I left the Mayhem Fest to give rock legend, Scott Weiland, a chance to redeem himself after a lousy performance in New Jersey on May 31st. It was another $10.30 LiveNation ticket so there was really no losing either way.

The Stone Temple Pilots sounded phenomenal at Jones Beach. Weiland was really on his game. My only complaint was the setlist. I am not a big fan of opening a concert with a ballad, in this case “Big Empty;” I need to rock. I prefer getting hit with the faster songs like “Crackerman” and “Wicked Garden.” Midway through the set, STP played too many of the softer songs consecutively. They also jammed too much on these songs that at times it felt like I was in an opium den (thanks to NZA for that observation).

Going from the Mayhem Festival to a STP show was somewhat of a rock culture shock. The Mayhem crowd consisted of mostly 15 year old angry boys and a few heavily tattooed females. The STP crowd was a mix of clean cut 25-35 years olds. Then it occurred to me that I should remind my little brother that the worst place to try to meet girls is at a Slayer show. I didn’t learn that one until I was 20.