SAN JOSE, CALIF. - It was like watching a prisoner dance through the metal doors that separated him from the outside world.

Scott Weiland played the part of a free man to the hilt at the San Jose Arena Saturday night, prancing and singing his heart out during the fifth stop of the Stone Temple Pilots' comeback tour.

He gyrated like a Saturday Night Fever-era John Travolta. He imitated Bono-imitating-Elvis. He slid gracefully across the stage and even did little pirouettes in time to the music.

Now, it might seem odd to centre a concert review on someone's dance moves, but there's actually a good reason for that: the acoustics in this hockey arena were so bad, you could still hear echoes of the first song during the encore.

Still, the sound on stage must have been great, because the energy up there was enormous. Weiland shook his bootie to more than 20 songs during the two hour-plus show.

Kept from touring by Weiland's well-publicized drug problems, STP seemed especially eager to please, and the crowd -- about 3/4 of the arena's capacity -- let the band know just how much they've been missed.

The group was tight, the songs sounded fresh (with better solos than on the albums), and the light show was amazing. If that wasn't enough, a smaller, more intimate stage descended from the rafters for a special acoustic set. It came equipped with a full array of percussion tools and acoustic guitars, as well as a small, green Buddha. The switch from grinding, distorted guitars to mellower instruments worked well, and Weiland all but calmed down for a few songs.

The Pilots performed all the hits from their three albums, as well as less-popular tunes such as Purple's "Pretty Penny" and Tiny Music's "Seven Caged Tigers." The audience sang along for most of the show, reciting the strange and familiar lyrics to "Vasoline," "Interstate Love Song" and "Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart," while "Creep" inspired especially strong audience participation.

But there was one number in particular that everyone was waiting for -- and that STP was reluctant to deliver.

"This is a song called Meal Ticket," Weiland quipped before guitarist Dean DeLeo strummed the familiar opening chords for 1993's "Plush." The cynicism that pervaded the song's introduction leaked over into the song itself: the timing was off, and Weiland uncharacteristically stumbled over a few words at the beginning. It was the one weak moment in an otherwise strong performance.

The regular set ended with something resembling a scene from a kid's birthday party, but on a much grander scale. A rainbow of lights exploded in time to "Unglued" as hundreds of balloons fell from the rafters to the punters below. Then the band left the stage for an obligatory three-minute rest before coming back for a power encore of "Big Bang Baby," "Dead & Bloated" and "Sex Type Thing."

STP has always had to endure criticism about riding on Pearl Jam's musical coat-tails, and that criticism isn't always undeserved. But their powerful presence and presentation Saturday night proved that, after the trials and tribulations of the past year, they've finally come into their own.