Scott Weiland House of Blues March 26, 2013
Just before 10 o'clock Tuesday night, the stage curtains at House of Blues were finally pulled to the sides. Clad in a suit, tie and sunglasses, Scott Weiland lazily strutted out onto the stage, as his band performed a bluesy, grungy jam that eventually transitioned into the first song of the night.
Fired or not, the former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist and front man seems to have no qualms with performing plenty of that band's old songs, albeit adding, subtracting and sometimes altogether changing any of the vocal lines within them.
By the second song, Weiland had already brought his trusty and infamous megaphone out from behind the drum kit and, by the third, he had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.
The night was filled with plenty of well-known STP originals -- including "Big Empty," "Wicked Garden," "Vasoline" and "Sex Type Thing" -- and even a few covers, notably Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song."
He's still got the pipes, it seems, but Weiland just sounded exhausted last night; tired with his own music, even. So much so that he seemed to be trying to liven up old STP favorites and make slight changes to keep them relevant, but he ended up just bastardizing the originals.
Instead, the most fun and entertaining part of the evening was completely unscripted. Following "Kitchenware & Candy Bars," Weiland took notice of a fan in the front who was celebrating his birthday. He and the Wildabouts, with whom Weiland currently finds himself on tour, played a bluesy rendition of "Happy Birthday" to a fan named Jeremiah.
From where I stood, it seemed to be the most fun everyone onstage had all night. And the crowd loved it, too.
