By Jeffrey Mitchell

STP played with such power and excellence it was almost frightening as they ripped thru their first set since ‘02

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 3/8/08 — After the drama of Velvet Revolver’s plan to fire Scott Weiland after he had announced on stage in Glasgow that he was leaving, the Stone temple Pilots came roaring back with a terrific set played at Houdini’s mansion tucked in the Hollywood Hills above the famous Sunset Strip last night.

It sounded as if the group had never missed a rehearsal or show as they roared thru “Plush,” their first mega hit, quite frankly outdoing Velvet Revolver with a thunderous performance. The reunited Stone Temple Pilots also solidified and re-announced their summer reunion tour plans last night (starting April 7) at the performance.

The group’s 38 minute set featured modern rock radio staples such as “Big Empty,” “Interstate Love Song” and “Vaseline.” as well as the incredible version of “Plush”

Frontman Scott Weiland didn’t say much, but he made one thing clear to the hundreds of radio contest winners, celebrities and music industry onlookers: “We’re back and we’re going on tour this summer.” thier power was unmistakable as they audience was thrilled at thier absolute tightness and energy.

STP said they will embark on a full-fledged summer amphitheater tour of North America, beginning with the Rock on the Range festival on May 17 at Columbus, Ohio’s Columbus Crew Stadium. Live Nation will produce many dates on the upcoming 65-date trek. The group’s last tour in 2002 grossed nearly $1.3 million from 13 concerts that drew approximately 42,000 concertgoers, according to Billboard Boxscore. .

STP also played “Lady Picture Show,” “Big Bang Baby” and “Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart.” last night,Weiland said the concert’s setting at the Harry Houdini Estate had special meaning to the band,.

“We shot our video for ‘Creep’ here in the early ’90s — yeah, we’re old,” the singer joked, noting that the Gus Van Sant-produced clip never saw the light of day. “It looked like an Obsession commercial, which is cool, but it wasn’t what we wanted to portray.”

Last night’s tour announcement came just a week after Velvet Revolver founding members Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner released an ugly statement saying Weiland was out of the band. The singer responded to the move via his own venom-filled statement of that I covered for Hollywood Today last week.. Velvet Revolver’s last concert with Weiland was April 1 at Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam. A new singer has not yet been named, despite Weiland’s suggestion that “Sebastian Bach would be a fantastic choice.” It seemed that this part of the verbal duel was ended with the power of last night’s music one and for all. they were tremendous.

It’s still unclear whether or not the reunited STP — Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz — will record new material. The band’s last album was 2001’s “Shangri-La Dee Da,” which has shifted 364,000 units in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Matt Sorum VR’s drummer had issues with band members since his days with the Cult, before Guns and Roses ripped him away from that band. But the Cult remain as powerful as ever without him, and Weiland with STP performed his old material with excellance, power and grace. There were none of the “onstage erractic behavioue’ claimed by VR and they literally floored the audience with a heroic set.