Seattle

Not a news flash to anyone except the 15,000 zealots at STP's Sunday night headlining set, which brought to light the reason why so many music fans disavowed the band in their '90s heyday. Yes, they have a dozen or so instantly recognizable songs, a fact that's worthy of respect, and Bumbershoot proved that those fans who stood by STP are still loud, proud, and plentiful. And misled.

The problem is the false sense of depth the band puffs into their music. It's the "'Jeremy' Syndrome" run amok: Whereas Pearl Jam comes off as corny and earnest but convincing because of Eddie Vedder's honestly corny and earnest demeanor, STP falls flat with Scott Weiland--he formerly of the corsett-and-boa school of fashion--because he's camp where the music is not. He was much better suited to the shallow, preening glam of Velvet Revolver. (But they fired him. And now his old, less relevant band is headlining Bumbershoot.)

Taken together, singer and band grasp at a profundity that's totally absent in the music. A perfect example is "Plush," which you probably know as the "dogs begin to smell her" song. Here are Weiland's lyrics, supposedly ripped from the headlines about a woman found dead somewhere sometime:

And I feel that times a wasted go
So where ya going to tommorrow?
And I see that these are lies to come
Would you even care?

And I feel it
And I feel it

Where ya going for tommorrow?
Where ya going with that mask I found?
And I feel, and I feel
When the dogs begin to smell her
Will she smell alone?

And I feel, so much depends on the weather
So is it raining in your bedroom?
And I see, that these are the eyes of disarray
Would you even care?

And I feel it
And she feels it...

Etc.

The phrase "the eyes of disarray" represents everything wrong with Stone Temple Pilots. They use big, seemingly poetic words and vague imagery to hide the fact that these lyrics are patently dumb. Dumb is fine--a lot of lyrics to good songs are dumb. The issue is the gravitas they're presented with. This song matters, says STP.  This song is deep. If the band would just present their dumb lyrics as dumb lyrics and carry on with the rock all would be forgiven. They refuse to admit what they are and that's why they're awful.

Then again, I spoke with several musicians at Bumbershoot--good musicians who make respectable work--and they were super psyched to see STP. Go figure.

Photo by Ronald Dean