Co-headlining tour kicks off August 11, and Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd is making plans for an Iron Maiden-inspired show.
By James Montgomery, with reporting by Kelly Marino
Chester Bennington and Brandon Boyd
Photo: MTV News
Last week, Linkin Park not only announced the title and release date of their new album — it's called Living Things, and it's due June 26, to catch you up — but they revealed plans to co-headline this summer's Honda Civic Tour, alongside Incubus.
The trek kicks off August 11, and, somewhat unbelievably (given both acts' longevity), it'll be the first time the two bands have teamed up — though they've been kicking the idea around for a while now. Or, at least that's how LP's Chester Bennington and Incubus' Brandon Boyd remember it. Though, to be fair, their memories aren't exactly crystal-clear.
"I remember Mike Shinoda had run into Mike [Einziger] from Incubus, and off the cuff said, 'Yeah, we should go out, do a big tour together,' but whether or not that was the beginning phase of doing this, I'm not sure — it could have been eight months ago, I don't know, time to me is kind of weird," Bennington laughed. "But we'd been talking about doing something really great in the U.S. and going out with another really amazing band that does very well on their own, and that's how this came about. And luckily, for the first time in our careers, we'll have the chance to get to know each other. I think a lot of people just sort of assume we all hang out together."
"Yeah, people think rockers just hang out together. Like we meet at 'rock bars' or something," Boyd added. "This tour is just going to be the beginning. We're going to start a comedy troupe next."
And if they're really considering going Groundlings once the Honda Civic Tour wraps, well, Incubus are already taking appropriately hilarious steps by tapping into the gaudy, bong-glazed glory of Iron Maiden's set designs. At least, that's if Maiden are willing to play ball.
"We've been trying for many, many years — and I'm actually not joking right now, I'm really serious — to borrow Iron Maiden's set from [the] Seventh Son of a Seventh Son [Tour]," Boyd said. "They always had the coolest, raddest productions, with Stonehenge-type things and giant walking zombies and stairs and pyramids you can climb. They have all that stuff in storage, and our production manager worked with them years ago, so every time before we go do a tour, he asks if we could borrow some of their sets. Imagine coming onto a stage out of one of the Pyramids of Giza, with smoke coming out of it and a giant walking zombie going 'Ha ha ha ... keep rocking, Brandon. Keep on rocking, Chester.' "
"That would be so rad. That makes me excited. I wanna see that," Bennington laughed. "The thought of you running around in, like, dragon pants, or maybe flying like Bruce Dickinson. I'm totally ready for this tour to start now."
Will you check out Linkin Park and Incubus on tour? Let us know in the comments!
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