A Stone Temple Pilots Reunion
A STONE TEMPLE PILOTS REUNION:
February 13, 2008
STP is saddling up again.
The Stone Temple Pilots have confirmed plans to regroup onstage for the first time since the group’s acrimonious breakup more than four years ago, headlining the second annual Rock on the Range festival May 17 in Columbus, Ohio.
Billed as a reunion of epic proportions, the rockers will play the first night of the two-day event. Joining them on the bill are such testosterone-fueled acts as Kid Rock, Papa Roach, 3 Doors Down, Staind, Seether, Sevendust and Filter.
The Pilots–singer Scott Weiland (on leave from Velvet Revolver), guitarist Dean DeLeo, his bassist-brother Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz–last performed together at the final show of their fall 2002 tour.
The quartet shot to fame in the early ’90s on the strength of the grunge hit “Plush.” A smash sophomore CD, Purple, sold 6 million copies on the strength of singles “Vasoline,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Big Empty.” The band had a few more hits with “Sour Girl” and “Sex Type Thing,” but its last album, 2001’s Shangri-La Dee Da, fizzled.
Offstage, the band struggled to deal with Weiland’s worsening drug habit and consequent legal hassles and ultimately shut things down the following year.
The DeLeo siblings went on to form Army of Anyone, which garnered little attention or airplay, while Weiland joined ex-Guns N’ Roses members Slash, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan in Velvet Revolver.
That supergroup scored big with its inaugural album, 2004’s Contraband, which debuted at number one and sold more than 2 million copies. Last year’s follow-up Libertad, received positive reviews but failed to match the sales of its predecessor, selling 220,000 units.
But Velvet Revolver has been a big draw on the road, playing hits from both band’s catalogs along with originals. Last year, the guys were tapped to play a batch of Van Halen tunes when the largely MIA Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Velvet Revolver wrapped its U.S. tour last month, and after an L.A. date on Feb. 6, Weiland checked himself into rehab again to address his ongoing addictions. His treatment forced the band to scrap a planned trip to Australia and jeopardized European dates set for March. The future of the band appears uncertain at this point.
Weiland’s rehab stint comes after the 40-year-old was arrested in November for driving under the influence of drugs after running his Mercedes into another vehicle on a Los Angeles freeway. If convicted in that case, Weiland could face between eight days and a year in county jail and a $1,000 fine. The next hearing in that case is set for Mar. 3.
News of a Stone Temple Pilots relaunch might raise doubts about Weiland’s future in the supergroup, especially after he told the Miami Herald recently fans should keep an eye out for news on the STP front in the upcoming year.
Velvet ax-man Slash added to the rumors when he told billboard.com last month that Weiland and his old mates would be reuniting for a full-blown tour.
While so far, there’s been no word on any additional tour dates, tickets for the Rock on the Range Festival go on sale Feb. 23 via Ticketmaster.
Courtesy of www.eonline.com