Maybe
As we’ve said time and time again, they’ve made their bed as a nostalgia act. This is who/what they are, regardless of whatever spin they give in promo interviews.
Agree, but I don't think they have much of a choice. STP came from a time when rock/grunge bands were on fire, but honestly did not make enough of an impact to just sell out arenas for the rest of their lives like Pearl Jam or Guns N' Roses. I think fans, and I know I did, got tired of the drama. I am glad STP are still hanging on, but they remind me of Candlebox. Enough people are still going to see Candlebox shows, but I was literally at a Candlebox show earlier this year and the band got booed when Kevin said, "We're going to take you back to 2016." It was clear people only wanted to hear You, Don't You, and Far Behind, which is a complete shame.
Unfortunately, I feel that STP falls into this group. People want to hear Plush and Creep. Stone Temple Pilots is a nostalgia act as was mentioned along with bands like Bush and Live and 3 Doors Down. I'm not exactly sure how bands like Smashing Pumpkins or Radiohead can be absent for a long time and then show up out of nowhere and sell out big tours, but they do it. I even know lots of people who aren't exactly sure what happened to Scott or even that Jeff and Scott are not the same person, and unfortuiantely, these are the people buying tickets. They aren't people like us who want to hear songs like Black Again and No Way Out.
This is years in the making.
Who they are live has less to do with the era they came from and more to do with their reluctance to play new material, in my opinion. Maybe some of that is on Scott for "not being able" to pull off stuff. I don't know.
But for years, I (and others) have been saying that they've mismanaged their career. Look no further than this tour. Rival Sons is going out there playing 7 songs off their new album - which by the way is their 6th album (in 10 years). STP, for comparison's sake, played 2 off Butterfly.
They put more emphasis on their reissues than their new material.
Wiki lists Butterfly as having had 4 singles. I mean, did anyone even know that?
And if I sound harsh, it's only because I've always wanted the very best for these guys. They should be viewed in the same light as the Big Seattle 4 but they've squandered so many opportunities.