Godsmack, Stone Temple Pilots, & Dorothy descend on San Diego

Rock-and-roll legends Godsmack and Stone Temple Pilots arrived in Chula Vista, California on September 15th in the midst of their Rise Of Rock Tour. Dorothy provided opening support for the evening, getting early arrivers at the North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre buzzing with excitement for this show.

Fun fact, both Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy got their start in nearby San Diego.

Dorothy Martin opened the show with her band; her blues-based voice and gospel-inspired lyrics perfectly layered upon a hard rock sound. Dorothy continues to rise and evolve as a band, delivering a very impressive set this night. Formed in 2014, the band might be newer to the genre than those heading the bill, but even those unfamiliar with the band were enjoying the passion-filled performance.

Stone Temple Pilots was up next. Founding members Dean DeLeo (on guitar), Robert DeLeo (on bass) and Eric Kretz (on drums) have continued to push forward, despite the tragic losses of two vocalists — Scott Weiland and Chester Bennington. Jeff Gutt has been filling some mighty big shoes as frontman of the band for almost a decade now, but is none the lesser live. After putting out four fantastic albums in the 90s, the night’s set list leaned heavily on that catalog — leaving fans in the stands thrilled.

By the time Godsmack hit the stage, the crowd had already witnessed a full rock show.

But things were just getting started. Fans of Godsmack might be curious how the band sounds 30 years in, with two new members in tow after drummer Shannon Larkin and former guitarist Tony Rombola retired last year. Let me assure you — the band is still very much in their prime.

New drummer Mike Mangini spent more than a decade replacing Mike Portnoy in Dream Theater and clearly has the skills needed for this job. Erna joined Mangini to perform their full-band dueling drum solo, which continues to delight. Plus, guitarist Sam Koltun (previously of Dorothy) is an excellent musician.

Godsmack played a complete headlining set, with songs spanning their entire history. At one point, lead vocalist and guitarist Sully Erna told a story about how he and bassist Robbie Merrill had started the band, recruiting a guitarist who showed up for rehearsal without a guitar. Erna went to a pawn shop and spent $80 on one, which ended up being the guitar he used to write all the songs on their debut album. He brought out that very same guitar out to play “Keepaway”. All in all, it was an incredible night filled with hit songs and powerful performances.

Photography by Johnnie “Crow” Vrana

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