Nice that they'll have a proper final show with Chester. Since the event is classical music oriented, I wonder if they'll possibly play with a string section? Maybe breakout Atlanta or Kitchenware in tribute to Scott?
Obviously the most ideal scenario, besides Scott being alive and sober, would have been for Chester to continue with the band. They just aren't going to find someone else with all of his qualifications. It's so frustrating to think that they have most of an album of material sitting in the wings, and if it weren't for Linkin Park we could probably be listening to it right now.
You know, I actually listened to "Black Heart" the other day. It's a strong song, really. It would've been great to hear Scott on it. It's a fantastic riff. It hits right out of the gate with that super catchy riff. It's definitely got a bit of a self-titled vibe, sounds a touch like Hazy Days. It was just interesting to listen to, because I think it really showcases that the band (STP) can make Chester (or someone else) sound good. I don't know, it just said a lot about their musicality in that instant when I happened to hear it come on in my car. Still, would've been amazing to hear Scott on it.
Never got the hate for Black Heart. Hands down the catchiest riff on and STP song since the reunion. And I honestly think if Scott did the exact same vocals to the song, people would have loved it. I think people trashed Chester's involvement just for the sake of trashing Chester's involvement... As usual.
Anyway, anyone who still feels lukewarm about High Rise still should give it another spin. The album has the classic STP benefit of getting better with each listen. Black Heart, Same on the Inside, and Tomorrow are all better compositions than most of S/T.
The shame of the album isn't that the music is rushed... The shame is they had 4 tracks that would have been right at home on a great album, and they didn't wait until they had more material like that to release it.