I feel like I lost a family member.
I agree.
I agree. I've had a bunch of people text me and facebook me checking on me after they heard the news. Granted, I've only been a fan since '08. I can't fathom what fans since the early '90's feeel. I became a fan when I saw them at Rock on the Range on May 17th 2008 (their first show back aside from the Houdini shows) with my sister and brother. I bought the tickets not knowing who they were and looked them up afterwards and became an instant fan! I loved every song I heard and from that point on, I bought all their albums, delved into their music and had my true first favorite band and singer! I looked through all the videos from as far back as I could and moved through the years, seeing the transitions in music, persona, and look of Scott. I got into his solo work as well absolutely eating up Happy in Galoshes. 12 BB took a while but I came around to really appreciate and love that work! Velvet Revolver was amazing as well! I was so sad that right as I was discovering all of this and the incredible Scott Weiland, that VR was breaking up. I ate up everything the man sang on. I was mesmerized by the music and their performance.
I saw STP again on July 8th 2009, August 25th 2010, and July 19th 2011. Pretty much every opportunity I got. at the show in 2011, I got called on stage to start Dead and Bloated. Another show I attended with my brother. He's 13 years older than me and STP was both of our favorite bands and I always felt that it was such an amazing bond between us. My only regret was that I had never gotten to see STP in their heydey as I was born in 1992. The last time I tried to see STP was September 13th 2011. I went to college 3 hours away and took a bus home the day of, skipping a class, and headed to the venue to see them. I was there a couple hours before the doors opened and found a member of the opening band, Rose Hill Drive, and we chatted a bit. and he gave me one of their cds signed by the whole band because I admitted I hadn't heard their music. It was shaping up to be an incredible night and show. 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 all roll by and the doors don't open. 8:30 and people are nervous. I see the opening band looking frustrated/sad hauling away equipment and we get announcement that the show has been cancelled. All sorts of rumors are fluing that Scott's OD'd or something of the sort. But I liked to think it wasn't that.
I got to see Scott one last time outside of a show on the Purple to the Core Tour in Cincinnati. It was a fun show. Not the best sounding in the world, but certainly adequate to my musically untrained ear. I waited outside after the show for 2.5 hours to finally meet the man. The opening band had said that they drank his beer accidentally and he was pissed about it. When he finally came out with Doug, he just did not have the look in his eyes that he was totally aware of what he was doing and where he was. It was so sad. I just didn't feel like I was meeting a person. He could still put it together in the studio as Blaster shows
After that it was always hard for me to listen to Scott's material. I've almost been on a hiatus from listening because I think of the performances we have seen where we know he's hurting, doesn't want to be on tour, isn't healthy, and is just trying to get through it so he can go space out, escape, the limelight, and do whatever indulgences Scott Weiland chose to do. Only now have I listened back through. To everything. It is hitting me harder now than it did in the past. I loved this man. I told all my friends he was my man crush, everybody knew I loved him. i followed every tour, watching videos afterwards always hoping to see the light return, and see him get to whatever comfortable place he could be. I wish now that when I saw him in '08, '09, and '10, that I was seeing him at the best I would see him from then on out. I always left thinking he's amazing, but I know he can be better. He has been better. He will be better. i had so fucking many times where I watched the videos seeing glimpses of glory and charisma, thinking finally the man Scott Weiland has returned. I wanted so badly for him to keep the momentum going and carry on.
I was told Scott died, by a stranger in a bar in Santa Monica December 3, 2015. I was at a friend's show and I could hardly focus on anything other than Scott that night. I was surprised by how hard it hit me, but I was never surprised it happened. I hadn't followed the last tour as closely as I had previous as it became too hard after Jeremy Brown died and the Corpus Christi show. It took a bit to soak in and it wasn't unti lI sat down to write this now, three days later that the tears started to come. I'm listening to a show from '09 that was recently posted and it sounds so wonderful! He improvises, sounds strong, and is clearly with it. I want Scott Weiland back. As a huge Office fan, Andrew Bernard put it best "I wish there was a way to know that you were in the good ol' days before you actually left them". RIP Scott Weiland. You are and will forever be my favorite front man, singer, and rock star. I love you
