Stone Temple Pilots launched into a classic night of '90s grunge, igniting a roaring auditorium of fans at the State Theater in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 21.
The balcony shook as an eclectic Scott Weiland, cool and clad in a Dean Martin-style suit and a chic fedora, crept on stage to a disco-lit floor matched to the sound of the 1994 hit Big Empty.
Fans swayed to psychedelic visuals as the DeLeo brothers, Weiland, and drummer Eric Kretz seemed to not skip a beat since the band's breakup in 2002.
"Let's get it started," urged the front man with cigarette in hand, as the band quickly upped the ante with a hypnotic version of Vaseline followed by a dark vocal rendition of Big Band Baby. Weiland wasn't his usual manic self on stage, opting for a cooler, more methodical style more suited to his 40 years of age.
STP pulled a few surprises, including a James Brown-style jam session and "one of their favorite songs" from their sophomore album called Lounge Fly. The Pilots lost momentum, however, with a sluggish version of Sour Girl owing to, as bassist Rober DeLeo described, an "amp explosion."
The moody meltdown onstage was quickly overturned with tight versions of Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart and Crackerman, where the DeLeo brothers grooved and Weiland bounced around the stage shirtless and commanding his patented bullhorn. STP delivered close to 20 classic songs on just their third tour date of a giant 65-show reunion tour slated to end Aug. 31 in Seattle.
Meanwhile, Slash (formerly of Guns N' Roses) and Weiland's freshly departed former band Velvet Revolver are sifting through potential singers to replace the unique frontman abilities of Scott Weiland. After such a memorable Stone Temple Pilots performance, the group's fans can be thankful that Weiland moved on after five years with Velvet Revolver to return to the band that launched him into the public eye.
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