"See, I told you we'd show up" Stone Temple Pilots' lead singer Scott Weiland muttered sheepishly as he greeted the crowd at the St. Pete Times Forum last Friday night. And with those few words, a collective sigh of relief emerged from those in attendance. [All photos by Andrew Silverstein.]
Plagued with nasty demons and addictions for most of his career, Weiland's reputation has been anything but reliable. Local fans know that firsthand; in 2008, an anxious crowd at the Ford Amphitheatre (since then re-named the 1-800-Ask-Gary) was given the shaft by way of a last minute cancellation that fueled rumors of Scott's habits and instability. But two years is a long time in the life of an ambiguous, precarious rock star. And the 2010 model of Scott Weiland is a far cry from its previous unsteady counterpart.
This article appears in Oct 7-13, 2010.
