Show Review: Stone Temple Pilots Live Jakarta 2011

 Finally, the seminal alternative rock band from San Diego, Stone Temple Pilots, often referred to simply as STP, performed for the first time ever in ASEAN. Indonesia was luckily have them on stage last week (I hope they will make it to Malaysia someday). Heavy rain couldn’t stop Stone Temple Pilots fans from flocking to Pekan Raya Jakarta Arena in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta on Sunday, 13th March 2011.


 When the gates opened at 6 p.m., the rain had already stopped and a cool, fresh breeze provided some much-appreciated relief from the humidity.

The stage

 Around 8 p.m., the concert’s opening act, The Flowers, an Indonesian rock band that had its heyday in the mid to late 1990s, took the stage, delivering a handful of songs to warm up the crowd.

Scott Weiland and Dean DeLeo

  An hour or so later, the long wait was finally over when STP members Scott Weiland (vocals), Eric Kretz (drums), Robert DeLeo (bass) and his brother, Dean DeLeo (guitar), walked out on stage.

 STP’s flamboyant frontman, Weiland, who has battled drug addiction throughout his career, was the center of attention during the concert, and probably not just due to his chaotic stage persona.

Scott Weiland

 Weiland, who is in his early 40s, had a breakdown during a concert in Houston in September 2010, when he admitted that he had a drinking problem. Only a month before that, Weiland reportedly fell off the stage while performing in Cincinnati.

 Fortunately, he was on his best behavior during the show in Jakarta and his total commitment to the band’s music showed in his enthusiastic performance throughout the concert.

Songs Setlist

  STP formed in 1992 and was initially dismissed by critics as “grunge imitators” who were jumping on the bandwagon of the Seattle music scene that catapulted groups like Nirvana and Pearl Jam into the spotlight.

 Despite the criticism, STP’s debut album, “Core,” released the same year, was a major success, as was the band’s sophomore effort, “Purple,” released in 1994. “Tiny Music … Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop” (1996), “No. 4” (1999) and “Shangri-La Dee Da” (2001) followed before STP eventually decided to call it quits. Many observers blamed Weiland’s addiction to heroin for the breakup.

Robert DeLeo and Scott Weiland

 While Kretz and the DeLeo brothers started their own music projects, Weiland became the lead singer of Velvet Revolver in 2004. The hard rock band also featured former Guns N’ Roses members, including the legendary guitarist Slash.

 Despite the band’s success, however, Weiland was “fired” in 2008 — again because of his erratic behavior and personal problems.

 He then reteamed with his former bandmates and, suddenly, STP was reborn — complete with its original lineup. The group released a self-titled album of new material in May 2010.

 Most of the people who made it to the Jakarta concert were ecstatic about the fact that STP had finally made its way to Indonesia. For a long time, it seemed that seeing the band play live in its original formation would simply be impossible.

 Given the fact that STP’s biggest commercial success dates back to the 1990s, most of the people in the crowd were in their late 20s to early 40s, and, of course, the most anticipated songs were STP’s greatest hits.

 Weiland and the boys took their time to introduce songs from their new album to their Indonesian audience during the concert. Influenced by both 1970s rock music and country music, STP’s newest release features several standout songs, such as “Cinnamon,” “Take a Load Off” and “Huckleberry Crumble,” all of which the band performed on Sunday night.

 But the crowd really came alive when the band traveled back in time to perform some of the biggest hits from its earlier albums. Both “Vasoline” and “Big Empty” received huge cheers from the crowd, but they went crazy over the song “Plush,” from STP’s debut album — arguably the group’s most popular song to date.

 Weiland, who limited his communication with the audience during the show to saying “thank you” after each song, proved that, despite his troubled past, he still has a fascinating stage presence and has lost none of the power of his signature guttural voice.
 

Crowd during the show

  The concert, organized by Java Musikindo, also attracted quite a few Indonesian celebrities, including musicians Ahmad Dhani and Elfonda “Once” Mekel; film directors Nia Dinata and Joko Anwar; and actors Tora Sudiro and Vino G Bastian.

STP on their appreciation to the crowd in final moments. L-R: Rob DeLeo, Scott Weiland, Dean DeLeo, Eric Kretz

 It was a thrilling concert — and everyone who is a true rocker at heart must have gone home satisfied after one and a half hours of great live music and a little trip back in time to their youth.

More pictures from the show click here

Tags: Live, Review, Stone Temple Pilots