: Youtube (Allison Hagendorf), Linkin Park: James Minchin III)

Courtney LaPlante, singer of fast-rising Canadian metalcore crew Spiritbox, has discussed the fact that her band will be playing stadiums as support to nu metal legends Linkin Park next year on select dates of the latter's epic From Zero world tour. Speaking to Allison Hagendorf, LaPlante marvels at the sheer size of Linkin Park in 2024, acknowledging the band's role in helping to define the sound of 'mainstream metal' in the 21st century.

“It really opened my eyes to the open arms of people welcoming this band back," she says of Linkin Park's return this year. "I thought I understood how big this band was, but I didn’t. The giant, huge impact on the Earth that this band [had]. I thought I already had big, lofty ideas, but it turns out that I couldn't even fathom. If you asked me if I'd ever get to play Wembley Stadium, I'd be like, 'Sure, maybe if I was opening for a hip-hop artist or Foo Fighters or somehting.' But I didn’t know that I would get to do that with a band that played metal music too, and created kind of a genre of metal music. Anyway, I'll figure it out by then. I'll figure out how to play Wembley Stadium!"

Watch the full interview below. Linkin Park's surprise return in 2024 made headlines around the world, chiefly over the introduction of new singer Emily Armstrong, who would be officially replacing Chester Bennington in the band following Bennington's death in 2017. Reviewing their comeback album From Zero for Metal Hammer, Merlin Alderslade wrote: "What’s clear is that Linkin Park have crafted both an earnest tribute to their own legacy and a genuinely great album worthy of their canon. The future suddenly looks brighter."

The From Zero world tour takes place next year.

Spiritbox' Courtney LaPlante On New Album, The Grammys & Cupping The Mic - YouTube

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Linkin Park From Zero world tour dates

Jan 31: Mexico City Estadio GNP Seguros, Mexico
Feb 03: Guadalajara Estadio 3 De Marzo, Mexico
Feb 05: Monterrey Estadio Banorte, Mexico

Feb 11: Tokyo Saitama Super Arena, Japan
Feb 12: Tokyo Saitama Super Arena, Japan
Feb 16: Jakarta TBA, Indonesia

Apr 12: Las Vegas Sick New World, NV *
Apr 26: Austin Moody Center, TX ^
Apr 28: Tulsa BOK Center, OK ^
May 01: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI ^
May 03: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, ND ^
May 06: Raleigh Lenovo Center, NC ^
May 08: Greenville Bon Secours Wellness Arena, SC ^
May 10: Columbus Sonic Temple, OH *
May 17: Daytona Welcome To Rockville, FL *

Jun 12: Nisckelsdorf Novarock, Austria *
Jun 14: Hradec Kralove Rock For People, Czech Republic *
Jun 16: Hannover Heinz-Von-Heiden Arena, Germany ~
Jun 18: Berlin Olympiastadion, Germany ~
Jun 20: Bern Bernexpo, Switzerland
Jun 24: Milan I-Days, Italy *
Jun 26: Arnhem Gelredome, Netherlands $
Jun 28: London Wembley Stadium, UK $&
Jul 01: Dusseldorf Merkur Spiel Arena, Germany ~&
Jul 03: Werchter Rock Werchter Festival, Belgium *
Jul 05: Gdynia Open’er Festival, Poland *
Jul 08: Frankfurt Deutsche Bank Park, Germany ~&
Jul 11: Paris Stade De France, France

Jul 29: Brooklyn Barclays Center, NY +
Aug 01: Boston TD Garden, MA +
Aug 03: Newark Prudential Center, NJ +
Aug 06: Montreal Bell Centre, Canada +
Aug 08: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, Canada +
Aug 11: Chicago United Center, IL +
Aug 14: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI +
Aug 16: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA #
Aug 19: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA #
Aug 21: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN #
Aug 23: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO #
Aug 25: Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, WI #
Aug 27: Minneapolis Target Center, MN #
Aug 29: Omaha CHI Health Center, NE #
Aug 31: Kansas City T-Movile Center, MO #
Sep 03: Denver Ball Arena, CO #
Sep 06: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ #
Sep 13: Los Angeles Dodger Stadium, CA !&
Sep 15: San Josa SAP Ceter, CA &
Sep 17: Sacramento Golden 1 Center, CA &
Sep 19: Portland Moda Center, OR &
Sep 21: Vancouver Rogers Arena, Canada &
Sep 24: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA &

Oct 26: Bogota TBA, Colombia
Oct 29: Lima TBA, Peru
Nov 01: Buenos Aires TBA, Argentina
Nov 05: Santiago TBA, Chile
Nov 08: Rio De Janeiro TBA, Brazil
Nov 10: São Paulo TVA, Brazil
Nov 13: Brasilia TBA, Brazil
Nov 15: Porto Alegre TVA, Brazil

Festival performance *
With Queens Of The Stone Age !
With Spiritbox $
With AFI =
With Architects ~
With Grandson ^
With Jean Dawson #
With Jpegmafia &
With Pvris +

Merlin moved into his role as Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has previously written for the likes of Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.