Stone Temple Pilots Show Review (10/30/08, Desoto Civic Center, Southaven)

In my relatively short lifetime, the Stone Temple Pilots have had a profound impact on me musically. They were one of the bands that my dad listened to constantly when I was just a toddler. As a result, most of STP's songs have become ingrained within me purely by osmosis. In fact, my first real concert was an STP show back in 2000 at the Mud Island Amphitheater that he took me to. However, being only 8, the show was, for lack of better words, quite an experience. The effluvia of marijuana and the sight of people reveling in their drunken stupor proved to be a tad too much for an 8 year old to handle. Needless to say, I begged to leave the show early, a decision that I have always regretted. Well, I reconciled this decision over a week ago when I finally saw STP for a second time.

In June, when I heard that STP were surprisingly coming to the Memphis area, I immediately procured second row seats at the Desoto Civic Center in Southaven, MS, just across the state line. Apparently, Memphis has an extremely high performance tax, making it more economical for bands to play just a few miles south in Mississippi.

After waiting for about an hour, without having to endure a lame opening act, the lights dimmed. The crowd rose to their feet. Scores of avid fans eagerly anticipated the return of the Stone Temple Pilots. Out walked bassist Rob DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo, drummer Eric Kretz, and vocalist Scott Weiland. The show had begun.

“Time to take her home/Her dizzy head is conscience laden/Time to take a ride/It leaves today no conversation,” sang Weiland to the sold out crowd at the Desoto Civic Center.

Even a year ago, this event would have been considered unimaginable by fans of the recently reunited Stone Temple Pilots, including myself. Throughout the early and mid-nineties, the Grammy Award-winning band enjoyed remarkable success, producing several hit records. Although sometimes considered a grunge act, STP developed a truly unique sound amidst the other flannel-clad bands of the era. However, five years ago, the band split after internal strife, primarily the result of Weiland’s habitual substance abuse problems. Weiland proceeded to form Velvet Revolver with several former members of Guns N’ Roses, while the DeLeo brothers created the short-lived Army of Anyone with Filter frontman, Richard Patrick. The two bands remained largely unsuccessful. For a band of such high potential, Velvet Revolver fell extremely short. As a classic instance of the whole being greater than the parts, the disunity of the members of STP proved that no offshoot band would ever be as memorable as the original Pilots. But after a long hiatus, the group reunited to perform more than sixty-five shows across the United States, all of which have largely received stellar reviews. The show in Southaven was no exception.

After easing into their set with “Big Empty,” it was clear the STP were on their A-game. Weiland’s vocals were dead on throughout the night. Having seen Weiland’s mediocre performances with Velvet Revolver twice in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by this welcome contrast. Weiland also appeared to be in much better health, compared to his rather gaunt disposition of years past. Dean DeLeo filled the arena with his luscious guitar tone, pounding riffs, and tasteful, atmospheric playing. It became evident why so many consider him a modern incarnation of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. Throughout the night, Dean played an assortment of guitars, including a few Les Pauls, an old Telecaster, and a Paul Reed Smith. For dirty sounds, he was plugged into his classic Demeter preamp/VHT poweramp setup into two Marshall 4x12 cabs. For cleans, he appeared to be using his Vox AC30s. Rob DeLeo’s thundering bass lines and Eric Kretz’s skillful drumming provided a rhythm section that didn’t miss a beat, quite literally. During the show, the band entered a few instrumental jam sessions, where the DeLeo brothers and Kretz further exercised their creative prowess. When I witnessed Velvet Revolver perform at this same venue over four years ago, the sound was extremely muddy and inaudible. This certainly wasn’t the case with STP’s performance. Granted, the band played at a loud volume, but it was enjoyable type of loud, with every nuance of the band capable of being heard. Then again, sitting on the second row certainly didn’t hurt matters.


As predicted, the set list primarily comprised most of the band’s hit tracks from past albums. Performances of such classics as “Plush,” “Vasoline,” “Wicked Garden,” "Sex Type Thing," and “Creep” sounded faithful to the album versions. However, the band also treated the audience to a few more obscure songs, including one of my personal favorites, “Sin.” Surprisingly, almost everyone in the crowd knew all the lyrics to each song by heart. Witnessing a concert among other die-hard fans certainly added to the intimacy of the show, and it definitely showed on the faces of the band members. They truly appeared to enjoy performing for us, unlike many other bands that merely go through the motions. The set ended with an encore performance of “Dead and Bloated” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.”

Seeing this show directly following the Yngwie show really highlighted a contrast of styles that has greatly affected me as a guitar player within the past week or so. Granted, Dean DeLeo isn’t a guitarist who can sweep arpeggios at 200bpm or pick scales at lightning speeds, but the guy can write some extremely memorable riffs and tasteful solos. Don’t get me wrong, I love Yngwie and all the “shredders,” but such amazing technical playing isn’t everything. Dean’s playing really reminded me of the importance of putting musicality first and foremost.

Overall, the Stone Temple Pilots put on an incredible show. Apparently, my opinion was in accordance with everyone else, as indicated by the unified chants of “S-T-P” at the end. Perhaps the reunion will eventually evolve into some new material from the band. We can only hope so. But until then, it’s great to know that one of modern rock’s greatest bands is back in action.

You can view the rest of the pictures I took at this show here.