Stone Temple Pilots at the Pearl at the Palms Las Vegas ( 2/25/11)

I have never seen any concerts at the Pearl at the Palms, so this concert was a great excuse to check the venue out. I love everything about the Palms, so I knew going in that I probably would love the Pearl Concert Theater. And I did.

Opening band was Jetstream, a young, rollicking, three-member band from L.A. They performed a very energetic set and primed the crowd for the main act-STP!

Stone Temple Pilots have a recent tour history here in Las Vegas. In July 2009 they performed at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, then in October 2009, they rocked the Star of the Desert Arena at Primm, NV. I have friends that were at those shows that were very enthusiastic about the band’s performance and encouraged me to attend the show at the Pearl.

The sold-out crowd at the Pearl embraced STP from their opening number. They did all the hits: “Big Empty,” “Wicked Garden,” “Vasoline,” “Plush,” “Interstate Love Song,” and even covered Led Zeppelin’s “Dancing Days.” Lead singer Scott Weiland roamed the stage initially with a bullhorn in hand and seemed very happy to be in front of the enthusiastic crowd. His dry comments and asides during the show were hilarious.

Brothers Robert (bass) and Dean (guitar) DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz lent solid support and guitarist Dean especially impressed me with his range of guitar- playing that went from crunchy rock riffs to bluesy notes and country twang. I had never seen this ‘90’s Grammy award-winning band from San Diego, and I really wanted to see what I had been missing, especially since the band has suffered many ups and downs, drug drama with lead singer Weiland and the breakup of the band in 2002. I thought if I don’t catch this show, who knows if I will be able to see them ever again?

I enjoyed the show immensely. My musical tastes are all over the place, but STP satisfied my craving for good, hard, grungy, kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll. The Pearl was intimate but spacious, my sightlines were good, considering I was in the upper reaches of the venue, and the sound was excellent.

I will be attending more shows at the Pearl, and I hope to catch STP again, should they make another stop down the road in Las Vegas.

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-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.

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