Abby Tebeau
Watching Stone Temple Pilots take the stage at Common Ground on Tuesday was like watching the ghost of a long lost friend appear — then play an impressive and loud rock show.
I was immediately transported back to my '90s high school days, before the band's inner turmoil overtook its music. The drama can all be traced back to one ongoing issue: vocalist Scott Weiland’s drug problem threw a wrench into the band’s success machine. It caused at least two full-on break ups since the band’s breakthrough album, “Core,” in 1992.
This made the band’s Lansing performance an unexpected one, to say the least. I get the feeling STP fans are surprised every time the band pulls together and plays shows. This performance was no exception. Before show time, the crowd was filled with anticipation, as well as drunken rants and chants.
When the band finally took the stage, a clean and coherent Weiland slithered to the front. The band wasted no time breaking into an onslaught of hits, including “Wicked Garden,” “Vaseline” and “Big Empty,” not a bad start to a show. The band sounded as slick as ever. Dean Deleo’s guitar work was quite impressive. The huge guitar sound heard on the band’s platinum-selling records translates well to the stage, especially when the sound needs to fill an outdoor festival.
The star of the show, though, was, of course, Weiland, the professional “rock star” of the group. His stage presence was more glam than wild. His playbook of moves may be derived from David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Robert Plant, but after selling over 40 million records, the band has definitely earned its keep, and surpassed it’s original “Pearl Jam rip-off” label.
There are talks of a new STP studio album, which is being produced by famed Michigan-born producer, Don Was. The LP is due out in December 2009.
In the middle of STP’s set, I quickly darted over to the Pearle Vision stage to catch a few George Clinton and Parliament-Funladelic tunes. Wow, am I ever glad I did!
While the immediate whiff of pot smoke set the tone, it was the huge ensemble of freaks on stage that made my night. The elements of a P-Funk show immediately grab you — a grown man in a diaper, Clinton’s colorful parrot-head, backup singers and dancers in tight clothing and, most important, a heavy dose of talent.
The show consists of 25 amazing performers, who sing, dance and get freaky on stage. One of which is a back-up dancer named Kim Manning, AKA “Peaches,” from the now classic VH1 “Celebreality” show “Flavor of Love.” Not a bad gig for a reality TV personality.
Each song, including hit "We Want the Funk," seemed to go on for at least 10 minutes, but the audience didn’t seem to notice. The vibe was more like a dance club than a rock concert, which was refreshing.
I was also pleased to see devoted fans (young and old) peppered throughout the audience, who yelled song requests toward the stage in between tunes. While Clinton, 67, is the type of front man who would invite a women from the audience on stage for a nasty grind-session during the song “Freak of the Week” (which he did at this show), it’s important to remember his immeasurable creativity and talent that has influenced everyone from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the entire West Coast rap scene. It was a dynamic and amazing show.
