Puddle of Mudd, Saliva, Trapt, and more rock Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on May 24
While singer Wes Scantlin of Kansas City post-grunge band Puddle of Mudd has had his share of well-publicized substance abuse problems, onstage incidents, and legal troubles, he has spent the past year or so trying to put his bad reputation behind him. Following a stint in rehab, he and the band brought The Redemption Tour with Saving Abel and Tantric to the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg last spring.
It was announced this week that all three acts will return to the Sherman, along with Saliva and Trapt, on a bill called Muddfest on Friday, May 24 at 8 p.m. Tailor-made for fans of early 2000s radio rock, the show is presented by Hazleton active rock radio station 97.9X.
Tickets, which are $29.50 in advance, $33 the day of the show, and $35 for reserved balcony seats, go on sale this Friday, Jan. 25 and will be available through the Sherman Theater box office (524 Main St., Stroudsburg) and online at shermantheater.com and Ticketfly. VIP boxes and sky boxes are available for this show and include eight tickets (VIP box) or 12 tickets (sky box) and waitstaff. To purchase box seats, call the theater at 570-420-2808.
Best known for hit singles like “Control,” “Blurry,” “She Hates Me,” and “Psycho,” Puddle of Mudd released their major label debut, “Come Clean,” in 2001, which sold over five million copies and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA. Their 2003 follow-up, “Life on Display,” was certified gold, and 2007’s “Famous” debuted at No. 27 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and kept them in the public eye. Puddle of Mudd produced six studio albums all together, the latest being 2011’s cover album “Re:(disc)overed,” along with a greatest hits collection in 2010.
The Billboard Music Award-winning band released a new single, “Piece of the Action,” in 2014 and announced that they were recording their next album in 2015. Scantlin is the only founding member of the group left, however, after a series of arrests and controversies over the years that haven’t left him with the best reputation with concertgoers.
On stage, Scantlin has shown up to gigs under the influence of drugs or alcohol, fought with fans and bandmates, left mid-set during public meltdowns, smashed equipment, and has been caught lip syncing during live concerts, even skipping some shows completely without explanation. Off stage, he has been arrested for domestic violence, disorderly conduct, public intoxication, felony vandalism, driving under the influence, and missing court dates, making headlines for a high-speed chase with police, a standoff with 30 armed police officers, and an attempt to board a plane with a BB gun, resulting in another arrest.
In a Facebook post on Christmas Eve in 2017, Puddle of Mudd stated that “Wesley has been in rehab and is doing very well and looks forward to seeing you all. We love you guys and thank you for sticking by our sides.” The band toured steadily both in the United States and overseas in 2018, and it appears they’re booked long into 2019.
Scantlin recently stated that the group’s next studio album will finally be released in 2019.
“We’re coming out with a new record and it’s really badass,” he told Rock 100.5 The KATT in an interview on Dec. 18. “We worked our butt off on it, and I can’t wait to get it out. Coming soon.”
