Located in the northern Atlanta suburb of Alpharetta, Georgia, the Ameris Bank Amphitheatre welcomed co-headliners +LIVE+ and Stone Temple Pilots to town on Saturday night. This summer event, billed as the Jubilee Tour, was rounded out with support from Soul Asylum. Built in 2008, this 12,000 capacity open air venue is a destination spot for concert goers, especially for those brave enough to battle the nearly unbearable summer southern heat to enjoy an evening of musical hits from their favorite artists. However, unlike most concerts I have covered at Ameris Bank, the orchestra seats were removed on Saturday night making way for a large general admission audience pit.
With the humidity still hanging fairly thick in the early evening air, Grammy Award-winning Soul Asylum took the stage at 7:00pm sharp to their chart-topping single “Somebody to Shove” off the album Grave Dancers Union (1992). Anchored by founding member and lead vocalist/guitarist Dave Pirner, Soul Asylum was rounded out by Michael Bland (drums), Ryan Smith (guitar), and Jeremy Tappero (bass).
While the Jubilee Tour was set to deliver a full night of familiar hits, candidly it was Soul Asylum that I came to see. It was Pirner’s songwriting and distinctive alt rock vocal tone that delivered upon a number of 1990s radio play darlings the band performed live on Saturday night, including “Misery,” “Black Gold,” and 1994’s Grammy for Best Rock Song in “Runaway Train.” Surrounded by stellar musicians who clearly honored the music as intended, the 60-year-old Pirner lead the band through a short 7-song set. Hopefully Soul Asylum returns to Georgia in a smaller headlining venue so Pirner and the band can get the dedicated attention they deserve.
Soul Asylum:
Dave Pirner – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar, saxophone, piano
Jeremy Tappero – Bass, backing vocals
Ryan Smith – Lead guitar, backing vocals
Michael Bland – Drums, backing vocals
Setlist:
1.) Somebody to Shove
2.) Misery
3.) Freeloader
4.) Black Gold
5.) Runaway Train
6.) Just Like Anyone
7.) April Fool
Unbeknown to the fans at the time, Grammy Award-winning Stone Temple Pilots actually delayed their start by roughly 10-15 minutes, as there was a popup thunderstorm warning in the area. Those of us down in the photography pit watched the road crew strike “Crackerman” from the setlist with a Sharpie just prior to 8:15pm when the house lights dropped and STP was given the green light to go ahead.
Out on the road in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their second studio album Purple, Stone Temple Pilots kicked off their night with the lead track from that release, “Meatplow.” The success of Purple, along with Core (1992) before it, cemented STP’s legacy in rock music history as those releases lead to the band becoming one of the most successful selling artists of the 1990s.
With an instrumentation lineup that remains unchanged, consisting of brothers Dean DeLeo (guitar) and Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals), along with Eric Kretz (drums), STP’s lead vocals have been honorably carried forward by lead singer Jeff Gutt since 2017. Channeling original and late singer Scott Weiland’s pitch and presentation, Stone Temple Pilots delivered a resounding performance of Purple in its entirety. In fact, during “Vasoline,” Gutt came down from the stage and walked along the pit barrier fence to help amp up the crowd by shaking hands, bumping fists, and singing directly into cellphones.
Following the final track on Purple in “Kitchenware & Candybars,” the band then reached back to Core, pounding out three consecutive fan favorites including the chart-topping “Plush,” “Dead & Bloated,” and “Sex Type Thing.” Of note, STP also welcomed Grammy-nominated musician Trey Hensley to the stage to play guitar during “Plush.” That aside, it goes without saying that STP’s musical chemistry has stood the test of time, and by the audience reaction to Gutt, it was clear fans have embraced him as the embodiment of Weiland’s immeasurable influence on STP’s decorated history.
Stone Temple Pilots:
Dean DeLeo – Guitar
Robert DeLeo – Bass, backing vocals
Eric Kretz – Drums
Jeff Gutt – Lead vocals
Setlist:
1.) Meatplow
2.) Vasoline
3.) Lounge Fly
4.) Interstate Love Song
5.) Still Remains
6.) Pretty Penny
7.) Silvergun Superman
8.) Big Empty
9.) Unglued
10.) Army Ants
11.) Kitchenware & Candybars
12.) Plush
13.) Dead & Bloated
14.) Sex Type Thing
The clock was creeping in on 10:00pm when the large stage video screen began to flash the LIVE logo to a now darkened venue. Like Stone Temple Pilots, LIVE is also out on tour commemorating a 30th anniversary, with theirs being the release of their third album, Throwing Copper. Anchored by lead vocalist and founding member Ed Kowalczyk, LIVE was rounded out by touring musicians Chris Heerlein (bass), Nick Jay (keyboards), Zak Loy (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny Radelat (drums).
Unlike STP’s approach, Kowalczyk and LIVE were a bit more scattered in their setlist design. While the band did launch into their night with three random-ordered songs pulled from Throwing Copper, including “Top,” followed by the immediately recognizable “All Over You,” and then “Selling the Drama,” LIVE then moved on to “Freaks” off 1997’s release, Secret Samadhi.
I thought Kowalczyk’s vocals sounded pretty spot on, and Loy was a joy to watch as he complimented Kowalczyk on guitar to deliver a total set of 14 songs. While their performance did showcase LIVE’s first new song in six years called “Lady Bhang (She Got Me Rollin’),” along with touching on the back catalog a bit with tracks like “The Dolphin’s Cry” from The Distance to Here (1999), Throwing Copper eventually got its celebratory due with a total of 8 songs highlighted.
Following “Lakini’s Juice” from Secret Samadhi to end their main set, LIVE quickly returned to the stage for the encore pair of songs the audience had waited patiently for all night in “I Alone” and “Lightning Crashes.” With cellphones held high in the air and the crowd signing along at full volume, it was an emphatic and spectacular end to a long night of celebrating ’90s hits that defined a generation.
The Jubilee Tour continues on for a few more weeks before it wraps up at the Ruoff Music Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Sunday, September 15th.
+LIVE+
Ed Kowalczyk – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Touring musicians
Zak Loy – Lead guitar, backing vocals
Johnny Radelat – Drums
Chris Heerlein – Bass
Nick Jay – Keyboards
Setlist:
1.) Top
2.) All Over You
3.) Selling the Drama
4.) Freaks
5.) Lady Bhang (She Got Me Rollin’)
6.) Pain Lies on the Riverside
7.) Pillar of Davidson
8.) Shit Towne
9.) The Dolphin’s Cry
10.) Turn My Head
11.) White, Discussion
12.) Lakini’s Juice
Encore
13.) I Alone
14.) Lightning Crashes
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Elliott is a music photographer covering shows in Atlanta, Georgia, and the surrounding area. The highlight of his photography career was back in the early ’90s, when he sold Neil Diamond the rights to his negatives from a show and then purchased a set of tires for his 1979 280ZX during college with the money.
