As the rotating stage turned around following a joyous set from Vampire Weekend, the opening notes of Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline" filled the Verizon Wireless Ampitheater. On the drum riser, a man stood with his back to the audience until it came time to deliver the opening line, "One time a thing occurred to me." And with that, the venue exploded as Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington turned and leaped into action, filling in on this night for the recently fired Scott Weiland.
Bennington brought his typical powerhouse vocals and abandon to the greatest hits set, which also featured a new track, "Out Of Time." Bennington did such an admirable job recreating Weilands vocals on songs like "Sex Type Thang" and "Wicked Garden" that one listener backstage thought it had been the former STP frontman, although the LP singer did step out vocally on a superb "Interstate Love Song." When the number finished, Bennington declared, "I fucking love that song," a sentiment he echoed after a standout "Dead & Bloated," where his trademark Linkin yell was brought into play on the ferocious ending.
In a statement, Bennington expressed his admiration for the band, which is in part how this collaboration came about. "Ive loved STP since I was 13 years old and theyve had a huge influence on me," explained Bennington. "When the opportunity came up to do something creative with them, I jumped at the chance. The guys in Linkin Park have been incredibly supportive of me undertaking this project while Ive continued to work on new music with LP."
