Why So Blu?

Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City (Blu-ray Review)

Eagle Rock Entertainment brings Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City to the Blu-ray format in what is to be the band’s first authorized home video release on the any format. The show is taken from their 2010 performance in Chicago at Riviera Theater in support of their latest (at the time) self-titled album. The Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City Blu-ray contains 18 tracks new and old for new and old fans alike. An interview with the band, full lossless audio, and high definition video are included on the Blu-ray. Keep it here to see if Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City is worth a look, or if you should turn a a deaf ear to the disc altogether. 

Film 

Stone Temple Pilots took the stage in 2010 to play to a sold-out show at the Riviera Theater in Chicago, Illinois. The band played in support of their latest album, which was self-titled and self-produced.  Scott Weiland (Vocals), Robert DeLeo (Bass), Dean DeLeo (Guitar), and Eric Kretz (Drums) where back in full force and ready to lay a rock ‘n roll beating down on the audience at hand.

Alive in the Windy City contains an 18-song set list chronicling the band’s classic tunes with a few new and new-ish songs thrown in for good measure. I’ve seen STP 4-5 times in my lifetime and they always put on a great show, but as I watched the opening track, which was Vasoline, I was shocked that it was the lead-off song. Crackerman is usually the first song to be played without fail. It wasn’t all bad, they played it second, but it was still kind of jarring.

The band certainly hasn’t lost any of their luster as Weiland pulls off his trademark snake moves while wearing his fashionable shirt that says “Oui Paris” (Yes Paris), so that was cool to see along with the DeLeo brothers carrying on without missing a beat, and Kretz laying into the skins with force.

It’s funny that in watching this performance and some performances of other artists recently, the crowds aren’t as “active” as one would think. To a young kid that would mean that the band sucks or something, but to someone like me who has been in many various pits throughout the years, enough is enough. There is no moshing or jumping at the STP Riviera show, which should tell you that the crowd is a more mature one. Stone Tempe Pilots are a 20-year old band at this point, so moshing to the band seems irrelevant. We were moshing to STP 10 years ago, though. We’ve moved on.

Alive in the Windy City also marks the band’s first authorized release of their live performance on Blu-ray and DVD, which is a treat. I do hope that this leads to them releasing more live performances on Blu-ray in the future. I don’t know where all of my recorded ones on VHS are anymore. 😉

Be respectful of your neighbors as Alive in the Windy City packs a wallop. I found myself having to lower the volume a couple of times, because the sound is killer! It’s an 18-song set that runs about an 1hr and 20m long. It’s a very lean, but extensive show. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Setlist:

1) Vasoline
2) Crackerman
3) Wicked Garden
4) Hollywood Bitch
5) Between The Lines
6) Hickory Dichotomy
7) Big Empty
8. Sour Girl
9) Creep
10) Plush
11) Interstate Love Song
12) Bagman
13) Huckleberry Crumble
14) Sex Type Thing
15) Dead And Bloated
16) Lounge Fly
17) Piece Of Pie
18) Trippin’ On A Hole In A Paper Heart

 Video

Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City is presented in 1080p, though on the back of the box it says 1080i. I’d normally blame the up-conversion for this, but I have several Eagle Rock Blu-rays that have actual 1080i playback, so I assume it’s an error on the package. It’s formatted at 16X9, 1.78:1. The video on this Blu-ray release looks top notch for a concert gig as colors are rich and bold and hardly ever band. Contrast is kept in check even during the most intense displays of strobe lighting. It only gets crappy during a few instances. The first instance would be the camera that is placed right behind drummer Eric Kretz. The video looks horrid in addition to the random cameras placed around the audience to capture their spontaneous reaction. I’m all for that, but get better cameras to do this or have them properly calibrated to match up with the ones filming the main show. Other than those two complaints, the video presentation is grand.

Audio 

Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City is presented in DTS HD-MA 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. I prefer the 5.1 tracks on these Eagle Rock releases due to their incredible sonic outputs. This one is no different. Its equal parts loud and tight. Rob DeLeo is one of my favorite rock bass players and the Blu-ray LFE channel does his handywork a great service! Weiland’s sultry vocals are highlighted in the center channel and Dean DeLeo’s guitar work is put through the ringer on the left and right channels. Kretz’s drumming is also rock solid and comes through the sound-field nicely. The surround channels capture cheers of the audience in a not-so-overbearing fashion – the crowd never “out-sounds” the band. It’s a pretty wicked lossless track. Kudos.

Extras

Stone Temple Pilots: Alive in the Windy City on Blu-ray has but one extra: An interview with the band that is pretty entertaining and funny. Eric Kretz does not say a word at all.

• Interview

Summary

It’s about time that STP rewarded their fan base with some actual live material. The Blu-ray format is perfect for this. I am disappointed by the lack of special features on the disc, but the sound and strong performance will pull you through. The lack of special features also drags the final score down, so don’t think that because I started out really strong I’m ending it on a weak note out of spite. It’s just an averaged out score. I recommend that you seek out Alive in the Windy City on Blu-ray ASAP. Go crazy, go deaf!

 

 

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