Scott Weiland

Scott Weiland and the Wildabouts: Leaving Las Vegas

Scott Weiland died on December 3, 2015 on his tour bus just prior to taking the stage with the Wildabouts for a Minnesota show promoting the band’s release Blaster, and album Weiland said he “hadn’t felt this excited about since the early days of Stone Temple Pilots”. The album was released in March of this year, and Weiland and band had been touring since, at brighter times with shining glimpses of the poet and the piper, and darker days when the vocalist seemed fractured and distant onstage. The last two decades had been at many times a struggle for the enigmatic singer, who battled drug addiction and inner demons while creating some of the most beautiful and memorable lyrics and melodies of his generation.

The last few years have seemed disheartening as Weiland’s light rose and fell and rose again, with fewer glimpses of the dynamic powerhouse presence and enduring melodies of prior years. Even so, those who cherish his art will remember captivating performances, slithering and snarling across the stage, and an immense poetic body of work that will stay alive for years to come.

Weiland and the Wildabouts played their last performance in Las Vegas the night before Halloween at the Las Vegas Country Saloon, drawing a respectable crowd for a night that had some stiff competition with multiple concerts and events for the big Vegas holiday weekend. The show was peppered with locals and celebrities, all out for a late night to see a rock legend in an uncharacteristic intimate setting, a smaller room and a low stage that was up close and personal to the fans there for the night, unknowingly our last nod to the legacy of an extraordinary songwriter and vocalist of our times.

I keep a journal of memories

I’m feeling lonely, I can’t breathe

I fall to pieces, I’m falling

Fell to pieces and I’m still falling

- Fall to Pieces /Velvet Revolver