Reunion tours are a familiar concept in the music industry. Even if a band splits up or retires, there is no guarantee that they will stay split up. Kiss, Guns N’ Roses, and The Eagles have all put on successful reunion tours. But in recent years, a substantial number of bands have come out of hiatus and touring again. Bands that have reunited just in the last five years include Blink-182, Rage Against The Machine, Creed, My Chemical Romance, and Slayer. In late 2024, two more iconic bands reunited: 90s Britpop icons Oasis and rap metal sensations Linkin Park.
Oasis found major success in the United Kingdom during the 1990s, often being compared to The Beatles. Their debut album Definitely Maybe saw the band topping charts in the UK within a year of the band signing to a major label. Oasis became a worldwide sensation with their next album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, which became the fourth highest-selling album ever in the United Kingdom and received heavy radio play across the world as a result of the singles “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back In Anger”. However, the band’s global success did not translate into the member’s personal lives. Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher, who were the main creative leads of the band, often bickered and fought both in the media and on stage. During a 1994 performance in Los Angeles, Liam Gallagher spent most of the show insulting American fans. Later in the show, he abruptly struck his brother Noel with a tambourine.
The brothers had many public clashes throughout the years that Oasis performed, culminating in 2009 after Oasis canceled a performance in Paris. Two hours after the canceled show, Noel released a statement on the band’s website saying he “could not go on working with Liam a day longer.” In 2011, Liam sued Noel for claiming that their canceled Paris show was due to Liam being hungover. Liam claimed that he was suffering from laryngitis and that Noel was aware of this illness. However, on August 27, 2024, Oasis announced that they would be performing 14 stadium shows across five cities in the UK, stating on their social media that “The guns have fallen silent, and the stars have aligned.” Tickets for the shows went on sale on August 31 and quickly became coveted and hard to obtain.
Linkin Park was founded in 1996 by a group of high school friends and quickly broke out in the growing nu-metal genre, with their 2000 debut album Hybrid Theory selling over 4 million copies in its first year, eventually selling over 10 million copies altogether. Linkin Park continued to grow with the release of their 2003 album Meteora. Off the success of Meteora, the band found high amounts of radio play and collaborated with a diverse group of artists ranging from Metallica and Jay-Z. In the next few years, electronic music inspired the band’s sound more. The group released five more albums from 2006 to 2017, and frequently played in large arenas.
On July 20, 2017, tragedy struck Linkin Park, as vocalist Chester Bennington passed away. The death was later ruled as suicide by hanging. The band canceled the remaining shows on their tour and formed the One More Light charity, created in Bennington’s memory. On August 22, the band held a memorial concert for Bennington featuring multiple guests performing Linkin Park songs with the remaining members of the band. Co-vocalist Mike Shinoda teased the idea of the band eventually reuniting, but also told Vulture Magazine that he was uncertain of the band’s future. In 2023, the band released a collection of previously unreleased songs recorded with Bennington for the 20th anniversary of Meteora. On April 12, 2024, the band released Papercuts, their first greatest hits collection. Shortly after the release of Papercuts, Billboard reported that Linkin Park’s booking agency had taken offers for a reunion tour and festival headlining shows in 2025.
In late August, the band uploaded a mysterious countdown on their website which ticked down from 100 hours. On August 28th, the countdown ended with no announcement, but the band teased an announcement for September 5. On September 5, the band began a live stream of them playing in a private venue in Los Angeles. During this live stream, the band announced they were reuniting with Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara performing vocals along with original member Mike Shinoda. The band also released their first song with Armstrong titled The Emptiness Machine, and announced a new album From Zero which will be released on November 15, 2024. Furthermore, the band also announced six live shows in 2024, and Shinoda claimed that the band would “tour heavily” in 2025.
