The first ever video of an early incarnation of Stone Temple Pilots performing live in the 1980’s has surfaced online. Scott Weiland, Robert DeLeo, and guitarist Corey Hickok had performed together in the band Swing with other members, including the Tubbs brothers, dating back to sometime in 1987, with Eric Kretz later joining and the band eventually shifting into a 4 piece.
The band changed their name to Mighty Joe Young in 1989. According to the uploader, this is the first ever live video of Weiland, Robert DeLeo, Hickok, and Kretz performing together in 1989 in Huntington Beach, CA. The song performed is called “Pink Panther Smoke It.” Dean DeLeo joined the band later in 1989, replacing Hichok and completely transforming the band’s sound. Gary Dalton uploaded the video to YouTube with the following description:
“As far as I have knowledge…this is the first time ever that Scott Weiland, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz ever took the stage together. This is 1989…I had been working with them mostly Robert as a mentor in recording techniques…they had rehearsed as a band but never played on a stage. This was in Huntington Beach CA. I was running the sound (a couple quik glimpes of striped shirt). I am finally posting this clip as a tribute to Scott…we all have a beginning and we all have an end.”
As far as I have knowledge…this is the first time ever that Scott Weiland, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz ever took the stage together. This is 1989…I had been working with them mostly Robert as a mentor in recording techniques…they had rehearsed as a band but never played on a stage. This was in Huntington Beach CA. I was running the sound (a couple quik glimpes of striped shirt). I am finally posting this clip as a tribute to Scott…we all have a beginning and we all have an end. So sorry to hear today’s news. You will be missed little brother…RIP”
Eric Kretz remembered STP’s formative 80’s years in a 2013 Alternative Nation interview.
“God, I think it was ’86 or ’87. I was playing in various bands down in Long Beach, I moved there from San Jose, California. So it began in Long Beach and realizing how hard it is to find a band that is inspiring the music you want to do. I just happened to put an ad in the Recycler magazine down there: ‘Drummer available.’
Robert called me, and man we talked on the phone for 2 to 3 hours about everything from Steely Dan, to Led Zeppelin, to Mahavishnu Orchestra, to Neal Peart, to Bill Bruford. The similarities were so incredible, and the fact that he grew up in New Jersey and I grew up on the west coast in San Jose, but we grew up on the same types of music at the same time. He was saying in junior high school is when he got into Rush’s Hemisphere, and Permanent Waves. Playing parties and kind of riffing out those songs.
So then we set up an audition, I think I met Scott once before the audition. Then the Sound-o-hull I think it was called, me and Robert went into this great little funky bass and drum groove. The guitar player Corey [Hickok] was touching the mics saying, “Oh, I’m getting shocked, I’m getting shocked.” The next thing you know he’s flying into my drum kit, his face is turning blue, his shoes are burning. It was horrible, he was fully getting electrocuted.
We managed to pull the power cord, he definitely was in bad shape. Luckily I knew where the hospital was around the corner, so I was like everyone follow me and we drove to the hospital. [Then] I’m kind of sitting there in the emergency room and Scott looks and me and [is] like, “Fuck that’s so weird, I guess you’re in the band.”
