I have a Velvet Revolver t-shirt somewhere that I have never worn. With Scott Weiland’s death a couple of days ago I wonder if it is now a collector’s item?

Scott Weiland at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest, July 11, 2015.

Probably not, though I imagine the t-shirt will be reprinted to capitalize on the demise of the singer for both Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots. Come to think of it, I have the CD that goes with the t-shirt too, and it is still in the original plastic shrink wrap. The t-shirt I didn’t wear because it is a size small, something I am not. I can’t remember why I never listened to the record. Both I think were prizes I won from a local guitar store. Or maybe the record company sent them to me, not realizing that Velvet Revolver wouldn’t fit Christian radio. And yes, record companies can be that stupid.

I saw Scott Weiland perform this past summer, as part of the 2015 RBC Ottawa Bluesfest. I took some notes, intending to review the show here. Then life intervened and I never got around to finishing the post. I saw so many acts, and while I do write about music since it is one of my passions, I know many of those who read this blog tune out those posts. I had already done half a dozen Bluesfest posts.

Dead at age 48 is not what I expect of any musician. I figure if they get past 30 they have learned enough to not die of the excesses of rock and roll. The occasional one may die accidentally, but that is statistically rare. Indeed, we’re at the point now where I expect rockers to start dying in increasingly larger numbers – of old age and natural causes. “Hope I did before I get old” was a young man’s sentiment from someone who is no longer young.

So here are my thoughts on Scott Weiland’s performance, raw and unedited.

In the early 1990s I was living in a small town and concentrating on raising my children. Even so, I knew about the Stone Temple Pilots.

So when I saw that former STP vocalist Scott Weiland was performing at RBC Ottawa Bluesfest I knew that this was one act I had to catch, and the full set, not just show up to sample a couple of songs.

It was mostly new material (to me anyway) with about five STP songs thrown in to keep the fans happy. Scott gave a dynamic show, reminding me a lot of U2’s Bono in his movements. I guess if you are going to borrow you might as well borrow from the best. Standout songs were “Amethyst,” “The Way She Moves,” White Lightning,” and “Vasoline.”

The crowd was smaller than I expected, only a couple of thousand. That may have been due to Iggy Azalea headlining later in the evening – it wasn’t Scott’s crowd.

Those who were close to the stage got to really feel the music. It wasn’t especially loud, but the bass was at just the right frequency that you could feel it.

So that was it. I moved on, and never finished the post. What I might have said, if I had done so, was that I enjoyed the show, but never connected with the music emotionally. Maybe he played some Velvet Revolver songs, I wouldn’t know them to hear them. He was just another performer at a huge festival. Not in the headliner slot, but at least on one of the main stages.

A career now ended. A life snuffed out prematurely. Most of us have no idea when our time will come to stand before God, to meet our Maker face to face, though all of us know that day will come eventually.

I wonder if Scott Weiland was ready?