Addiction is an interesting thing, addicted to what, whom, where, when?... the addiction consuming you and taking you over, becoming the very essence of your being, never letting go of your mind and thoughts. Addiction is forever, and forever is an eternity, as it seduces and yet rots, entices and rapes. So many of the great artists throughout history have toyed with substance abuse, been abusers, seeked mind altered states to get them to a new level of consciousness and quite possibly, no, quite probably, a new level of creativity. From Van Gogh to Hendrix, Shakespeare to Lennon, the relation between creative people and drugs is widely recognized. Using drugs in order to be creative, or craving drugs because they are creative, is a matter of much debate. Certainly many artists throughout history have been prodigious in their use of intoxicants.

Rock stars and rock ‘n roll fans are very similar to this what, who, where, when and why? Why do certain bands or artists strike a chord with the listeners, media, fans, and fanatics? Why are artists inclined to push the limits and boundaries of society and their own self-existence? These are the questions I explored and pondered while taking in the Stone Temple Pilots show at The Pearl Theater at The Palms on February 25th, 2011.

With the release of their debut album Core in 1992, Stone Temple Pilots became an instant success, selling eight million copies of the album spurred on by the infectious hit single “Sex Type Thing”, but STP found themselves criticized by the press for being California grunge wannabes, and too much like their Seattle counterparts: Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana. Truth of the matter, they were nothing like these other bands, and as time would tell, the DeLeo brothers had an incredible amount of depth in their writing and playing skills, and the world would soon know Scott Weiland would become one of the most charismatic front men in the business. Weiland would struggle with drugs throughout the 90’s and into 2000, being busted for possession of heroin and cocaine in ’95, in and out of rehabs, and serving jail time for parole violation in ‘99. Even so, over the course of these years the band would go
on to have sixteen top ten singles and sell more than forty million records worldwide before breaking up in 2003 because of Weiland’s substance abuse issues.

STP’s fans travel from venue to venue to see them perform, and this night was no exception. I interviewed and spoke with people from California to Colorado, from Wisconsin to Florida, all here to
see Weiland and company. From hell and back, the band, back together since 2008, looked healthy and clean, and sounded huge and tight within the great acoustics of The Pearl. Weiland’s singing was strong and to the point, and his stage presence was commanding—maybe a little less frenetic than days of the past, but no one in the audience seemed to care. The fans addicted to the substance that is Stone Temple Pilots, tripped and grooved as the band nurtured their cravings and rocked through their greatest hits list including “Wicked Garden”, “Vasoline”, “Dancing Days”, “Plush”, “Sex Type Thing” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart”. Viva Las Vegas, Viva STP. SLV

Issue 59 featuring: Jessie Andrews, Cassia Riley & Lauren WK