When it was first announced in May of 2013 that Linkin Park's very own Chester Bennington would be replacing Scott Weiland in Stone Temple Pilots everyone was surprised, including myself. As the head of a very successful Linkin Park fan site I have been following Chester's career and side projects for over 12 years and witnessed his start and eventual transformation into a fully established and well respected vocalist. While Stone Temple Pilots is certainly not Chester's first foray into an act outside of Linkin Park, it is certainly one of his biggest gigs to date, especially when you consider that he is now tasked with continuing the legacy of one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s. Needless to say Chester Bennington had a lot to prove as he took the stage last night (09/04/13) at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, PA. Even I, as a fan, was not sure what to expect. [thumb]http://www.lpassociation.com/gallery/d/40005-3/IMG_3212.JPG[/thumb] Before the night even began, I knew the concert was going to be a very unique experience. Thanks to my contact in the Linkin Park camp (shout out to Lorenzo!) I was able to score two complimentary VIP Meet and Greet passes to the show. Not only would my father and I meet STP, but also Chester himself. For the last 20 years, we have both listened to STP starting from their first album Core in September 1992 to their latest self-titled in 2010. They were one of the first rock bands I listened to, and easily one of my dad’s favorites as well. [thumb]http://www.lpassociation.com/gallery/d/40011-3/M_amp_G.JPG[/thumb][thumb]http://www.lpassociation.com/gallery/d/40015-3/SignedPhoto.jpg[/thumb] The band themselves were every bit as fun and gracious as they appear in interviews. Chester was, as always, very down to earth and Robert, Dean and Eric were absolutely great. Robert and I spoke about some of the deep cuts the band was going to be performing that night, and the band thanked us for being fans from day one. Chester was happy to see two Linkin Park fans at the show and we even joked about some STP fans that gave my dad crap for the Linkin Park shirt he wore to the show. After the meet and greet we made our way to the stage and by the time we got to our section, Filter were already well into their first song “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do”. They were absolutely exceptional and really made the place explode with energy from their flawless set. Seeing Richard back on his game after his well-documented struggles with addiction was really refreshing and having met him at the merch booth I can tell you that he is absolutely one of the most genuine front men in rock music. He is thankful for his fans sticking with him through his troubles and coming out to support him on tour. I would’ve loved to see them do a few more songs because they were exceptional. But now on to what you came to read! [video=youtube;p9kAK7lb54A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9kAK7lb54A[/video] "Down" Stone Temple Pilots came on at approximately 9:30 and launched headfirst into the band’s back catalog performing the fan favorite “Down”. For those who were seeing Chester live with Stone Temple Pilots for the first time, the lyrics formed the perfect introduction letter to the fans: “Pleased to meet you, nice to know me, what's the message? Will ya show me? I've been waiting a long time, now, now here's the answer: You're all mine now.” And from the first song, to the last…we were. For those who have watched the early performances in May, I can say now without hesitation that the YouTube videos of the prior shows do not give the current lineup justice. They do not contain the energy, or the absolute finesse that the band showed to the packed Sands Casino show. While some fans may argue over the absence of former frontman Scott Weiland, there is a certain magic with the current lineup that makes this formation of the band something truly special.You could tell the entire night that Robert, Dean and Eric were truly having fun and enjoying themselves on stage more so than they have in years. STP and Chester seemed humbled by the fans’ reaction and right before the start of “Silvergun Superman” Chester stated “this is fucking fun” in which Robert responded to a cheering crowd “That feels good, that feels really good. Thank you.” Chester was solid on almost every song he performed that night and never faltered. There were no clear or obvious moments where he went off key or where his voice cracked. This is what we have come to expect from him and I’m happy to say he delivered once more. By the end of the night the crowd was chanting "CHESTER!" and they gave him a 1 minute + applause after “Interstate Love Song”. During the show we were surrounded by 3 very hardcore, longtime STP fans...one of which has been following them even before the Core days. They all agreed that Chester brought it that night and was absolutely excellent. One said it was one of the most energetic STP shows he's ever been to. [video=youtube;QGXepOLGSVc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGXepOLGSVc[/video] "Interstate Love Song", "Pop's Love Suicide" The most emotional part of the night came at the finale when the band left for the encore break and the entire crowd started chanting “STP!” and “Chester!” for two minutes straight. Upon returning to the stage, Chester (visibly blown away by the positive reaction) wiped tears away from his eyes and thanked the fans for their support and for coming out to see the band. For Chester this was undoubtedly his dream come true (as he idolized STP growing up) and as the last song “Piece of Pie” came to a close and the band bowed and said their goodbyes, Chester told the crowd that he will never forget and always remember this show. And as both my dad and I’s first Stone Temple Pilots show, neither will we. What a fantastic night. [video=youtube;2o_DLxb8vls]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o_DLxb8vls[/video] "Silvergun Superman", "Piece of Pie", "Sex Type Thing" [video=youtube;Y27TlbMQJ_8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y27TlbMQJ_8[/video] "Vasoline" View More Photos In The Gallery SETLIST: 01. Down 02. Big Bang Baby 03. Vasoline 04. Dead & Bloated 05. Out Of Time 06. Silvergun Superman 07. Church On Tuesday 08. Big Empty 09. Sour Girl 10. Interstate Love Song 11. Pop's Love Suicide 12. Hollywood Bitch 13. Sex Type Thing 14. Sex And Violence ---------------------------------------- 15. Wicked Garden 16. Piece Of Pie 17. Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart
Wow, amazing review. What a picture!! Your dad wearing a LPUX shirt, you and those legends right there.. It's a treasure, nevermind the autographed pic, for the memory.. I'm really glad to read it was a wonderful experience both for you and your dad, as well as Chester and the guys. It was definitely something special. I couldn't have expected less from Chester as he's always been a genuine guy (though I haven't met him yet :/), and also an extremely talented and diverse vocal performer; to see him so humbled and emotional it makes you realize that this isn't a one-off thing of him, or that he's in it for the money. He's there because of the dream and what it means to him to perform with the idols that he looked up to while he was growing up. Congratulations to Stone Temple Pilots on getting back on the road, doing what they love to do and feeling happy to perform once again, they all seem genuinely fresh and they're enjoying every minute of the experience, must be incredible. Can't wait for this EP. Although I am not an STP fan I'm pretty sure this new material will be something to keep my eye on. Well done, Derek.
Just gonna leave this here in response to some of the hate going towards Chester by Scott Weiland fanboys around the net: Scott Weiland solo tour in Bethlehem review - http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/music/index.ssf/2013/03/scott_weiland_delivers_uneven.html Stone Temple Pilots w/ Chester Bennington in Bethlehem review - http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/music/index.ssf/2013/09/stone_temple_pilots_reach_new.html Yeah...I think STP will do just fine with their new frontman.
Yeah I would've recorded it if I could, but my camera kept acting up. He was pretty good...the song itself didn't quite feel like the studio version (I think cause he oversung it a bit), but it wasn't terrible at all .
It's actually mine but I rarely wear it cause it shrank a lot. He was having a hell of a time finding the right shirt to wear for the show so I just tossed that to him. Good thing too because it's one of the first things Chester noticed at the M&G. He loved that two LP fans were not only there at the show but also wearing LP Underground and Ve'cel shirts. Put him in a really good mood .
Yep. He got tired of being forced to rhyme "heal" with "feel". Rumors state they'll be replacing him with former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland.
In the interview, Scott also wished Chester the best of luck with his STP endeavours and was said to be very excited about working alongside Mike Shinoda to bring out a different side of Scott's repitoire.