STP Reunites, Makes Me Sigh

For some reason, people seem to have a hard time understanding my love for Stone Temple Pilots. Whether they hold some notion that because I'm queer, I can't be a rock enthusiast, or whether it's just because STP was critically slammed throughout the 90's (unjustly, I might add), they just don't get that I love STP. Just love them. And I adore Scott Weiland, the eccentric lead singer (and possibly former frontman of Velvet Revolver). I adore his so much as a musician, that even through his tribulations and out-right self-destructive behavior, I've stuck with him. Unfortunately, that love and admiration isn't always repaid.

I went to the STP Reunion tour last night here in Chicago with my boyfriend (sidenote, he's not a fan, but he still had fun) expecting a re-ignition of the magic that STP used to hold. Sadly, I was a bit let down. Perhaps it was that, in typical fashion, Scott almost screwed up the tour with a DUI sentencing of 192 hours jail time (of which he only served 14 minutes), or perhaps it's that Scott is bored of Chicago after working on a new solo album here, or maybe it was just damned cold (truthfully, it is hard to perform outdoors in the low 40's), but whatever it was, the chemistry wasn't there. Sure, the music was great, and it was simply fantastic to see "my boys" on stage again, but they just weren't into it. There was 10 guitar debacle in the middle of the opening song (Big Empty), a few lyrics forgotten, lack of coordination on big hit timings, and Scott just didn't put up the effort.

Anyone that has seen Scott Weiland perform before, in any of his capacities, knows full well the antics the man is capable of. They just weren't there last night though. At all. He was disinterested, it seemed, so much so that it made a die hard fan like myself disinterested enough to go stand by the beer booth instead of pushing my way to the front.

In the end, it was ok. I enjoyed the hell out of seeing STP, and anyone that knows me from high school will know how much that means to me (it still means the same today as then). I wish Scott Weiland had actually performed, but the De Leo's absolutely killed it, so I got 3/4 of an awesome band. Better than nothing, I suppose.