Nearly every time I mention going to see the Stone Temple Pilots, people feel obligated to ask “who is in that band now?” as if, like some of their interchangeable alternative rock-peers (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, opening band Crash Karma… more on them in a moment) at least one of the founding members was presumed to be dead/fired/retired/high. Well, I’m happy to report that all four original Pilots are still present and accounted for as they return to Toronto.
And the crowd is definitely ready for them — especially after 45 minutes of the opening band’s particular brand of Canadian alt-rock leftovers. (And I mean that literally; Crash Karma is comprised of former Our Lady Peace-er Mike Turner, Tea Party drummer Jeff Burrows, Zygote bassist Amir Epstein and the one and only Edwin.) Aside from pseudo covers of “Fire in the Head” and “One More Astronaut,” this is basically warmed-over Edgefest circa 1997. It’s pretty obvious that everyone has forgotten about this band when the incessant chants of “S-T-P” begin almost as soon as their set concludes.
Looking healthy and dapper as ever — bassist Robert DeLeo in a slick black suit and aviator shades while singer Scott Weiland rocks a formidable scarf and painted-on black jeans — STP offer up a hearty feast of songs from 1994's Purple, beginning with “Silvergun Superman,” “Vasoline” and “Big Empty” with '92 debut Core’s “Wicked Garden” thrown in for good measure. Clearly they’ve still got the goods as far as songs go, which is fortunate since their under-stimulated performance isn’t the most exciting thing in the universe. Even though Weiland spends most of his time poised on top of the monitors or slinking around the stage in a drug-lizard moonwalk, there’s an indefinable intensity lacking from the whole affair (it's called junk sickness).
Consequently, “Creep” is mad boring and there are a few times when STP dip into filler material (like “Loungefly” and “Down”) — not to mention the three unnecessary jams, as if we didn’t know how goddamn talented guitarist Dean DeLeo was already. But just when I’m despairing over the flaccid rendition of “Sour Girl” (which, just like RHCP’s “Scar Tissue” never quite sounds as good live as it does on the radio), then they come through with even more killer tuneage: “Interstate Love Song,” “Plush” and “Unglued.” And while we’re on the topic of great songs, the biggest surprise of the night is that they don’t play “Big Bang Baby.” Come on — we can appreciate the irony in watching the dude who fronted Velvet Revolver sing a tongue-in-cheek song about selling out.