Scott Weiland @ Revolution Live in Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Photo: Sayre Berman

Scott Weiland
Purple To The Core Tour
Revolution Live
Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Saturday, August 24, 2013

Dear Scott Weiland,

Though I applaud you for performing songs that haven’t been played live since the mid-nineties such as “Kitchenware and Candybars,” “Meatplow” and “Unglued” from 1994’s stellar Purple album, I now fully understand why your former STP band mates want nothing to do with you and hired a new vocalist after seeing your ‘Purple to the Core’ date at Ft Lauderdale’s Revolution.

I have to admit being a Stone Temple Pilot fan since the band’s debut album Core; it has been rare that I have missed one of the acts South Florida area performances. This particular evening’s show however is one I would like to take back seeing. In his own right, Scott Weiland is a legend – from his obscure lyrics and vocal delivery, right down to his mock Mick Jagger moves he has eschewed since his former band exploded into the mainstream, however this show was purely entertaining to say the least. As a performer, Weiland was on, but his vocals were not as he slurred through many a verse and even skipped some lines. For many fans these may be things to overlook because, how often is it you get to see a legend of Weiland’s caliber in such an intimate venue. At the same time however, he and his band breezed through a 12 song set that was just a bit over an hour and could have been so much more.  

The only real highlights came in the choice of cover songs, from David Bowie’s “Jean Genie,” to Jane’s Addiction’s razor edged “Mountain Song.” One could argue that seeing this train wreck that is The Scott Weiland show is one to take for the entertainment value, but for the long-time fans it seems more a cop-out to see such an incredible performer fall so far and sheepishly plow through a set that should be a night to remember for much better reasons. –Matthew Pashalian