May 19, 2004 - Chicago, IL - The Riviera

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General Information

Date: May 19, 2004
Location: Chicago, IL
Venue: The Riviera; 4746 N. Racine; Chicago, IL 60640 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (773) 275-6800
Additional Info: Support Act: Silvertide

Set List

• Sucker Train Blues
• Do It for the Kids
• Headspace
• Crackerman
• Illegal I
• It's So Easy
• Fall To Pieces
• Big Machine
• Set Me Free
• Used to Love Her
• Slither
• Sex Type Thing
• Mr. Brownstone
• Negative Creep

Reviews (18) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Chicago show ]

Thanks to Yoko: Oh..... My...... God...... Becky, look at that crowd!!! I like big crowds and I cannot lie....... Sorry. Yeah, so we're back. Chicago is a very cool town; shopping and restaurants for days and more character than any other city in America, sans New York. It's reminiscent of the days of Teamsters and Wiseguys and that's all I'm gonna say about that, 'cause you never know who's reading this. The shows are more insane every night! Kinda like a wet dream, it just keeps getting better. We had some serious circus-type action going on, as Scott climbed to the top of the balcony and leaped into the crowd... megaphone and all! These shows are so much more than just music, they are a true rock experience, the kind that pop-punk powder-puff mall-rock bands just simply cannot deliver. Welcome to rock, cub-scouts.

Thanks to Constable Johnstable: I know it's late to be writing this review being October and all but I'm still feeling the effects of this show. It was the greatest concert I had ever been to. I started out with about 10 rows of people in front of me and I fought all night to get closer to the stage. I could barely hear a thing because the speakers were like 15 feet away from me on each side. Finally after being smashed elbowed and even kicked in the face, I got to the very front right as they started that recognizable drum intro to the greatest song of earth, Mr. Brownstone. It was just like fuck yeah!!! I was dead center in the front row hanging on to the rail to keep my place. Duff came over right in front of me and I was able to reach up and touch his bass. Then Slash came over to do some kick ass soloing I was able to touch his leg. There was so much energy in that place. Finally at the end of the concert, Matt Sorum come walking across the stage and threw a drumstick and was about to hand another one of to someone else in the front row. I threw my hands up and acted like I was drumming and he looked at me and handed his drumstick to me. It was so fucking awesome. Hopefully I'm gonna see them again in November cause they seriously fuckin rock. Rock on Velvet Revolver!!!!

Thanks to MrZinc: Best show ever. I've seen alot of good shows recently, but this was the best ever. The band exceeded my expectations in every way. The only negative thing I cam think of was the fact that security wouldn't let me smoke pot, after I lit a joint, they were on me like hounds, thankfully they didn't kick me out though. After the show I waited in the mechandise line for like a half hour, they only had one table, with two people working it... I have never seen so many people buying t-shirts at any show I have ever been to. After I comped my shirts I went out to the car and grabbed my Appetite for Destruction vynil with the RAPE cover to get it signed, then I headed for the tour busses. The busses were down on W Lawerence ave aboout a block down from the venue. I hung out there and talked with a few other diehard GNR fans for about and hour until Matt Sorum came out. I got a chance to talk to the "greatest drummer in the world".. after I got an autograph I told him that "You could be mine, best drum performance ever!" he kinda smiled and said thanks, thought about it for a sec and said "thanks" again with a lot of sincerity.. Matt also pointed out to me (I was wearing a "charlie don't surf" Tshirt) that "Axl used to wear that shirt" I just smiled and nodded. I was suprised that he would even mention Axl. Next comes Scott, he was surrounded by his bodyguards or whatever and wasn't signing autographs, he almost looked kinda sad. It seemed like everyone was in awe of his presence as he walked by, the group of fans was silent until Scott was a few feet from me, and I kinda shouted "you're awesome, man" (it just came out)and then everyone stated shouting stuff "We love you Scott" ect. A few minutes later some dude pushes all the fans outta the way shouting "Rolling Stone Magizine coming through". I figured it was bullshit until I recently saw pics of the Chicago show on the Rolling Stone website. So what I have speculated, is that this "last interview" that Scott is giving to the press (Rolling Stone) was given in Chicago on the tour bus as I was standing outside. That kinda makes up for the fact that I didn't get an autograph.
Dave came out later, I had him sign my ticket stub... first I didn't have a marker, so I was asking another fan to let me use his, like "come on man, hurry up this is Dave Kushner" Dave thought it was funny, I told him to let Scott know that all of the fans wish him the best.

Finally, a huge pack of screaming girls and misc fans come running behind Duff as he is walking up to the bus, he stopped before getting on the bus to sign autographs, with a huge smile on his face, looking like a true rock star.. He signed my RAPE vynil.. hell yeah!...lastly by definetly not leastly, Slash come down the street with 100s of fans trying to get signatures on their guitar pick guards, ect. Slash's bodyguad was an asshole telling us to "get out of the way", "Slash didnt have time to sign", "none of this shit better end up on ebay"... but Slash was totally cool, stopped to sign a lot of shit, I was one of the first signatures he gave because I had been standing in front of the bus for and hour, not like the 100s of idiots waiting outside the club. I had him sign my AFD RAPE vynil as well, he signed Slash 2k4, which I thought was pretty cool, seeing as how that album came out around the time I was born, and 2k4 is the year I graduate high school... the year Contraband comes out, the year I saw and met Velvet Revolver... Can't wait until JUNE 8

Thanks to Kyle: Best concert I've ever been to. I've been to Aerosmith with their many albums, but Velvet Revolver tops even the great classics. Slash is a god. Scott Weiland jumped off the balcony for crying out loud. During Sex Type Thing I couldn't breath, everybody was taking so much air from moshing. I was drenched in sweat from the mosh pits. Nothing will ever top this concert. Rock on Velvet Revolver

Thanks to Jeff from Chicago Sun-Times: It's been a long, cold decade for Guns N' Roses fans. Maybe because the GNR train wrecked so dismally, demand for some form -- any form -- of Guns-related material remains huge. Heck, Axl Rose packed the Allstate Arena in 2002 for a disastrous "comeback" tour with a no-name cast of jokers that could barely stay on the same beat for two hours.

Rose still owns the band's name, but his long-rumored "Chinese Democracy" record has become generally accepted as fiction and though the remaining ex-members have materialized occasionally, none has managed to stick for more than a few albums (with all due respect to Slash's Snakepit and Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds).

All of which is why voracious fans gobbled up tickets for this sold-out Chicago debut by Velvet Revolver. The original GNR's corpse remains Ted Williams-cold (though its recently released "Greatest Hits" remains in the Billboard Top 20), but this hard-rock supergroup is the most promising Guns offshoot to come down the boulevard since Rose canned everybody. A full three-fifths of Velvet Revolver is composed of GNR outcasts: guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum. The remaining members are guitarist Dave Kushner and ex-Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, possibly the only man on the planet with a less reliable datebook than Axl's.

That's a lot of old-school rock energy and a whole lot of old-school rock baggage. But in the fourth show on their coming-out tour, the members of Velvet Revolver showed, over 90 sweaty minutes, that while they didn't necessarily bring much new to the table, they certainly remembered what made them a huge attraction in the first place. What the group lacked in subtlety and innovation, it made up for -- loudly -- with incendiary guitars and locomotive grooves, all of which added up to a sweltering performance successfully designed to be a welcome throwback to the days before rock 'n' roll was invaded by clowns like Nickelback.

Not surprisingly, Velvet Revolver sounds exactly like what would happen if one melded parts of Guns with parts of Stone Temple Pilots. Liberated from Rose's penchant for bombastic excess, Velvet Revolver has a sound that's still grounded in Slash's trademark riffs, but grittier and more efficient. Tracks like "Set Me Free" and "Slither" were meaty rockers almost nostalgically simple in their compositions, but also Slash-powered dirty bombs that splashed into the crowd with full force. Behind the guitarist, McKagan and Sorum retain an automatic chemistry and held down songs like the roaring "Do It for the Kids" and "Headspace." New single "Fall to Pieces" has a descending riff straight out of "Sweet Child o' Mine," but had enough of a groove to avoid sheer power balladry.

For his part and despite his well-documented drug troubles, the fit-looking Weiland pushed his Bowie/Iggy Pop frontman drive to its breaking point, writhing and wriggling like a man born without bones and even indulging himself in a theatrical, golden-god leap from one of the Riv's balconies during a roaring take on STP's"Sex Type Thing."

Smartly and since their debut"Contraband" isn't set to drop until June 8, Velvet Revolver loaded its set with crowd-igniting nuggets from its respective pasts. Weiland aired out "Sex Type Thing" and "Crackerman" from STP's grunge incarnation, and from the Guns catalog, there was a ravaging "It's So Easy," a choogling "Mr. Brownstone" (a winking self-referential choice for Weiland) and a bounding reading of "Used to Love Her," the acoustic, murder-themed ditty that probably sounded more controversial in 1988. (The song led into a chant of "F--- Axl Rose!" from the pit, which Slash defused with more than just a little patience: "Was that entirely necessary?" On a scale of things you're likely to see in Chicago this year, Slash serving as the calm voice of reason ranks with Sammy Sosa sneezing his back out).

Weiland and band closed the show with a cover of Nirvana's "Negative Creep," an appropriately jagged selection that ended up being mostly a mess. But more than end the show, it made a great closing argument: These guys know messes, they're familiar with messes, and they clearly remain skilled at turning messes into searing rock.

Thanks to Mark Guarino from Daily Herald: Velvet Revolver sold out their Wednesday night show at the Riviera, benefiting from their past, not their present (a debut album remains unreleased until June 8). The christening of the new band comes from the ashes of two hard rock veterans -- Guns n' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots.

Both bands are by now memories but remain emblematic of rock's most basic strain -- bare-chested passion coupled with speed guitar glory.

That was front and center throughout the band's 14-song, 75-minute show. Velvet Revolver connected with their past but, unlike the aborted Guns n' Roses tour patched together by former frontman Axl Rose two years ago, it was not tainted by unintentionally parodying a glorified past. And no sports jerseys hiding any tubby waistlines either.

Credit is mainly due to former STP singer Scott Weiland, a top-shelf rock showman in league with otherworldly frontmen like Freddie Mercury, David Johansen and Iggy Pop.

Since his days with STP, Weiland has been a headline mainstay in his battle with narcotics addiction. Wednesday's show was a reliable reminder of his potency live.

Wielding a megaphone and dressed like a police officer off duty from the Village People, Weiland shimmied, slinked, squatted, did the splits and scaled the Riviera's balcony before later plunging back into the crowd. His nearly overpowering androgyny and vocal catapulting kept the momentum bracing from start to finish.

The refugee Guns -- guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum (with new guitarist Dave Kushner) --were headstrong foils. McKagan provided the high-sleaze harmonies ("Sucker Train Blues") while Slash stood immovable, his head bowed as he fired off solos that were direct, expressive but -- except for a lame stint talking through his guitar using a vocoder -- never excessive.

While there were nods to their past -- STP's "Sex Type Thing" and GNR's "Used to Love Her" and "Mr. Brownstone" -- the majority of the set was dedicated to "Contraband" (RCA), the band's forthcoming debut.

Did the songs match their glory days? Just halfway. There weren't as many hooks to the new songs and "Fall to Pieces" sounded like a power ballad dusted off from 1986.

But the band surpassed even the weakest material with the delivery.

Nirvana figured into both bands -- ending the Guns reign and opening the door of STP. So it was particularly apt that the band chose an early Nirvana obscurity, "Negative Creep," as a show closer. It became a speed punk workout for the band that ended when Weiland collapsed on the floor, crawling to acknowledge the crowd but never getting back up.

One of the best songs was "Big Machine," sinister-sounding pop metal with a booming chorus.

Thanks to Jeff G: Best Band Ever!! This show was one of the best I have ever seen and will probably be the concert of the year. Velvet Revolver was fantastic. Scott jumped from the balcony onto the crowd. The fucking balcony!!!!! How wild is that. They covered some STP and GNR songs. 'Mr Brownstone' (a personal fav) 'It's so easy', 'Used to love Her', 'Crackerman' and 'Sex Type Thing'. They played 'Set Me Free' and 'Slither' too. Scott looked fantastic and moved like he was ten years younger. And guess what? Go ahead and guess... Slash brought out his top hat. The fucking hat. But possibly the highlight of the show was the closing number, 'Negitave Creep' by Nirvana. Not many people knew the song, but one of the best covers of Nirvana ever. Only Cobain himself could of done better, and that is no exaggeration. If you are not going to see Velvet Revolver in concert, I pity you. One of the best live bands in the history of Rock N' Roll.

Thanks to Unsearching: The Chicago sound system was much better than St. Louis, but the stage wasn't as visible at the Riviera as it was at the Pageant. I could barely hear through the distortion at St. Louis through the first 4 songs - so I was stoked to experience the improvement in Chicago and Weiland let everyone know the names of the songs in Chicago - keeping us up-to-speed.

The band rocks. I wish they would have played a little longer, though - maybe some more GNR or STP covers, or even a jam song. Or even some more covers from Nirvana or some other band ... PJ, SG, or AIC, perhaps.


I heard one dude in the bathroom at st. louis note, 'he ain't no Axl.' The best response was, 'Axl who?'. Too bad Rose can't get his gig rolling to match Velvet Revolver's progress ... it would be nice to have at least 2 rock bands out there.

Silvertide (opening band) was decent in St. Louis, but embarassing in Chicago. The crowd was yelling at them to get off the stage in the portion of the room I was in - making for a pretty entertaining scene. I guess if you have to tell the crowd how to sing to your music, you're just not quite there yet.

Bottom line: if Velvet Revolver can keep it together, they will be selling out stadiums in no time. It's awesome to see Slash and Duff back on stage.

Peace out.

Thanks to Joseph: The show was awesome! The boyz were in top form and Weiland was the Whirling Dervish I've come to expect! I've seen STP 7 times and Talk Show once. Obviously, Velvet Revolver kicked Talk Show's ass and was better than at least 3 of the 7 STP shows that I saw.

Slash's solos were a welcome change to non-soloing, rap-rock, nu-metal BS that's going on right now. And I love the fact that they took time to jam out on and expand their songs. A real, true band that trusts each other and improvises on stage, a kind of jazz/blues vibe happening. One thing that was crazy was the Judas Priest-ish, 80's Metal/Glam vibe that was happening. I've never heard melodies, like those of the Velvet Revolver songs, from Weiland before. An interesting change, that I'm anxiously awaiting to hear more of, on their CD.

The covers were awesome, although I was completely unversed in my GNR. But, I did sing along to the STP covers and 'Negative Creep'. The 'Negative Creep' cover was a lot more full and louder than the Bleach version, and it was invigorating to see Scott go completely ape/mental at the end.

Great fucking band, great fucking concert!

Thanks to Rezner: Velvet Revolver's concert in Chicago last night was one hell of a smash show. From the firt song to the last I felt like I was Mad Max driving down that crazy dark highway in his Mack truck, stopping at nothing that got in the way. Now that I'm back in reality all I can do is look back and just say wow! When can we do it again? Scott Weiland leaping from the balcony during his STP song "Sex Type Thing" was great and got the crowd going another 110%. I hope that they can keep things alive and return next year for another great bash!

Thanks to Sean Lewis: This show fucking rocked. It started with a great opening band Silvertide, the singer had so much energy and the guitarist was fuckin crazy. Once they got off, we waited for about an hour before Revolver to come out the crowd went crazy. My friends and I are in a band and all idolize these musicians. It was so awesome to finally see them live. I was in the front row, hoping I would somehow get on stage, yeah fuck right. My band covers 'Mr. Brownstone' and when they played it I went nutz. Our rhythm guitarist got one of Sorums drumsticks. I almost got Slashes pick. The crowd was insane, being the little drummer I am I thought I was going to get trampled multiple times. This show was fucking insane.

Thanks to ScottyH: "Does Chicago like rock n' roll?" Weiland screamed as he leaned over the audience. "I didn't ask if you liked rock...I asked if you like motherfuckin' rock n' roll?!" he screamed again staring intently into the crowd. This was a fucking rock n' roll show, raw and pure. Weiland was on the top of his game from the start, immediately going into 'Sucker Train Blues.' It amazed me how much the audience was into the song despite most not knowing the words. That's just how electric Velvet Revolver was when they stepped on stage. Their chemistry was amazing, as they seemed to be feeding off one another. In the electric 'Do it for the kids' the crowd was able to see the chemistry full force. After an amazing opening for the song (which IMO, was the biggest crowd pleaser of any of the "unknowns") Scott and Slash went back to back; Slash playing the guitar, Scott belting out vocals...it was surreal. The concert continued on with 'Headspace', another harder song. Unfortunately, most of the lyrics on this tune were muddled, but the hook was catchy and kept the crowd going crazy. From here the band went into Crackerman, which being the only familiar song thus far really got the crowd going. The band did an amazing job with the STP and GNR tunes. Sex Type Thing and Mr. Brownstone by far got the most reaction out of the crowd of these tunes. Their strength still was in the original tunes. 'Set Me Free' sounded essentially the same as the song we have been hearing for the better part of a year, but it was extended by some great guitar and bass work by Kushner, Slash, and Duff. 'Slither' was the creme de la creme of the original's. It is an amazing sound to hear when the audience knows every word to a song. Weiland worked this with the audience very well. The two songs that stood out to me were 'Fall to Pieces' and 'Big Machine', as well as 'Do it for the Kids'. 'Do it for the Kids' is going to turn into a cult hit, though I really can't see it having life as a single. 'Fall to Pieces' and 'Big Machine' on the other hand are going to be huge for Velvet Revolver. I can't imagine these songs not being successful. 'Fall to Pieces' is immediately catchy and it's meaning stands out even more. 'Big Machine' is just a song where you can't help but thrash your head. "We're all slaves to the big machine!" If it wasn't for some sound problems, which the Riviera sadly has alot of, this would have been a near perfect show. The openers, Silvertide, were a very Black Crowe's esque band. I think alot of you will fall in love with their lead guitarist right away, he's pretty fucking cool.

Weiland looked healthy. He looked like he did circa 'Sour Girl' video, which is good for him even though he still is a tad on the skinny side. He looks nothing like he did in the Slither video. Slash was amazing. Him and Weiland have alot of chemistry together. His solos were right on target, every fucking time. He even addressed the audience a few times, which was fucking cool. "I don't say things too much, but you guys have been fucking amazing." Duff has got to be the most prevalant bass player I have ever witnessed. Every other show I've been to, the bass player usually hides in the back. Duff would take Scott's place on the platform stage center whenever Weiland vanquished the spot. His vocals add a lot to some of the songs, namely Big Machine. Dave does add a huge element to Velvet Revolver. It was cool to see him moving around the stage like crazy after the first few songs...from left to right back to the left. He adds alot of flavor, through distortion and rhythm, to alot of the songs that is evident just by hearing it live.

Matt was killer on the drums. He attacks that set like it's meant to be attacked.

Thanks to Bob Gendron, Special to the Tribune from Chicago Tribune: As the lights at the sold-out Riviera dimmed, the roar of the crowd gave it away: Wednesday night's Velvet Revolver concert was the kind of eagerly anticipated musical event that comes around every few years. Even rarer, the spectacle almost lived up to the hype.

Every generation needs its own charismatic characters and rock gods. During the late '80s and early '90s, no artist met this criteria better than Guns N' Roses. Three of the act's former members-guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum-have finally regrouped, armed with a handpicked frontman who is capable of keeping up with and feeding their gut-punching blues-rock beast.

In the surface, it appears that the ex-Gunners left behind one problematic vocalist only to gain another in the heroin-addled Scott Weiland. Recent news of Weiland's therapy and rants against journalists have overshadowed anything he ever did with alt-rock clones Stone Temple Pilots and his court appearances initially threatened to postpone his new ensemble's current club tour.

But any concerns over prima-donna attitude or grandiose posturing were squashed by a quintet whose hunger and chemistry were irrefutable. Slash and McKagan rekindled some of the guitar-based swagger and sensuality that died off with Nirvana's ascension. Rhythm guitarist Dave Kushner's throttling riffs sparked a push-pull tension around which Slash wrapped soulful fills and corkscrew solos.

The trademark sight of a tophatted Slash hunched over a Les Paul Goldtop brought to mind the gritty charm that originally attracted people to Guns N' Roses. Velvet Revolver lacked the latter's dramatic sensitivity, sleazy hooks and irrepressible rage, but compensated with harder-charging rhythms, bruising percussion and pinwheeling tempos.

Much to the audience's delight, the band resurrected three GNR classics and cranked out STP's "Sex Type Thing," which prompted Weiland to climb up to the venue's elevated box seats and dive into the crowd. As he pranced about, his voice occasionally failed to cut through the band's blustery sound and he relied on his megaphone one too many times.

Rather than simply revisit past glories, Velvet Revolver used the 80-minute show to establish its own identity and blast through eight songs from its forthcoming debut CD. The band's energy and muscularity rang true, particularly on "Slither" and "Headspace."

While not entirely original, Velvet Revolver's unabashed bare-bones rock was refreshing in that it didn't aspire to be anything else. Along with the members' pedigrees, that honest approach is the band's greatest asset.

Thanks to Velvet RevolverMania: This show absoultely blew my mind. This was my first club show and I must say it was incredible. Velvet Revolver just took control. They opened with Sucker Train Blues and it was awesome. The Riv was a nice place to hold this at. The sound was incredible. My ears are still ringing this morning. Every song they played sounded different and amazing. The cd should be amazing. Slither, Set Me Free and Sex Type Thing, I personally think stole the show. The extended versions of all 3 of these songs were well done. I can't wait to see them again. Velvet Revolver Mania has begun.

Thanks to Nitrayn: Wow! What a cool fuckin show, I just witnessed. Let's see...

The Venue: this was my first trip to The Rivera Theatre. It was relatively small maybe 2500 people. I arrived early and got my spot, which to me, was the best in the house. We coulda been like 3-4 rows back from the stage, but opted to go on the step up level, and lean on the rail. We were in the corner, to the left of the stage(band's right)

The Band:

Scott - He was a great stage presence. He was dressed in a cop hat, a shirt with a tie to start, and like all the mmebers but Dave, wound up shirtless. He has alot of charisma and commanded attention. The bad part was he looked like the sickly years of Freddie Mercury, pale and skinny as fuck

Slash - Definetly IMO, this dude defines what a cool rock star is. He started in a sleeveless baggy Adidas shirt. The top hat got busted out for the encore. He still looks 25.

Duff - His hair is grown back to GNR days. He looked pretty ripped, and looks tall live. I did see him drinkin a beer..which I thought he couldn't cuz of his pancreas?

Matt - like Slash and Duff, he still looks youthful. He threw a drumstick at the end and I missed it by inches.

Dave - He looks like The Edge.

The Songs:

Sucker Train Blues - Ok, I know the name from a partial MP3 they had from download. It has a cool guitar intro, and as would go onto be the theme of the night, was a heavy fuckin tune. Scott's vocals were sorta low in a relatively bass heavy mix. He busted out the mega phone regularly.

Do it for the kids - Scott after a Mother Fucker for his first crowd adress into'd this second song. Once again, very heavy with a thick ass groove. It has a cool hook were Scott goes acopella.

Headspace - I'm pretty sure this was the 3rd song. To repeat myself it was heavy. One thing with Scott, he seems to repeat his choruses a lot in songs, he did in STP also, which another theme of the night

Crackerman - STP cover, got the already pumped up crowd into a bigger frenzy.

unkown name - I can't remember what they played next, they rarely said the name of the tunes before playing them.

It's So Easy - The place went fucking crazy. The room temp jumped at least 5 degrees from the body heat. I was so proud of my spot, cause we had a awesome view, without being pushed and rubbed against. Slash fuckin ripped it up with the solo. The whole crowd nailed the "fuck off".

Fall To Pieces - This is the only real ballad they have(original). It is a pretty cool song. Starts with a nice guitar piece, with Scott singing low and then puts alot of balls into the vocals. The music picks up and gets once again pretty heavy. It had a great Slash solo in it. I caught the name cuz of the chorus going "everytime I fall/I fall to pieces".

Big Machine - This is a cool song. Duff does alot of vocal work in this.

Set Me Free - Probably the second biggest crowd respose(to this point). It had been a while since I listened to it, but it does jam live. They played a longer version, stopped and started the end a few times, and left for the first time.

Encore 1:

Used To Love Her - Slash came back out, and spoke for a second, thanking us for the great response we gave the band and went into the song. It was a great rendition. A total sing along. After the song, a small "Axl Sucks" chant broke out on the side where Slash was at. He laughed and said into the mic "is that entirely neccesary" with emphasis on entirely. It was a great moment. Scott mentioned they were all about peace, love and Rock N Roll.

Slither - This song flat out fuckin rocks. It took 2-3 listens to grow on me, but I love it now. It is even better live, got the crowd whipped into possibly the biggest frenzy of the night

Sex Type Thing. Scott climbed into the balony for the end, and stage dived from it. Another great rendition.

Encore 2:

Mr Brownstone - Matt came out and started the intro. This was my fav of the night, they nailed the song.

Negative Creep - I don't care for the song, but it was OK, Sex Type Thing was a better closer IMO.

Overall, this was a kick ass show. I am going to apologize to this band, namely the GNR members, for not having total faith in the product they would put out. I backed Axl all a long, even long past I shoulda lost hope. These 5 guys are doing it right. The songs all sounded like they had potential. New music is hard to judge for the first time live, but there were parts I could tell are gonna be great on record. Dave don't get alot of publicity, but he lays down some nice very thick rhythm parts and meshed well with Matt and Duff. I think the 3 of them definetly give this band the signature sound that seperates it from whats out there. Scott brings great(albiet repetetive) melodies and Slash is Slash. There wasn't much between song chatter, other than the usual gettin the crowd fired up stuff. Duff spoke briefly introing Slash for a solo. The only thing that would have made it any better was to replace Negative Creep with either Money or some other cover.

Biggest Crowd pops:
1. Slither
2. It's So Easy
3. When They Started playin
4. Brownstone
5. Sex Type Thing

New song with most potential(from what I took in):
1. Big Machine
2. Fall To Pieces
3. Do It For The Kids

Thanks to Ramiz: The concert started out with high intensity. Everyone was ready for the show to start after a couple teasers and an hour wait between them and Silvertide. Sucker Train Blues was the best new song that I hadn't heard yet. Set Me Free and Slither were much better than the radio versions. The STP covers were better than when I had seen STP. As far as the GNR covers, only It's So Easy was really good while the others lacked Axl's range. Scott Weiland like always refused to put down that megaphone. Negative Creep was the worst way to end a great show. He held down on the siren button and took away from the epic instrumentals. Dave Kushner was jumping around and keeping up with Slash (who was definitely in touring shape). Matt was on like always and Duff still had it. I was extremely disappointed with Fall to Pieces and Big Machine. There were two encores which I hadn't seen before at a show. Also, Scott was insane like usual and at one point climbed the balcony and jumped into the crowd of cheering fans. Overall great show and a must see.

Thanks to John Comerford: The Riviera in Chicago was the perfect intimate venue for this band full of honest-to-God rockstars. I had probably the best seat in the house by way of visibility and sound quality. I positioned myself at the apex of the center staircase, directly in front of Weiland on stage, but about 3 feet to the right of the soundboard. What this means is more or less, my visibility was uninhibited and the sound quality was as perfect as it could get as you are hearing the sound as the soundboard operator hears it (and the visibility thing was helped by the fact that people stay out of your way when you have a CPD Bomb Squad shirt on).

Being a veteran of several STP shows, I have to say that Weiland was in top form in his performance. He writhed around on stage doing "the Scott Weiland" and egging the crowd on while still hitting his notes without flinching once. I was duly impressed, and the showmanship was highlighted when Scott climbed the Riviera balcony to raise his arms in command to the audience for screams, epitomized by an unannounced leap of faith into the crowd. The set list was generally the same as previous shows on this tour, but we were graced by one hell of a guitar solo from Slash; which he gave after announcing that it would only be for Chicago and that they haven't done the guitar work at other venues on the tour. According to the guitar guru we were given this because "Chicago is a rockin' fuckin' crowd". Apparently for this show there were some backstage giveaways. A fan behind me on the stairs and his smokin hot blonde girl showed us their signed Velvet Revolver poster which they acquired behind the scenes after winning a local contest for back stage passes.

I made an attempt to get a set list from the sound board tech, but was denied because apparently the list he had also had all of his concert notes on it. I mentioned to him that previous reviewers were discouraged by the fact that Weiland and Slash were drowned out and he replied by stating "heh, yeah, you tell Duff to turn his bass down and see what happens...". In all honesty though, from my perspective the sound was top notch, and for the greater majority of the time was completely comprehensible.

The venue was receptive to the new Velvet Revolver material and the extended intro to Slither really built anticipation for the totally powerful sing along that followed. Fall To Pieces was a great ballad and it was nice to hear a song that really played into Scott's live vocal power. The room quaked with Set Me Free, but really erupted with Sex Type Thing. The crowd was into the show and it felt like the band not only gelled together, but with the audience tonight as well.

The Chicago crowd seemed to represent a good mix of GNR and STP fans, and was duly satisfied with not only songs like Sex Type Thing, but Mr. Brownstone as well. Ultimately though, as classic as the songs of yesterday are, it seems that with shows like the Chicago Riviera, these honest-to-God rockstars are creating immediate modern classics from Contraband today. Velvet Revolver, if you are reading, thanks for a seriously kick ass Rock and Roll show.

Thanks to Plushman: This show was nothing short of amazing. Silvertide played from 7-7:36 and Velvet Revolver didn't go on till 8:30. The band opened with a bang in Sucker Train Blues. Incredible movement and energy from everyone in the band (thank god for the wireless plugs). Scott talked about how he how loved chicago, used to go to strip clubs here, but his wife is the only stripper he needs (Fall To Pieces). After Used To Love Her, the crowd began a chant fuck Axl Rose, fuck Axl Rose(Slash asked if that was necessary, the crowd said yes). I bet that made Scott feel like a million bucks. During Sex Type Thing, Scott climbed up a side balcony and directed the crowd to clap, cheer, and then shhhhh. After the 6th or so here I come I come I come, he leaps off the balcony into the crowd. So cool!!! The songs were all solid, and Fall to Pieces is sure to be a hit. Crowd responded best to It's So Easy, Crackerman, Slither, Set Me Free and Sex Type Thing. Fuck every show was jumping. Slash was on all night, same with Matt, Duff and Dave. This was the fourth time I've seen Scott live and he just keeps fucking going. Great show!!