Stone Temple Pilots...Finally!!! (2012)
2012 marks the 20th year anniversary of when Stone Temple Pilots' debut album, Core, was released. This was no ordinary debut. It consisted of hit after deep and twisted hit. Anyone who is familiar with the band, knows they have had a roller coaster ride of fame, drug addiction, arrests, and depression. Usually the megalomaniacal frontman, Scott Weiland, has been at the epicenter of the drama. They have even gone their separate ways in the past, forming other bands...such as Scott forming Audioslave with Slash. Yet, they decided to put the original four (brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo, drummer Eric Kretz, and Mr. Weiland) back in the saddle for a Core revisited tour.
The show was on September 4th at the Vic Theater. The venue was awesome. It doesn't hold too many people so we were able to be quite close to the stage. The entire crowd started to get severe anxiety, however, when we had to wait an hour and a half after the opening band for STP to take the stage. Rumors of Scott being a diva were flowing and my concert companion was certain they wouldn't go on at all. Finally...they put the rumors to rest and COMMANDED the stage. The sound was incredible. Scott hasn't lost one iota of his vocal ability and was able to do complete justice to every single track they performed.
Scott rocked the stage with his beyond slender frame and Jagger/Bowie-esque presence and dance moves and kept the energy soaring throughout the entire set. This was so monumentous for me as STP, along with Pearl Jam (obvi) and Smashing Pumpkins, were one of my favorite bands of the 90's. They helped me form my love for hard alternative rock, and to now see them in concert, after 20 years of being a fan, was surreal. So surreal that I could barely control myself during some of my favorite tracks like: Plush, Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart, Vasoline, Creep, Interstate Love Song, and finally Sex Type Thing (encore). I was raging so hard I think I lost 10 lbs during the show. My friend hadn't seen this side of me before and I most certainly frightened him. But hey, it was a 20 year (god I'm old) build up that needed to be released.
The band shocked the audience when they pulled Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist of Cheap Trick, on stage. They proceeded to rock the shit out of a rendition of "Surrender". My friend and I almost lost our minds...it was such a bad ass moment and we couldn't believe what we were witnessing. In the end, waiting 20 years...and the additional hour and a half was worth it. Say what you will about Weiland's crazy antics or STP being a "poor man's Pearl Jam"- they can still put on one hell of a show after 2 decades. At the end of the night, it was definitely time to take me home because my dizzy head was conscience laden....