03 May STP Saturday

Earlier in the day on Saturday I had waged a bet with a friend on how the crowd would split for the headliners. Hozier, although brand spanking new to the scene, had scored a massive crowd in California, and I was certain SunFest fans would flock to the Ford stage in record numbers.

While Hozier did pull an impressive crowd, it was the Tire Kingdom stage that was packed shoulder to shoulder in anticipation of Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington at the helm.

Stone Temple Pilots, if you don’t know, was spawned from the grunge and alternative rock eruption back in the 1990s. Brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo collided with Eric Kretz and Scott Weiland to form the supergroup that would become one of the most successful bands of the decade. STP sold almost 40 million records worldwide and had 16 “Top 10” singles on the Billboard rock charts.

But it wasn’t all a dream for the talented band. Weiland, the lead singer, was a combative personality with a list of vices. In 2013, the band expelled him from the group, and offered the position to Linkin Park’s Bennington. (Those are the last words I’ll write about Weiland.)

Stepping into another band member’s shoes, especially when that person was the lead singer, is always a challenging job. But Bennington is not your average artist.

The current STP lead singer is a ham on stage, and I mean that in the best way possible. The original STP members shine, but remain pretty contained in their positions. Bennington is like a wild animal released from a cage. He paced from end to end of the pavilion, stepping on speakers and throwing his voice. He even disappeared into the crowd for a spell.

STP opened with their hit “Vasoline,” followed by “Sex Type Thing” and “Pruno.” The sound at the stage was impeccable. Bennington’s recognizable screams tore through the cool night air.

Bennington rallied the crowd in between songs with a list of expletives that I won’t retell. I watched the fans around me closely during the set. Men and women leaned back into the night, with their faces tipped, taking in every note. Where other bands this week inspired the crowds to sing along, at STP people were happy just absorbing the noise.

Of course, they closed with their hits “Piece of Pie” and “Dead and Bloated,” ending just a little too soon for most fans.

“Take care of yourselves,” Bennington screamed saying goodbye. “Take care of each other.”

Then, in an exceptionally nice gesture, each band mate tossed something to the crowd: a set list, a drum stick, the top of one of the drums, a pick. I left with their songs ringing in my ears, which was good enough for me.