Article and photos by: Wendy Podmenik Darugar

NORFOLK, VA: The magnificent Chrysler Hall, soon to undergo extensive renovations, hosted Stone Temple Pilots as one of their last events. Home to the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, in the past the venue has featured tours such as Robert Plant and Alice Cooper.

Leading the evening were the young and vibrant blues rockers Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown, whom I highly recommend to catch before they expand into the bigger venues and start headlining. Yes, they are that good, and Tyler Bryant literally never stops moving. He must have met the devil at the crossroads and sold his soul, for he is electric on the stage.

New-to-me band Rival Sons was certainly not new to the audience, since half of the attendees jumped up to their feet and a few crowded toward the front of the stage for their set. Blues, rock, even some extended jam sessions flowed forth for over an hour. Album Feral Roots was released in January this year, and was heavily promoted in the set list. They showcased a wide scope of variety of musical style and mood, and the vocalist Jay Buchanan certainly carries the torch for Rock and Roll into a new era, his performance and look reminiscent of Jim Morrisson.

Co-headliners Stone Temple Pilots are classics unto themselves, celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Purple, and on this night they nearly played every single hit they had in their impressive catalog of music. Justifiably considered groundbreaking in the early 90’s, this band has survived controversy and tragedy over the last two decades. In spite of trials, they have enjoyed continual success and have welcomed their 3^rd lead singer into their midst, Jeff Gutt. He does not present as a carbon copy of Scott Weiland but has his own sound, and he has contributed his own touch to newest release and second self-titled album, Stone Temple Pilots. Injecting fresh blood into the band, Jeff Gutt was brought on board after being tapped for the lead in 2017. STP gave a strong performance at Chrysler Hall and are definitely a ticket to see. For additional tour dates, check this website:

http://stonetemplepilots.com/tour-dates/