Turbulence ahead

Nothing GETS in the way of a lucrative rock reunion quite like a jail stint -- even an extremely short one. Just ask the members of Stone Temple Pilots, the multi-platinum-selling, stadium-rocking, alterna-grunge band that recently reunited after more than half a decade's "separation" (don't call it a breakup) to mount a 65-date tour of North America's top-tier summer music festivals and amphitheaters (with a stop at the Hollywood Bowl on Tuesday).

Last month, faced with the very real possibility that singer Scott Weiland would spend up to eight days behind bars for a 2007 drunk driving charge, each member of the SoCal rock quartet voiced a different perspective on how disruptive Weiland's sentencing had been on band unity.

"Seeing a friend go through something like this, it's an uneasy feeling. It's a drag," said the group's guitarist, Dean DeLeo."

"To be honest with you, it's going to be a lot easier for me than it is for him," drummer Eric Kretz said of Weiland, a guy who by his own estimation has attempted to detox "40 or so" times in between various arrests, overdoses and relapses.

Robert DeLeo, Dean's brother and STP's bassist, seemed more concerned about his own self-preservation than his bandmate's debt to society: "I gotta take care of myself, man."

Seated at a conference table in a Burbank rehearsal space, the scarecrow-thin Weiland made known his feelings on the matter. "I live my life the way I live my life," Weiland said, loosening his paisley tie and brushing tresses of pink-dyed hair from his face with visible contempt. "I don't have to make any apologies."

Staying power

Despite having sold around 35 million albums worldwide and topping charts no fewer than six times since 1992 with hits such as "Plush," "Sex Type Thing" and "Interstate Love Song," Stone Temple Pilots originally were dismissed by rock cognoscenti as Pearl Jam-soundalikes. But the group has learned to take any criticism in stride, likening themselves to no less an act than Led Zeppelin.

Judging by certain empirical data (if not cultural impact), the comparison isn't far off the mark. Like Led Zep, the Pilots' hits remain in steady rotation on rock radio nationwide (locally, KROQ-FM keeps the STP songbook alive), and they are one of the most consistently played acts on Lithium, Sirius Satellite Radio's '90s nostalgia bandwidth. Additionally, the band's back catalog sells at a consistent clip.