Below, friend, collaborator, and Rise Against singer Tim McIlrath reflects on Benningtons legacy.
The first time I met Chester was probably at one of the KROQ Acoustic Christmases in L.A.
He just walked right up to me like we already knew each other.
Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
I wasnt aware that he was aware of our band.
He started telling me what a big fan he was.
Youre on stage in, like, 90 seconds!
And hed be like, Hey, man, how was your day?
On the surface, he was one of the most untortured guys that you saw on the road.
Linkin Park was a bigger band of the same ilk.
Thats what made me appreciate what they were doing.
Chester had demons that he was wrestling, but thats the price we pay to do this.
After they do it every night, they make it look easy.
Something that Ive learned is that you could never underestimate the role of music in a persons life.
Music can supersede all of those things.
The right music to the right person is so powerful.
