I think for me, it's also the fact that it's Chester Bennington. Shit, if William Duvall was a bigger name and wasn't a part of Alice In Chains, I'd dig this whole thing a lot better. There's nothing I like about Bennington. Him to me, is just like the other dozens of little toolish punk poser kids that made it in the early 2000's. There is nothing that screams rock and roll about this kid. Yea, if he joined Styx Foreigner, or Tool, he could get away with it, but NOT STP.
When rumors about his joining VR began.. I was like, nah, he won't join because he respects Scott too much.( not that I would listen to VR without Scott)
And this was his quote..
“It would be very uncomfortable for me to join that band because I’m friends with all of them, including Scott. If I was even going to do just one show, or record just one song with them, I’d have to know it was okay with my band, all those guys and Scott too.”
Seeing this interview, makes me cringe because of him. "Less talk, more rock"
No. You wouldn't talk because you were afraid of not being accepted by fans. None of them made any announcements because they feared rejection from fans. Sure, he'll get plenty of newer generation fans who will cheer no matter what, even if they don't like the music, but I highly doubt all of this wouldn't have been taken well if they announced it prior to the performance. Smart move on their part.
Well, I hope he enjoys his wet dream til it lasts.
And where the hell is Vaporized? We've should have known!! He's been telling us for a while!!
"My house is bigger than yours!" That was a sign of Chester joining!!! Or maybe.......
Vaporized IS Chester!! Dun Dun DUNNNN
Part of me is nervous about defending Chester on an STP fan board, cause the last thing I want to do is cause waves here (since I'm new), but I really think you have the wrong idea about Chester. Yeah he isn't as "rock and roll" as Weiland, or Morrison or [insert other big name rocker here] but if you're basing your opinion of him off of Linkin Park, know that he actually started out as grunge singer and the whole "nu-metal" thing happened after he had already been singing for 10 years. Sure he wasn't a big name back then in the 1990s, but he actually used to be in a Arizona grunge rock band named Grey Daze that released about 2 records, had some local airplay and played a few label showcases before breaking up in the mid-90s. His formulative years as a vocalist were spent singing music that had more in common with STP than it did to Linkin Park.
See here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYaJQ9EOd1k
And here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0da_V5Yykc
He used to sing a lot deeper, but sung higher when he joined Linkin Park as their *new* vocalist in 1999.
My point is, even though LP's first two albums were nu-metal (they haven't sounded like that for about seven years) Chester certainly can handle this style of music.
Again, not trying to force a change in your opinion, or ruffle any feathers...just begging for some of the non-believers to give him a chance. Yeah, I'll be first to admit that Scott will always be STP (STP were my first true experience with rock when I was a kid) but I think this could work out beautifully. Even if they aren't the "true Stone Temple Pilots".
It's all good man, opinions will be opinions on top and bottom of opinions, haha. That's what we are here to do.
I see where you're coming from, but STP isn't even considered grunge to me. At the end of the day, this isn't Stone Temple Pilots. They may want to believe that, but it sure as hell isn't.
I guess there's a lot of factors for me that cause more frustration and hit me harder due to these facts:
I don't listen to any of today's "rock". I don't understand it, it doesn't connect with me, I find it laughable and just plain silly.
STP isn't just one of my favorite bands, but when a band I like a lot still together, I look forward to any work they're doing due to the fact I've expressed above.
Again.. There's nothing I like about Chester Bennington. Sure, William Duvall is also no Scott Weiland, but he gets it. Watching Alice in Chains today, you get a vibe that they're completely respectful to Layne, and it almost feels like a tribute to him.
The Chester performance looked forced and odd. Just like any Guns N Roses non STP fan would have felt about Scott in VR, while not knowing that Scott constantly changes his image and style. I like both bands, so it worked for me.
This would obviously settle better with me if I was a Linkin Park fan, but I'm not, therefore I'm already set to hate it. I listened to the new song, and I didn't hate it, but it didn't sound like something I should hit play on again. It was meh. This is coming from someone who heard AoA's "Goodbye" on it's release day and couldn't stop listening.
