Happy Scott Weiland Birthday from the great beyond. Were he still with us, he would have turned 56 years old as I type this.
If you’re a rock fan (and if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you are), you know Weiland’s history and struggles. I won’t reproduce those here. I’ll just share a few of my personal stories about the man, starting with the legendary Stone Temple Pilots Worcester gig in ’94 for the Purple tour. The highlight was midway through the concert. The band brought the lights down, left the stage for a beat, then returned to a fully-furnished living room setup at center stage, where they performed a short acoustic set before plugging back in and rocking. Weiland’s voice and stage presence in both settings was otherworldly.
STP has always been a tricky venture live. The quality of their performances during their heyday always hinged on where Weiland was in his cycle of substance abuse and sobriety. Luckily, he was in top form that night in Worcester. And 14 years later, when he headlined the WBCN Xmas Rave in Foxboro as a solo artist, he was as well. I remember him working the crowd in between STP, Velvet Revolver, and solo tunes. And of course, he worked his rendition of “Christmastime Is Here” into the festive set.
Somewhere in between those two gigs, I had Weiland call into my show for an interview. That’s when I got Scott on the downside. He was just coherent enough to carry on a conversation, but not much else. He was promoting his latest project, and overusing the term “arts and crafts” to describe it. The man said the phrase “arts and crafts” at least a half-dozen times during the interview. It was funny, but also sad.
A Scott Weiland Birthday Six-Pack
To celebrate the late, great frontman, I’ve shared six of my Weiland faves. Check those out below. I did the same for Sammy Hagar earlier this month.
