Review: Craig Eriksson. Photos: David Harris.
We felt incredibly fortunate to see the iconic Stone Temple Pilots (STP) perform their Purple 30th Anniversary Tour at The Palais Theatre in Melbourne on Sunday night.
Formed in San Diego, California back in 1989, STP play a mix of alternative rock, hard rock, grunge and psychedelic rock. As many of you know, the original lead singer was the incredible Scott Weiland who sadly passed away in 2015 at just 48 years young. STP’s debut album Core released in 1992 had huge success worldwide and they went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world. STP’s sophomore album Purple was released in 1994 which also had major success with singles such as Vasoline, Interstate Love Song and Big Empty. STP has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide.
STP current band members:
Jeff Gutt – Lead vocalist (since 2017)
Dean DeLeo – Lead guitar
Robert DeLeo – Bass guitar
Eric Kretz – Drums (since 2008)
STP were one of my favourite bands from the 90s and last night it was a trip down memory lane not only for me but looking around the theatre, many others as well. Back in 1994 when STP’s Purple album was released, I was living overseas and helping run the Oban Backpackers in Scotland. The common room had MTV playing 24 hours a day and grunge was massive at the time. MTV was playing loads of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and STP. All these bands had #1 albums and hits and they all became favourite bands of mine.
Australian hard rockers Wolfmother kick started the evening with a compact, straight shooting 30-minute, 8 song set that included 6 songs from their huge debut self-titled album. Lead singer Andrew Stockdale’s vocals are still kick ass and fans seemed to really get into their staples such as Joker and The Thief, Woman, White Unicorn, Apple Tree, Dimension and Vagabond. They also played the anthem-like New Moon Rising and their most recent song Midnight Train, released in 2021. A special shout out to our mate ‘Wolfie’ from The Casanovas who was on drums.
STP then emerged and played the entire Purple album from start to end in order as the songs appear on the album. They opened with MEATPLOW and the crowd erupted, leaping out of their seats and remained standing for the rest of the show. The distinct signature sound, heaviness, riffs and vocals of this song let you know you’re at a STP gig and you’re gonna rock ‘til ya’ drop.
It doesn’t take long to realise Jeff Gutt’s vocals are incredible and he is the perfect replacement for the late Scott Weiland. Gutt’s vocals are crystal clear but powerful and he perfectly captures the spirit of the band, while adding his own flavour to the songs without trying to imitate Weiland. The cinematic backdrop was outstanding and these incredible psychedelic visuals continued throughout the whole show.
VASOLINE was next and is such a massive single from the Purple album with its powerful riffs, thumping drums and distinctive vocals. LOUNGE FLY brought the level down a little with its tribal-like drumming, while the backdrop visuals were mesmerising, almost putting us into a trance. INTERSTATE LOVE SONG was definitely a crowd favourite and is one of my faves from the album. Gutt sang this song perfectly, moving around the stage with a confident swagger, even going down into the crowd to high-five or fist punch as many fans as possible. As they led into STILL REMAINS, Gutt said this song is a special tribute to the late Scott Weiland. A beautiful and quite emotional part of the show.
The acoustic PRETTY PENNY was a refreshing version of this song and was a highlight for my friend Penny who accompanied me to the show tonight. The roadies set up some bongos, coupled with a single Tom Tom and chimes for Kretz and when he started playing, the rhythm this gave the song an exotic Eastern style and sound. We thought it worked really well in the middle part of the show to mix things up a bit. Throughout the show, Kretz is an integral part of their music and provides a solid rhythm.
The DeLeo brothers are the only two original members of STP and their riffs are just as powerful now as they were all those years back. Watching the skill and effortless proficiency of these two brothers was fascinating. They play incredibly tight and in-sync and you can see they both intuitively know the music inside out, which they have played for the past 3-decades together.
SILVERGUN SUPERMAN followed and had the crowd headbangin’ with its heavy riffs and thumping drums. Gutt’s vocals shine in this song and in an eerie way I could hear Weiland singing. Gutt constantly revved up the crowd by waving his arms up and down encouraging the crowd to get more involved. His energy was self-contained but supremely confident. He looked very cool and sharp as he sauntered around wearing tailored pants, collared shirt and black sunglasses, that he gave to a fan later in the show (the sunglasses that is!).
BIG EMPTY was another popular song with the sing-along chorus:
“Time to take her home, her dizzy head is conscience laden, time to take a ride it leaves today, No Conversation, Time to take her home, her dizzy head is conscience laden, Time to wait too long.”
UNGLUED and ARMY ANTS are purely fan-favourites that never hit the main airways as they probably rocked too hard for radio. KITCHENWARE & CANDYBARS was the last song on the Purple album and has an orchestral beauty about it. STP then played several of their fan faves with the magnificent WICKED GARDEN, PLUSH, CRACKERMAN, DEAD & BLOATED and concluded with SEX TYPE THING.
Over the years, we all enjoyed Hendrix’s Purple Haze, Deep Purple and Prince’s Purple Rain, but a huge thank you STP for the incredible Purple album. You guys rock!
SET LIST:
Purple:
Meatplow
Vasoline
Lounge Fly
Interstate Love Song
Still Remains
Pretty Penny
Silvergun Superman
Big Empty
Unglued
Army Ants
Kitchenware & Candybars
Encore:
Wicked Garden
Plush
Crackerman
Dead & Bloated
Sex Type Thing
