Linkin Park Tease 'Unique' Performance On 'Saturday Night Live'

There's not much that makes Linkin Park nervous — at least not anymore. But back in 2007, on the eve of the release of their Minutes to Midnight album, the band performed on "Saturday Night Live." And, for the first time in a long time, LP were very, very skittish.

"The first time we did it, I was really nervous and really skeptical. I love the show, it's very funny, but we have no control over the sound, you have people that may or may not know who the band is, they may or may not like the band, so you're coming in, working with a crew you've never worked with before," Chester Bennington said. "And, on a TV show, it's got to be really, really great [in the studio] in order to come across pretty good on TV, and that freaks me out. So I was really nervous the first time ... wanting to find a way to work with everybody and not piss people off."

Needless to say, things went off without a hitch, and all was right with the world. Fast-forward to Friday (February 4), when Linkin Park were back in New York for another performance on "SNL." This time around, they've got another album to support — last year's voluminous A Thousand Suns — and, perhaps telling how far they've come, they're not nervous in the slightest. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"I've been watching 'SNL' forever, I love 'SNL,' and actually, one of the jokes for me is, the first time we played it, [the host] was Molly Shannon, and this time it's Dana Carvey. I guess we're the band that brings the classic castmember back," Mike Shinoda laughed. "So I'm looking for, like, some Chevy Chase action ... next time. Give us a call when Steve Martin is gonna be on, and we'll be happy to keep the torch held high."

In all seriousness, Linkin Park are planning big things for their performance, which will incorporate elements of their ongoing arena tour and, in the process, might just break a few barriers too.

"I think lately people have been pushing the envelope with that show, and on TV in general, and for us especially, we feel like there's a way to make it a little extra-special," Shinoda said. "So we have a couple of things planned for 'SNL' this time that are unique for us and, I'm pretty sure, unique for their show. I don't think anyone's done anything like this on their show."

Are you excited for Linkin Park's "SNL" performance? Let us know in the comments!