Another act has been confirmed for the upcoming Emirates Airline Dubai Jazz Festival: San Diego alt-rock band Stone Temple Pilots.
Most recently known as the Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington, the band is set to headline the opening night of the festival on February 13, making them the fifth of eight global performers to be announced thus far — the first within their genre.
“By popular demand, the alternative classic rock band Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington will headline the opening night,” said Anthony Younes, co-founder and CEO of festival organisers Chillout Productions. “Just like the Dubai Jazz Festival, the band is upholding their legacy while keeping up with the new age.”
The quartet’s original roster of members had remained unchanged for over two decades, but earlier this year, bad blood between band mates resulted in the firing of lead vocalist Scott Weiland. Following the contentious dismissal of Weiland, band members sued and countersued each other, making it a less-than-amicable split.
To replace Weiland, Linkin Park frontman Chester Barrington joined the Stone Temple Pilots, and on October 8, the first of their recordings together was released in the form of the EP High Rise.
Since 1986, the Stone Temple Pilots have been delivering tenacious hits and driven performances. The band witnessed instant success when their debut album hit the scene in 1992, going eight times platinum and hitting No 3 spot on the Billboard Album Chart. Two years later, their single Plush won them a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, with later nominations in the same category in 1997, 2001 and 2010.
The band will join the likes of The Wanted, Olly Murs, Jamie Cullum and Colbie Caillat, already announced for the festival, which runs between February 13 and 21.
Though a name hasn’t been announced yet, organisers have said that a “legendary multi-Grammy Award winning musician” will also be joining the star-studded line-up along with another new touch to the 12-year-old festival. “Complete details will be shared with the public soon about the new event that will take place during the main gigs,” said Younes. “Through this introduction, we can better promote the growth of jazz for music fans in the UAE. We will be providing a full night line-up complete with diverse and talented performers across multiple genres — it will be an incredible mix of jazz, pop, rock and more.” Tickets are now available from ticketmaster.ae or 800-TM-UAE.
