First things first—setlist. Is there really anyone left here who does not have the current setlist committed to memory by now? Because again, surprise surprise, it was the exact same setlist they’ve been playing for about a year. The truth is, I love every single one of those songs, and each time I get to hear them played live is a gift. So, for me, the setlist was not the problem with this show.
The problem with this show was Mr. Weiland, who was clearly impaired. It made me sad.
The band was late getting on. From my seat, I could see Dean and Robert standing at the side of the stage. Which could only mean one thing. Yup—Kretz strikes again.
But seriously, it was sometime after 9:30, and the crowd was getting a bit restless, when Eric and Robert finally strode across the stage smiling and waving. A few seconds later, we were treated to the sight of Dean guiding Scott out to center stage, with his arm around his shoulder as if to steady him, while speaking directly into his ear. I can only imagine what Dean was saying: “You can do this!” Perhaps Dean’s language was less subtle: “Get your wasted ass out there before I fucking kill you.”
It was bad. Scott was wobbly, and when he spoke, he slurred. But somehow, his singing was fine. He is definitely no Elvis! His dancing was OK, too, although it lacked the energy I felt at other recent shows. Overall, he was very detached and into himself. He didn’t interact with the crowd much, although he did shake hands several times with people in the front row.
I know people have been bashing Scott lately about his “little belly.” I saw no evidence of that at this show. He was noticeably thinner. His trademark skinny jeans, which normally hug both his thighs AND his calves (yum), were a little loose on him. He wore a gray jacket, a white unbuttoned and untucked shirt, a black and red T-shirt, some kind of tie/scarf thing around his neck, and a cross. Oddly enough, he also appeared to be sporting a wedding band. Wonder what’s up with that?
OK, the music: Crackerman sounded terrible, but this wasn’t Scott’s or the band’s fault. The sound was just TOO FREAKING LOUD. I could barely hear Scott’s vocals. A few songs in, the problems were resolved, and everything sounded fine, although my ears were still fried from the opening act, Rose Hill Drive. Sorry if there are any fans here, but they were positively awful. I regret sitting through that, but my friends, one of whom is in a band himself, wanted to see them. We sat in the back (not surprisingly, the place was empty at that point), and when I just couldn’t take any more, I told my friends I was going to hit the restroom and quickly made my escape, never to return.
When things got quiet, I headed down to my real seat in the fourth row, directly in front of Dean, and right next to shapy! It was awesome to be able to share this experience with another true, enthusiastic fan (even though we were both kind of on edge watching Scott all night, but somehow, amazingly, Scott pulled through). I also met DrGONZOakaRaoulDuke, who was sitting in front of us (BTW Dan, how did you manage to score those fantastic seats?)
During the first half of the show, Scott slurred and rambled a bit between songs. His first utterance was completely unintelligible, but that was due more to the problems with the sound system than Scott’s incoherence. Because Scott is not normally a talker, and he was somewhat vocal at this show, I’ll share some snippets I remember:
Before Heaven & Hot Rods: “Do you know…that black album…with the white star on it? Well this song…is from that album.”
Before Between the Lines: “This song…was our first single…from our new album…and our first video…although videos don’t mean much…in rock ‘n roll any more…but they mean something to us…because they’re a whole ‘nother…art form.”
Before Hickory Dichotomy: “The first time I heard this song…it reminded me of the Deep South…Mississippi…Louisiana…it has that whole…kind of…southern vibe, you know?”
Before Dancing Days: “Does anyone have a CD called Encomium? Because those who do…will know this song…and those who don’t…should know this song anyway.”
Robert told a story about how he and Dean grew up in nearby New Jersey and saw a lot of concerts at the Tower with their friends. One of those friends was in the audience, and Robert gave him a shout out—Pete Somebody?—and they shined a spotlight on him. Well, as cool as that was, I gotta say—even though Pete clearly had an “in” with the band, I had a WAY better seat! Anyway, Robert went on to say how amazing it felt to be the one up there onstage that night. That man is a class act. While this was going on, Scott stood a little to the side, looking on with a big smile on his face. It was a really nice moment.
This happened at about the halfway point. As the night wore on, Scott seemed to sober up, and his performance strengthened. I guess that was his natural adrenaline kicking in and taking over. Thank God.
At this show, he was not red-faced, but his cheeks seem to have hollowed out a little. At times, when I looked at him in profile, I felt like I was seeing the “old Scott,” but minus, of course, those wild eyes.
Another of my favorite moments was when Still Remains ended. Scott opened his eyes and I could see the raw passion in his face. That is what made me love him in the first place, and still makes me love him today. Please, Scott. Take care of yourself.
For me, the highlight of the show was provided by Robert, who not only once, but twice, came over and crouched down on the stage directly in front of us, playing that bass like a madman only an arm’s length away. He made eye contact and was clearly having a great time. Loved, loved, loved it!
Due to the late hour, we thought D&B would be scrapped, so we were beside ourselves when Scott went right for the bullhorn when the band came back out.
Afterwards, Robert brought out Pierre Robert, a well-liked DJ for Philly rock station WMMR (French pronunciation: row-BEAR), and they included him in the group hug. Pierre looked absolutely stoked (but then again, who wouldn’t be?).
Before leaving, Scott again shook hands with people in the front row. This time, I saw him leaning over and looking intently into their faces, as if he were trying very hard to hear what they were saying. I could hear him replying: “Thank you very much.”
Bottom line: Shaky start for Scott, but he pulled it off. Another solid performance that left me wanting more.
