A review of the Stone Temple Pilots concert at Bank of America Pavilion, Boston, Sept. 1, 2010
We had read the stories: Singer Scott Weiland, numerous times in rehab, had fallen off the stage at a recent show. We had heard the rumors: He was lip-synching at the time.
But all of the worries that the Stone Temple Pilots are rock stars on the decline were blown away when the quartet – the enigmatic Weiland, brothers Dean (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass), and drummer Eric Kretz – took the stage at Bank of America Pavilion in Boston.
During the day it had hit 94 humid degrees, and even though darkness was falling as we arrived and the venue shadows the Boston Harbor, the slight breeze didn’t do much to cool things down.
The first group up, the badly named TAB the Band, played a quick and uptempo but sparsely attended set. They are mostly noteworthy because the bass player/singer and the guitarist are sons of Aerosmith’s Joe Perry – though to the band’s credit, it was never mentioned.
Cage the Elephant followed. This is one of our son’s favorite bands, and they pack a ton of energy. The quintet is led by lanky frontman Matt Schultz, who lashes his long hair front and back as he sings, moving across the stage, into the crowd, and back without ever missing a rap-like lyric. It’s very entertaining.
The one complaint in all the music we heard, including STP, is that there was a lack
of slower, or even downtempo, numbers. The pace is torrid, the beats are booming, and the guitars raging. Even guitar solos are masked by the squalor of the other instruments behind them. I’m sure this is not a problem for fans of these bands, but from a geezer perspective, someone who likes to hear the notes of the instruments, it’s a little bit of a sensory overload.
STP took to the stage in front of a wall of lights – flashing colors, patterns, and words throughout their rocking show.
Opening with fan favorites “Crackerman’’ and “Wicked Garden,” Weiland – who comes across as a little Jim Morrison, a little David Bowie – looked great in his fedora, scarf and suit, all which were soon discarded. Singing songs through his signature bullhorn (with a camera affixed to it from which pixelated-like images were broadcast behind the band), Weiland led his mates through STP classics as well as songs from their latest album. We’re not huge STP fans but we were able to recognize “Vaseline’’ and “Plush,” as well as their Led Zeppelin cover, “Dancing Days.’’
The crowd was generally well-behaved, as fans high-fived each other as each song was
played. The band ripped through a 19-song, 2-hour set that took few breaks, closing with “Sex
Type Thing.” They returned for two encores: “Dead and Bloated” and “Tripping on a Hole in a Paper Heart,” much to the delight of their fans.
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