Below Empty - Stone Temple Pilots

August 19, 2010 - Grand Rapids, MI - Deltaplex

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General Information

Artist: Stone Temple Pilots
Date: August 19, 2010
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
Venue: Deltaplex
Address: 2500 Turner Avenue Northwest, Grand Rapids, MI 49544 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (616) 364-9000

Additional Information: Thanks to wheelz34gh for the set list!

Set List

Crackerman
Wicked Garden
Vasoline
Heaven and Hot Rods
Between The Lines
Hickory Dichotomy
Still Remains
Cinnamon
Big Empty
Dancing Days
Pretty Penny
Silvergun Superman
Plush
Interstate Love Song
Huckleberry Crumble
Down
Sex Type Thing
Dead And Bloated
Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart

Reviews (4) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Grand Rapids show ]

Thanks to Jen Pider: Stone Temple Pilots fans have always been unwavering in their affection for the band.

STP songs transcend criticism or comparison and head straight for the hearts of those who identify with them. Even back in January 1994 when Rolling Stone conducted a poll, the band was simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stone's readers and Worst New Band by the magazine's music critics.

Still, they've been out of the game since their 2001 release, Shangri-La Dee Da. After reuniting for a tour in 2008, then battling through a law suit with Atlantic Records, STP returned with their self-titled album in May of 2010.

For the Grand Rapids show, "Between the Lines" (their first single to ever reach #1 on the Billboard Rock Songs chart) was the first song STP performed off this album. They also played "Hickory Dichotomy", "Cinnamon" and "Huckleberry Crumble".

The Deltaplex has been a staple venue for Grand Rapids since 1998, weathering many storms. Now, under the direction of Stan Sacha, this arena is making a strong comeback.

Pulling in to the packed parking lot, I have to admit that the seven dollar parking fee was a bit of a shocker. It seems a bit excessive considering there are no other parking options. Three dollars, no problem. Seven, outrageous. �

The event set-up wasn't the usual get your tickets and head straight into the arena. Instead, the crowd was routed through West Rive Hall, where they were met by friendly ticket takers and ID checkers.

This arrangement was actually quite brilliant as it allowed for a quieter area to purchase beer and liquor or have a conversation. With three bars in the hall and one large bar in the arena the lines were manageable at 20 deep, as they moved quite quickly. Additionally, the smoking area outside was secured with cattle guards and easily accessible.

The most frequently uttered phrase from attenders was, "I wanna hear the old stuff," and they weren't disappointed.

Around 9:30pm, without warning, the lights went out and the band hit the stage. The stage housed an expansive video wall behind the band flashing blue and green psychedelic images. It created a real rock-show vibe, though it made STP look minuscule in comparison. I enjoy the flashing lights and gimmicks, but I prefer it when the band isn�t trying too hard to make themselves seem larger than life.

Scott Weiland entered the stage with a fedora hat and bug-eyed sunglasses, a black long sleeved shirt topped with white vest layers of scarf. In a non-traditional strip-tease format he discarded a new item for every song, starting with the hat.

The Deltaplex is not an acoustically pleasing venue. With its metal roof and cement everything else, it proved to be a challenge for touring sound company Thunder Audio. Still, I've never seen an engineer have so much fun �dancing and singing along, constantly moving and touching the board. He was successful in ensuring the sound didn�t rip your face off. Still, it was hard to hear the vocals.

The bullhorn mix on "Crackerman" was well received. However, on the third song, "Vasoline", it seemed like the band couldn�t hear each other, maybe a bad monitor mix. It was like they were trying a new arrangement of the song, but the timing was off.

Weiland addressed the crowd after the third song, bringing the fans further into the experience. Around the sixth song Scott Weiland made a comment about the media. Something like, "Everyone is a reporter, everyone is a critic." As a critic in the audience, I strained to hear his point. However, the vocals were too low to make out his statement.

Though I'm not usually a fan of covers, their rendition of "Dancing Days" by Led Zeppelin was captivating with the space scene floating by on the video wall behind them.

The overall performance is definitely worth $30, especially if you love their albums. The band had a great amount of energy and deftness with their instruments. They had an excellent stage presence and made their fans feel right at home.

Thanks to Grand Rapids Press: Nobody can say that Thursday night's Stone Temple Pilots show at the DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center didn't sound great, or that it wasn't entertaining watching frontman Scott Weiland sashay, slink and dance in a liturgical/martial arts kind of way around the stage with a scarf, white vest and fedora.

Weiland's vocals were strong and the harmonies were spot-on, as were the band members, who only once -- during "Interstate Love Song" -- seemed at odds with each other: drummer Eric Kretz wanted things faster while Weiland's vocals kept trying to slow down the tempo.

Even the light show was fantastic, which included a two-story pixelated screen covering the entire back wall of the stage and flashed new images for every song.

But the mystique that Weiland tries so hard to maintain -- the philosophizing, born-in-the-wrong-era, the-world-is-lost-and-I'm-above-it meanderings -- got a little old and became too self-indulgent, starting with his first rant about handbags, consumerism, ubiquitous faux critics and Walter Cronkite. Whatever.

It was the first -- and most severe -- waste of time and break in momentum in his long 1 hour, 45 minute set which began with a thunderous opening of "Long Way Home," which included the first of many appearances of a bullhorn that Weiland wielded throughout the show attended by about 3,500.

Chugging guitars, ambient guitar openings juxtaposed with full guitars and heavy percussion kept momentum moving until Weiland decided to introduce each of his songs, with a slow, tripped-out vocal nonchalant-ness.

The set also included the infrequently performed "Heaven & Hot Rods," followed by danceable "Between the Lines," and an enthusiastic performance of "Hickory Dichotomy," partly sung behind the drum set.

Weiland kept bringing up the give-and-take relationship between a performer, who gives energy and also receives it from his audience. He also told the "cheap seat" attendees to stop eating their popcorn and Dodger Dogs and to stand up, because it's their "celebration." OK.

The weird comments followed a performance of "Cinnamon," featuring upbeat vocals. Weiland introduced the song, though, by saying it would have been better received in the 11th century. Pretentious much?

A morose, bluesy guitar intro lead into "Big Empty," which seemed to be even more contemplative and tortured, if that's possible. It also included an interesting ambient interlude featuring a searching, crying guitar solo.

Things starting ramping up with "Dancing Days," and later with fan favorite "Plush," featuring a crowd sing-along, and followed up with "Interstate Love Song." "Sex Type Thing," which contains some blinding strobe lights and a white pixel screen, was immediately followed by a spontaneous solo by Weiland of Frank Sinatra's "Fly Me to the Moon." STP also dabbled with funk and maracas during the show. Again, what?

His encore closed out the night with "Dead & Bloated," which began with a dramatic opening and Weiland's a capella vocals on the bullhorn. "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" ended what was a show that definitely tripped over itself a few times, seemed to lack some sincere heart, but sounded as strong and as clear as one would hope at a live show.

Thanks to BrandoKommando: Tonight's show was hands down, without a doubt -- the best damn STP show I've ever been to. The G.R. show was as good as any Tiny Music tour shows I saw back in the day. The band loved the crowd, Scott sounded strong, and the new set-list gave the die-hard fans their
money's worth. Even better for me was the autograph my wife scored from Dean yesterday. While at the JW hotel on Wednesday, my wife
spotted him. He signed a copy of the new album to me, and took a pic with her. Overall, the last 2 days have been awesome. Thanks for
the super show STP!

Thanks to Jake: This was my 1st STP show so I don't have anything to compare it to, but I'd say this show was pretty kick ass.

The crowd was really into it and the band seemed like they were really into it and having a good time too. The band played basically flawless and Scott seemed to be in prime form.

The only thing I didn't like music wise was the tempo of some of the songs, they seemed a bit slower then the album and some seemed to get slower and slower as the song went on. I'm a drummer so I could really tell that Kreutz would slow down through out songs. It was really obvious during Trippin and Down.

But other then that it was a great show. Scott and the band were joking around and smiling at eachother throughout the whole show. Scott and Dean even kissed on the lips at one point, Weilad said it was "Brotherly Love"

The highlight of the show for me was when they played Sex Type Thing and a huge pit broke out. The crowd was electric.