More missed opportunities by STP during Covid lockdown?

[Flyingmerpa]

You see members of STP's contemporaries (and their idols) really using social media to their advantage.  They are uploading videos for people to watch like Chad Smith and Flea playing their instruments at their homes, you have Robby Krieger of the Doors teaching people how to play their favorite Doors songs on guitar.  Others are doing Q&A's, and other things. They are intimately connecting with fans.

STP on the other hand have Robert and Jeff with Twitter accounts, which is a start, but they are not using it anywhere near to the advantage and level that they should be doing to connect with fans.  For goodness sake, STP just released a goddamn acoustic album right before the lockdown and they have gone completely off radar.  You would think they would do mini live performance medleys submitted by all the band members in their homes to connect with fans and promote the record.  Hell, BackStreet Boys just did something like that (https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/socially-distant-backstreet-boys-sing-i-want-it-that-way-from-home-amid-cov-19-lockdown-2557545.html)

Jeff is just posting pictures of snacks and Robert JUST released a little video of him playing his Guitarron (keep it going man!) but other than that its just pictures of ponds he likes to go fishing at.  Eric and Dean are hermits.

[Blue]

You see members of STP's contemporaries (and their idols) really using social media to their advantage.  They are uploading videos for people to watch like Chad Smith and Flea playing their instruments at their homes, you have Robby Krieger of the Doors teaching people how to play their favorite Doors songs on guitar.  Others are doing Q&A's, and other things. They are intimately connecting with fans.

STP on the other hand have Robert and Jeff with Twitter accounts, which is a start, but they are not using it anywhere near to the advantage and level that they should be doing to connect with fans.  For goodness sake, STP just released a goddamn acoustic album right before the lockdown and they have gone completely off radar.  You would think they would do mini live performance medleys submitted by all the band members in their homes to connect with fans and promote the record.  Hell, BackStreet Boys just did something like that (https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/socially-distant-backstreet-boys-sing-i-want-it-that-way-from-home-amid-cov-19-lockdown-2557545.html)

Jeff is just posting pictures of snacks and Robert JUST released a little video of him playing his Guitarron (keep it going man!) but other than that its just pictures of ponds he likes to go fishing at.  Eric and Dean are hermits.

Dean has posted 3 or 4 videos of himself playing guitar on the official STPBand Instagram account, including some nice slow breakdowns of the solos for Reds & Blues and Long Way Home.

And to be perfectly blunt, what they do with their time during a national crises is their own damn business. They don't owe us free entertainment. If they want to do something, great. If they don't, that's their choice.

[foou33]

Just because they aren't posting about writing doesn't mean they aren't. I do hope they're working on a Tiny Music reissue.

[Plushman]

Im gonna lean more towards Flyingmerpa on this one, sorry.



I completely understand that their time is their time...but you can still consider the situation a bit of a missed opportunity (which seems to happen all to often with STP).Consider thisThe band, a legendary rock group who is still fresh in their chapter of proving they have a lot left in the tank and that they have chosen the correct singer.....sits on an album for several months to avoid releasing it with a previous album re-issue (Purple). Perdida finally drops and the band prepares for a tour they were most definitely excited for, which unfortunately becomes cancelled due to Jeff's back. With confirmation that the band still intended on doing the Australia tour, that becomes cancelled from the virus crisis. So you have a successful band trying to re-energize themselves and their fanbase experience two uniquely-cool tours get cancelled after just releasing a new album (also unique). If I was a betting man, I would have certainly bet  that during a nationwide stay in place to follow all of these cancelled events, this band - in this situation - would have been a lock bet to be active in getting in touch with the fans and yes....maybe something a little special for their fans. And then you consider that the third and biggest tour of  the three may also be cancelled for the summer, I don't think it's an unfair criticism at all to think that opportunities were missed. I appreciate the couple videos by Dean, but this is barely crumbs being given to a starving fanbase. It was most absolutely opportunity to connect with fans who have supported the band through it all.

[Rik]

Not sure if I would called it 'missed opportunities' per se yet, but it looks like chances are growing that STP will not perform live at all this year and that the Australian dates in early 2021 will be the first time they'll be on stage again.


That's fifteen (15!) months and 21 days after their last show of 2019.


To put it in a little perspective:
- Scott Weiland going to jail in late August 1999 and emerging in March 2000 was a little over 6 months
- Time between the last show with Scott and the first with Chester: 7 months, 25 days
- The time between the end of the Purple tour (December 19, 1994) and the release of Tiny Music (March 17, 1996) was 15 months and 7 days


All those things seemed like a lifetime at the time, and what we're experiencing now will be objectively longer.


Then again, 'No.4' was released during downtime and it still produced classic STP hits and fan favorites that are being played even on recent tours, so the same fate might befall some standouts on Perdida.


But that doesn't mean the band's hands are tied. Dean's guitar videos on instagram are nice.


I have to say I've really enjoyed what Queen's Brian May has been doing during the lockdown, playing solo mini-concerts through Instagram, providing guitar tracks for fans and friends to jam along to or create new mixes with, that kind of thing.


Not saying STP should jump on the bandwagon, but maybe now is a nice time to schedule some more fan chats, maybe release some multitracks to encourage people to make some new mixes (like the 'stems' in 2010), stuff like that.

[Plushman]

But I bet there was a time when when having a healthy lead singer who could be depended on was almost a wish. They have that now. The period of mid-February to now and beyond can't be taken back. And with a new album and so many people confined to their homes/phones, listening to music - I don't see how this hasn't been a missed opportunity in a sense, or at least turning into it.

[Flyingmerpa]

But I bet there was a time when when having a healthy lead singer who could be depended on was almost a wish. They have that now. The period of mid-February to now and beyond can't be taken back. And with a new album and so many people confined to their homes/phones, listening to music - I don't see how this hasn't been a missed opportunity in a sense, or at least turning into it.

To you goes the prize for understanding my point.  This has nothing to do with "the band can do what they want, they don't owe us anything" , like we are spoiled brats argument.  Of course they can do want they want and I'm happy for them if that is truly what they want.  However, deep down when you bring together their interests as a band, as a business, as a brand, and from our perspective as fans witnessing their turbulence over the years, you can't help but think they aren't doing all they can. 

When you've been a fan for nearly 3 decades (!!), it's hard not to give some concerned criticism, especially when they are at junction of falling into obscurity or reviving themselves with a brand new, energized, competent singer.  I've only gotten the sense that the band has gotten severely placated and are not firing on all cylinders, especially when you compare them to what other artists are doing to grow their popularity.  If this is what the band wants, to finally sunset their careers paying their bills by playing joint shows with 45 minute great hits sets (like Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Edgar Winter, etc.), and then potentially to nothing depending on how this Covid stuff turns out, then so be it.  If that is the case, I hope Jeff is aware, because if he expected anything more out of his rock star career, that is where it will end.

[Blue]

But I bet there was a time when when having a healthy lead singer who could be depended on was almost a wish. They have that now. The period of mid-February to now and beyond can't be taken back. And with a new album and so many people confined to their homes/phones, listening to music - I don't see how this hasn't been a missed opportunity in a sense, or at least turning into it.

To you goes the prize for understanding my point.  This has nothing to do with "the band can do what they want, they don't owe us anything" , like we are spoiled brats argument.  Of course they can do want they want and I'm happy for them if that is truly what they want.  However, deep down when you bring together their interests as a band, as a business, as a brand, and from our perspective as fans witnessing their turbulence over the years, you can't help but think they aren't doing all they can. 

STP isn't going to gain any new fans by playing Perdida songs over a webcam. As a business, there is absolutely no benefit to doing internet concerts. As has already been said, many much much more popular bands have been doing the same thing... STP playing songs no one has heard of would just fall through the cracks. And of course, financially there is nothing for them to gain. So no, I don't see this isn't a missed business opportunity. It's a missed chance for them to something cool for the couple thousand or so people who would actually care to see it.

As a business the best thing they can right now is put their noses to the grindstones, write as much songs as they can write, and as soon as this shelter in place is done get together in Kretz' studio and record a big heavy rock album that will get them radio play again. Perdida was never going to make them money, but if they apply the strides they made as producers and songwriters in that album to a heavy rock album it could earn them back some validity in the mainstream.