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Band Review
Velvet Revolver
May 10, 2007, The Riveria, Chicago, IL, United States
By Jackie Lee King
Photos by Niva Bringas
DESTRUCTION! That’s my review.
What…my editor says that he wants more? Fine, I will try to
assemble the pieces left after a thoroughly kick ass time.
I don’t need to tell my editor, or anyone else for that
matter, about the lethal combination of one part Stone
Temple Pilots, three parts Guns and Roses and one part
Wasted Youth. This dynamite combination featuring Scott
Weiland (lead vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan
(bass, backing vocals), Matt Sorum (drums, percussion,
backing vocals) and Dave Kushner (rhythm guitar) are
otherwise known as VELVET REVOLVER.
The group is currently ripping up the road in touring their
new release “Libertad.” Prop’s go out to The Actual who had
the daunting task of opening up for this explosive group.
Make sure you catch them this summer as they bounce around
the tour circuit. But enough of that, let’s get to the meat
of the matter.
When Velvet Revolver decided to appear on stage, 30 minutes
late, it didn’t take long for the audience to jump on the
sin wagon destined for annihilation. The band has an immense
amount of inspiration to pull from in regards to recording
new material. All of the members are rock icons in their own
right and have more than their fair share of war wounds.
This makes the process of compiling a set list for the
concert a daunting undertaking.
It is ridiculous to try and incorporate all of that previous
work into a 90 minute show. And for those who were shouting
out songs from their previous groups; get over it and rent a
DVD or something. You should have supported those previous
bands back then.
The great thing about Velvet Revolver is that they do not
have to rely on their previous catalogue because their new
stuff is just as potent as their previous incarnations.
There will be a time in the near future where
Johnny-Come-Lately Fans will ask the question, ‘You mean
that Slash was in a band before VR?’ Trust me, it will
happen, fans can be so fickle and limited.
That being said, they did do “Vaseline”, but it seemed more
like Velvet Revolver was doing their own version of a STP
song. By the end of the song even Slash was grinning in
approval of his rendition of it.
It was good to see Slash and Duff taking rock star poses and
jamming out while Scott whirled around the stage in a sexual
frenzy. No one has lost their enigmatic touch. At the half
way point of the show, Scott and Duff had liberated their
shirts and appeared to be like extras in the scene from the
movie Fight Club; they were that tough looking.
Yes…the band did do cover of a Guns and Roses song, but you
have to see it for yourself. The only cover that I didn’t
care for, because it’s been so over done lately, is Pink
Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here”. Yes Scott, we know you are a
sensitive/schitzo rock and roll force; you don’t have to
prove it by singing that song. The song rocked, make no
mistake, but there’s like a billion other songs out there
that would love Velvet Revolvers seasoning on it.
 In any case the show was a relentless rollercoaster ride
that left many screaming for more. Damn that’s cliché, but
hey…it’s only rock and roll, but I like it. Or maybe it’s a
hint to the band to play some other cover tunes on the tour;
you think? Can you hear me major Scott?
Set List
1. “Let it Roll”
2. “Do It For The Kids”
3. “Sucker Train Blues”
4. “Superhuman”
5. “The Last Fight”
6. “She’s Mine”
7. “Big Machine”
8. “Get out the Door”
9. “Fall To Pieces”
10. “Vaseline”
11. ?
12. ?
13. “Set Me Free”
14. “Wish You Were Here”
15. “Used To Love Her”
16. “Psycho Killer”
17. “Slither”
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