Concert Review: STP w/ Chester Bennington - 09/04/13 Sands Bethlehem Event Center Bethlehem, PA

When it was first announced in May of 2013 that Linkin Park's very own Chester Bennington would be replacing Scott Weiland in Stone Temple Pilots everyone was surprised, including myself. As the head of a very successful Linkin Park fan site I have been following Chester's career and side projects for over 12 years and witnessed his start and eventual transformation into a fully established and well respected vocalist. While Stone Temple Pilots is certainly not Chester's first foray into an act outside of Linkin Park, it is certainly one of his biggest gigs to date, especially when you consider that he is now tasked with continuing the legacy of one of the most successful rock bands of the 1990s. Needless to say Chester Bennington had a lot to prove as he took the stage last night (09/04/13) at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, PA. Even I, as a fan, was not sure what to expect.

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Before the night even began, I knew the concert was going to be a very unique experience. Thanks to my contact in the Linkin Park camp (shout out to Lorenzo!) I was able to score two complimentary VIP Meet and Greet passes to the show. Not only would my father and I meet STP, but also Chester himself. For the last 20 years, we have both listened to STP starting from their first album Core in September 1992 to their latest self-titled in 2010. They were one of the first rock bands I listened to, and easily one of my dad’s favorites as well.

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The band themselves were every bit as fun and gracious as they appear in interviews. Chester was, as always, very down to earth and Robert, Dean and Eric were absolutely great. Robert and I spoke about some of the deep cuts the band was going to be performing that night, and the band thanked us for being fans from day one. Chester was happy to see two Linkin Park fans at the show and we even joked about some STP fans that gave my dad crap for the Linkin Park shirt he wore to the show.

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After the meet and greet we made our way to the stage and by the time we got to our section, Filter were already well into their first song “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do”. They were absolutely exceptional and really made the place explode with energy from their flawless set. Seeing Richard back on his game after his well-documented struggles with addiction was really refreshing and having met him at the merch booth I can tell you that he is absolutely one of the most genuine front men in rock music. He is thankful for his fans sticking with him through his troubles and coming out to support him on tour. I would’ve loved to see them do a few more songs because they were exceptional.

But now on to what you came to read!

[video=youtube;p9kAK7lb54A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9kAK7lb54A[/video]
"Down"
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Stone Temple Pilots came on at approximately 9:30 and launched headfirst into the band’s back catalog performing the fan favorite “Down”. For those who were seeing Chester live with Stone Temple Pilots for the first time, the lyrics formed the perfect introduction letter to the fans:

“Pleased to meet you, nice to know me,
what's the message? Will ya show me?
I've been waiting a long time, now, now
here's the answer: You're all mine now.”

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And from the first song, to the last…we were. For those who have watched the early performances in May, I can say now without hesitation that the YouTube videos of the prior shows do not give the current lineup justice. They do not contain the energy, or the absolute finesse that the band showed to the packed Sands Casino show. While some fans may argue over the absence of former frontman Scott Weiland, there is a certain magic with the current lineup that makes this formation of the band something truly special.You could tell the entire night that Robert, Dean and Eric were truly having fun and enjoying themselves on stage more so than they have in years. STP and Chester seemed humbled by the fans’ reaction and right before the start of “Silvergun Superman” Chester stated “this is fucking fun” in which Robert responded to a cheering crowd “That feels good, that feels really good. Thank you.”

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Chester was solid on almost every song he performed that night and never faltered. There were no clear or obvious moments where he went off key or where his voice cracked. This is what we have come to expect from him and I’m happy to say he delivered once more.

By the end of the night the crowd was chanting "CHESTER!" and they gave him a 1 minute + applause after “Interstate Love Song”. During the show we were surrounded by 3 very hardcore, longtime STP fans...one of which has been following them even before the Core days. They all agreed that Chester brought it that night and was absolutely excellent. One said it was one of the most energetic STP shows he's ever been to.

[video=youtube;QGXepOLGSVc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGXepOLGSVc[/video]
"Interstate Love Song", "Pop's Love Suicide"
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The most emotional part of the night came at the finale when the band left for the encore break and the entire crowd started chanting “STP!” and “Chester!” for two minutes straight. Upon returning to the stage, Chester (visibly blown away by the positive reaction) wiped tears away from his eyes and thanked the fans for their support and for coming out to see the band. For Chester this was undoubtedly his dream come true (as he idolized STP growing up) and as the last song “Piece of Pie” came to a close and the band bowed and said their goodbyes, Chester told the crowd that he will never forget and always remember this show.

And as both my dad and I’s first Stone Temple Pilots show, neither will we. What a fantastic night.

[video=youtube;2o_DLxb8vls]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o_DLxb8vls[/video]
"Silvergun Superman", "Piece of Pie", "Sex Type Thing"

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"Vasoline"

View More Photos In The Gallery

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SETLIST:
01. Down
02. Big Bang Baby
03. Vasoline
04. Dead & Bloated
05. Out Of Time
06. Silvergun Superman
07. Church On Tuesday
08. Big Empty
09. Sour Girl
10. Interstate Love Song
11. Pop's Love Suicide
12. Hollywood Bitch
13. Sex Type Thing
14. Sex And Violence
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15. Wicked Garden
16. Piece Of Pie
17. Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart
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That's where they told me to stand. I just listened and stood where I was told .

 

This was a great read! I hope they make their way by me sometime...

 

Just gonna leave this here in response to some of the hate going towards Chester by Scott Weiland fanboys around the net:

Scott Weiland solo tour in Bethlehem review - http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/music/index.ssf/2013/03/scott_weiland_delivers_uneven.html

Stone Temple Pilots w/ Chester Bennington in Bethlehem review - http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/music/index.ssf/2013/09/stone_temple_pilots_reach_new.html

Yeah...I think STP will do just fine with their new frontman.

 

Derek, how was Chester on "Sour Girl", and do you have any videos of them performing that song?

 

Yeah I would've recorded it if I could, but my camera kept acting up.

He was pretty good...the song itself didn't quite feel like the studio version (I think cause he oversung it a bit), but it wasn't terrible at all .

 

(source)

 

It's actually mine but I rarely wear it cause it shrank a lot.

He was having a hell of a time finding the right shirt to wear for the show so I just tossed that to him. Good thing too because it's one of the first things Chester noticed at the M&G. He loved that two LP fans were not only there at the show but also wearing LP Underground and Ve'cel shirts. Put him in a really good mood .

 

Yep. He got tired of being forced to rhyme "heal" with "feel". Rumors state they'll be replacing him with former Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland.

 

In the interview, Scott also wished Chester the best of luck with his STP endeavours and was said to be very excited about working alongside Mike Shinoda to bring out a different side of Scott's repitoire.