(noun) rigor severity / (noun) roughness of surface; unevenness / (noun) a tiny projection from a surface / (noun) roughness of sound / (noun) roughness of manner or of temper; harshness
Might 'stupid' reflect a slight asperity or distance on the part of the author? Or does the word belong wholly to the character, with the author, in a rush of sympathy, having 'handed' it, as it were, to the tearful fellow?
on the sentence 'Ted watched the orchestra through stupid tears'. an example of free indirect style