Band:
Velvet Revolver Venue:
Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, UK Date:
15 January 2005
After all the hype the next so called super group has finally put together
a full UK tour. After playing several smaller venues late last year, it
was now time for Slash and the boys to hit the bigger venues in this
country.
First up was Aussie new boys The Datsun's who ripped through their
30-minute slot like a bush fire. Delivering their own brand of hard
hitting full blooded rock, which has seen them pushed up from relative
obscurity, to backing one of the most anticipated bands of the past few
years, this high profile gig is one any young band would give their right
arm for.
With only one album behind them, it left a lot of people I had spoken too,
wondering how Velvet Revolver would fill out their allotted time on stage.
Questions like what Guns N Roses tracks would they play, what Stone
Temple Pilots tracks might they play, and most of all would they live up
to the crowds expectations. Yes they would be the answer to the latter,
the rest you will just have read on to find the answers to the other two.
From the opening chords of ‘Sucker Train Blues’ I knew this was going to
be a high octane set. With Scott Weiland spinning round like a whirling
dervish, dressing like an anorexic Rob Halford complete with leather
peaked cap, and Slash ripping out the riffs like there's no tomorrow.
Equally up for it tonight are former Gunners Duff McKagen and Matt Sorem,
who kept it all together with a stomping rhythm section, and along side
Slash on guitar was Dave Kushner who easily equaled Slash riff after riff.
The set continued with ‘Do It For The Kids’ and ‘Superhuman’, and the
superb ‘Illegal I Song’.
Then it was time for the first of the mainstays of the album ‘Falling To
Pieces’ which was just great and really seemed to spur the crowd on, who
by this time it was finished, were almost overcome with excitement.
There where two more tracks off Contraband, ‘Big Machine’ and ‘Set Me
Free’, before the answer to questions one and two were finally answered.
Firstly it was the cover of Guns N Rose's ‘It’s So Easy’, then it was
‘Sex Type Thing’ from the Pilots, both tracks got a wealth of approval
from the crowd as the band left the stage for the first time.
When they returned Slash was wearing his trademark top hat, the band sat
on some bar stools in the middle of the stage and did a moving rendition
of the Guns ‘Used To Love Her’. This was quickly followed by ‘You Got No
Right’. The band once again left the stage, but only for the crew to
remove the bar stools.
They saved the best for last with a barnstorming version of ‘Mr.
Brownstone’ that for me was the perfect end to a storming gig.
With a band with so many personalities on one stage it was nice that they
left their egos behind and just played their socks off. After the show I
heard a few people complaining about the sound quality, but I didn’t
notice any of this, maybe because I was to enthralled by the spectacle
that was Velvet Revolver.
