Wednesday, November 6, 1996
CONCERT:
Weiland, back from drug rehab, gives energetic performanceBy
Brian Remick
Daily Bruin Contributor
The lights at the Universal Amphitheater dropped at 9:30 p.m.,
leaving only a single, illuminated disco ball. The crowd went
crazy. Stone Temple Pilots were about to return to music. STP
opened their North American tour Monday night to a sold out
audience in support of their latest album, "Tiny Music  Songs
from the Vatican Giftshop."
Lead singer Scott Weiland appeared on stage dressed in a black
suit, black shirt and white tie, which caught the audience by
surprise. He definitely stood apart from his other bandmates, who
apparently weren’t informed of the formal dress code and just wore
flannel.
Weiland certainly didn’t let his clothes change his style
though, as he launched into an energized set that lasted two hours
and traversed the majority of all three of Stone Temple Pilots’
records.
Monday night marked the beginning of Stone Temple Pilots’ first
tour since Weiland’s mandatory drug rehabilitation program, which
all but broke up the band completely.
"It means a lot to be playing music with this band again,"
Weiland said during a touching moment and his performance proved
it.
Following a stale performance by Expanding Man, STP started off
the evening with a fast-paced mix of some of their older hits,
including the smash single from their previous album, "Vaseline."
The band was rusty and out of practice, but the crowd was too busy
singing along to notice.
Weiland’s encounter with rehab almost completely shut down
promotion for their latest album. Touring ceased and sales of the
album are disappointing when compared to their previous two
releases. Therefore, STP wisely avoided most of the songs from
their latest album with the exception of the singles such as "Big
Bang Baby," one of the most well-received songs of the night.
Their performance improved drastically with "Wicked Garden,"
from their first album. The lighting effects and the band all
seemed to come together with this song and stayed relatively tight
throughout the rest of the show.
Following the song’s chaotic strobe-light finale, a stage-sized
platform slowly descended from above and landed in front of the
set. The band traded their electric guitars and drums for acoustic
guitars and bongos and settled in for a mid-set acoustic session.
(MTV Unplugged, anyone?)
STP proceeded to tear through all of their songs that sound
remotely acoustic, including "Creep" and "Pretty Penny." The
members of the band were all sitting around the platform on
rug-covered boxes and pillows creating a setting quite distinct
from that presented at the onset. Before, Weiland was in the
spotlight. Now, it was Stone Temple Pilots.
"Did you guys hear that STP has a new lead singer?" Weiland said
jokingly. Playing on the rumor that the band had recorded material
with a different lead singer while he was gone, the statement was
almost too true. Weiland has emerged with a new image of a lyricist
and performer that cares more about his music then ever before.
STP changed tunes abruptly once again, concluding the set with
two of their most popular songs.
"You’ve probably heard this one before. It’s called
(affectionately by us) ‘Lunch,’" Weiland said as the band began an
incredible version of "Plush," their first major single.
"Interstate Love Song" followed to conclude the set.
Weiland complemented his formal attire with unexpected dance
moves that ranged from ’70s disco to Tony Bennett-style finger
snapping. The level of enthusiasm that he gave to the performance
was definitely impressive.
"This is the encore," Weiland said as Stone Temple Pilots took
the stage for the final time. They concluded with "Dead &
Bloated" and "Sex-Type Thing," two of the strongest songs from
their first album.
And, following an equally crazy strobe-light finale and a Bob
Dole insult (which there is no need to reiterate here), STP proudly
walked off stage, knowing that they had returned with a
vengeance.
MUSIC: Stone Temple Pilots played Monday at the Universal
Amphitheater.
GENEVIEVE LIANG
Scott Weiland excited the crowd Monday at the Universal
Amphitheater.