Scott Weiland Says that Chester Bennington Is No Longer in Stone Temple Pilots

Have Chester Bennington and Stone Temple Pilots parted ways? We've seen no official confirmation from either party, but that's what Scott Weiland, the man he replaced, is saying in a new interview.

Speaking to Alternative Nation, Weiland said, "He’s not in the band any more." He didn't give any indication of his source other than to say, "I heard he’s not in the band any more."

The only clarification he gave was to suggest that it was a case of simple economics for Bennington, who is pulling double duty as the longtime lead singer of Linkin Park. "[Chester’s] got a band where he gets paid $700,000 a night with, and with STP, the brand is kind of falling apart, which is a shame.”

Six weeks ago, Stone Temple Pilots wrapped up a mini-tour that saw them play five concerts in 10 days. An illness forced the cancellation of a performances at the WJJO Sonic Boom in Janesville, Wisc.

Bennington joined the '90s alternative hitmakers in May 2013, only a few months after Weiland was fired. Together, they released an EP later that year called High Rise. It sold only 35,000 copies, which Weiland said was "kind of unbelievable considering STP sold over 40 million."

Yesterday, Weiland said that Velvet Revolver were very close to a full-on reunion tour after a one-off charity gig, but it never materialized because "Perla [Hudson], Slash’s ex-wife, kind of put the kibosh on everything [...] As far as getting back together, I thought at the time we would get back together and do a tour.”

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