Rock legends Stone Temple Pilots are finally hitting the road for the Under the Southern Stars concert, alongside international headliners Cheap Trick, Bush, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club as well as a host of Aussie acts. After being postponed a few times over the last two years, the mega concert series will now hit WIN Stadium in Wollongong on March 22

Four years ago, The Pilots’ frontman Jeff Gutt gave the band new life, when he signed on as their singer in late 2017. And now the four-piece, which also includes, original members brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz, are stoked to be playing to live audiences again and travelling the world.

We were lucky enough to chat to Jeff ahead of the Aussie shows about getting back on stage and what it’s really like being on tour with these iconic bands…

With live music on the backburner for so long, Aussies are stoked to have international acts returning to our shores – and stages! How are you feeling about performing live after a bit of a hiatus?
I feel exactly the same way… stoked! Being able to come to Australia where I’ve never been and kick off the return of doing live shows… to play internationally and do something big like that and epic, I’ll always remember it for the rest of my life. It will be the best way I can think of to actually come back.

You became the frontman for the Stone Temple Pilots about four years ago – tell us about that process.
It was maybe a year-and-a-half long process. It was long! I was in recording studios and doing other things, and then when I got the invitation to audition that was when it all started. I had to come to LA to throw my hat in the ring. I felt like I could get it if I got in the room. So I was confident walking in but obviously humbled and you know, they’re a legendary band, so you can’t walk in thinking you know everything or you’re gonna get shot down real quick. So I walked in and tried to connect with them musically. It’s a lot of trust-building when you’re playing music with people and collaborating on their ideas, their thoughts, and their passions, so it took a while and I’m glad it did. It gave us a chance to get to know each other very well and become like a family, in a way.

Had you always been a big fan of the band?
Yeah, absolutely, since the moment they came out. I was in high school, and I put down the guitar that year just to concentrate on singing and vocals and being a frontman – whatever that means. I was always the guy that wanted to write the songs and be on the side of the stage and not be the centre of attention, but it’s funny how that works out. But trying to find singers in my life when I was younger was hard, so I just figured I probably had a good shot at doing it myself. So that was the year that I put down the guitar and really concentrated on vocals. I had a lot of influences to draw from, including the Stone Temple Pilots. That was 1992 and it was as great year!

You’re preceded by some pretty iconic frontmen in the late and great Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington! Do you bring something different to the stage, or are you trying to continue their legacy?
I love Scott and he was a big influence on me. I was always a fan of Stone Temple Pilots and that’s why I showed up because I wanted them to be able to continue their journey and really just do things on their own terms. I thought if I had the tools to come in and do what they were asking, I could get the job done.

I knew Chester personally, but I didn’t know Scott… only through music and through studying to become a singer. One of the things Scott did very well and is kind of his forte, is changing your character to cater to the song and what the song really required. I felt like he was very influential in the end, in showing the possibilities of what you can really accomplish when tweaking a few things.

What has rehearsing looked like for you guys over the last few years? Has it been a different experience?
Back in the beginning, when I was first starting with the audition process, I couldn’t really get a song list, so I literally had to learn everything – luckily, I already had the basics in my heart and in soul. You have to go in deep and listen to everything, so that was a good experience. I had to listen to the music from a new perspective as if I was actually going to be singing it, as opposed to just being a listener, which is a different kind of listening.

There are times at rehearsals where Interstate Love Song will start, and I’ll just get this feeling of nostalgia and can’t believe that I’m the guy that’s going to be singing the first line of the song. But there’s the microphone right in front of me and there’s Dean, there’s Robert and there’s Eric. It’s very surreal. There’s also a lot of songs they haven’t had a chance to do live, so it’s been a fun process for us to dive into some of those things together for the first time.

You’re also touring with a lot of other pretty cool bands with the Under The Southern Stars show – are you all friends?
We’ve toured with Bush a few times, so I know those guys well and they’re great dudes. There’s comradery and family vibes that happen when you’re on tour with people you get along with like that.

Cheap Trick – it’s blowing my mind right now that I’m going to be playing shows with Cheap Trick every night. As a fan, I’ll be right over there on the side with everyone else. I’m really looking forward to it and just happy it’s finally happening because I think my clothes have been to Australia more times than I have [laughs]. They’ve been sent there and sent back a couple of times in anticipation of the show, but Covid has stopped us coming – it’s been heartbreaking. So this show is a big deal.

You’ve never been to Australia before, will you have some downtime on this tour to explore?
I’ve been looking at the schedule and there will be downtime and days off here and there, but I don’t really know what the hell I’m doing. I’m gonna wing it and hope for the best.

Any tour stories to share? Is it the rockstar lifestyle that we all hope it is?
It’s not nearly as crazy and exciting as everyone thinks it is. There’s a lot of time on buses, a lot of downtime, and a lot of trying to entertain your own brain. But when we were in Canada on tour, that’s when we wrote the Perdida record. We would do a soundcheck and then we would have a lot of downtime in a cool, cement hockey arena while it was snowing outside. It was picking up acoustic guitars and having our own time and writing songs together, and so that’s how that record came together. That’s a very memorable thing to me because now I think I’m a little spoilt – I wanna expect it every time…’let’s go write some amazing songs while we’re on tour’.

Do you have a favourite song to play together?
It’ll change from day to day or week to week. When we do the back catalogue, I love to sing Glide because there’s some intricacies that happen – falsetto on full voice and making that transition back – which makes it so interesting to sing. Obviously the classics, you can’t go wrong with those, just the vibe and the feeling that it gives you even if it’s just remembering driving in your car and hearing it on the radio.

What can Wollongong audiences expect from this show?
It’s a lot of excitement because I’ve never been there, and I know the rest of the band has, but it’s been a while for them. There’s gonna be a lot of excitement to actually just be there and doing it. Then the excitement of getting back out there and going to shows, and playing shows, and just being a fan of music again. Bringing all of that excitement to the stage and the songs that everyone loves so much, including myself. Being a part of this show is a huge step in the right direction. It’s going to be a good time! 

Tickets are on sale now and selling fast. Get in quick and be part of history
www.underthesouthernstars.com.au

Tues, March 22: WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong
Doors: 4.00pm
Electric Mary: 4.55 – 5.40pm
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: 6.00 – 6.45pm
Cheap Trick: 7.05 – 8.05pm
BUSH: 8.30 – 9.30pm
Stone Temple Pilots: 10.00 – 11.00pm