For most of their career, Stone Temple Pilots whether on the road or on hiatus have gained more notoriety for the exploits of their singer Mr Scott Weiland. His love of the darker side of what the devil has to offer on good day makes Pete Doherty look like a choirboy. But tonight chemically induced or not, he’s on fire and it’s plain to see as he leads his long suffering band to treat his long suffering fans.

They open the show with a pile driving version of ‘Vasoline’, Weiland, who is impeccably dressed in a three piece combo looking like he has just come from a catwalk in Milan, slips and slides around the stage like the Lizard King, the De Leo brothers Dean and Rob and drummer Eric Kretz play as if their very lives depended on it. Ladies and Gentlemen it’s 1992 all over again.

The first big surprise of the evening is favourite ‘Sour Girl’ and it gives Weiland a chance to really showcase his impressive vocal range. A triple whammy of early hits ensues, ‘Creep’,'Plush’ & ‘Interstate Love Song’, and it feels like STP are giving bang for their buck. Sadly, the band begin to lose some steam, Weiland’s voice becoming a little lost in the mix as the band goes through some more new numbers not unlike the songs from their first two records.

They spring another surprise a little later with ‘Tumble in The Rough’ and the Olympia is alive again. The band ends the set on ‘Sex Type Thing’ and then they disappear behind the towering curtains that clothe the Olympia stage. When they return for their encore, Weiland heads straight for the side of the stage and begins to climb up in to the boxes singing into his beloved megaphone. The look from the security guard nearby is priceless. The band finishes with a blistering version of ‘Trippin On a Hole In A Paper Heart’. leaving on a high but with a niggling feeling of lost opportunity. Having spent most of their career trying to shed the grunge copyists tag with some sublime songwriting with Tiny Music.., No.4 and Shangri-la Di Da records, it seems that they have embraced it all the more.

They played two songs from Tiny Music and you really could feel the lift it gave the crowd. Borrowing heavily from Core, Purple and their new album they overlooked the songs and styles that have made them the band that they are today. It’s a shame really because these songs represent the group’s musicianship and dynamic in their best light.

Photos by Sean Conroy.

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Stone Temple Pilots – Olympia Theatre, Dublin 14/06/2010 Setlist

Vasoline
Wicked Garden
Between The Lines
Hickory Dichotomy
The Big Empty
Sour Girl
Creep
Plush
Interstate Love Song
Bagman
Huckleberry Crumble
Tumble In The Rough
Lounge Fly
Sex Type Thing
_____________

Dead & Bloated
Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart