Stone Temple Pilots in Portland

The Stone Temple Pilots are making a roaring comeback. Once a band considered synonymous with the grunge movement of the 90’s, they’re proving that the STP sound still resonates with a crowd several generations removed. The band, over the years, has suffered immeasurable setbacks including losing back-to-back lead singers, but they still have more to give.

STP is currently out on tour promoting their hot-off-the presses self-titled release. I know, they’ve pulled these schenanigans before, releasing their self-titled album nearly a decade ago. But perhaps this is symbolic of the band’s rebirth. With Jeff Gutt now weilding the microphone front and center, the Stone Temple Pilots came to show Portland that their legacy lives on and that although they’ve been keeping relatively quiet for some time, they’ve chosen their moment.

With a sold-out crowd at Portland’s Roseland theater, brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo, Eric Kretz and freshman Jeff Gutt completely blew the doors off. And I’m saying it now. Jeff Gutt is the real deal. His vocal delivery is very much styled after the late Scott Weiland. And his stage presence is monsterous. Although their set was short, STP still managed to cram in nearly two dozen songs. There was a great mix of songs with a few of the new pieces sliced in and the set was heavy from start to finish. Throughout the evening, chants of “S-T-P” were heard througout the venue and several drunken “We Love You’s” as well.

It was a great evening to get a chance to hear the “grunge” classics, but I could clearly sense that we were on the cusp of a new beginning.