May 29, 2004 - Boston, MA - Avalon Nightclub

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General Information

Date: May 29, 2004
Location: Boston, MA
Venue: Avalon Nightclub; 15 Lansdowne Street; Boston, MA 02215 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (617) 262-2424
Additional Info: Doors at 6:00PM; This is an 18+ show Support Act: Living Things

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 (15) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Boston show ]

Thanks to Zoilo: All I can say about this show is wow!! After finding out that Velvet Revolver was gonna be in Boston, I knew that this was something I couldn't miss. Me and my friend traveled almost 4 hours from New York and waited on line for alomst an hour. Nevertheless it was all worth it.The place was packed and the opening band Living Things, which I thought was great, warmed things up. Velvet Revolver's energy is unbelievable! The power and chemistry that these guys have on stage is pure awesome! Half the time I didn't know what Scott was saying! But it didn't even matter and seeing Slash, Duff, Dave and Scott from so close was surreal, Velvet Revolver fucking rocked!!! This show really made a fan out of me. I will never forget it. I can't wait to see Velvet Revolver again. Long live Velvet Revolver.

Thanks to Alter Ego: I grew up a huge STP & GNR fan. My appetite for Axl slowly faded as I watched him treat every band mate like shit. Scott Weiland is a breath of fresh air...not only for the ex gunners but for the fans as well. Scott Weiland may be dealing with his own problems but he managed to pump out how many albums over the past 15 yrs....the guy writes new material probably ever hour and puts his f'''ing heart and soul into every show. Here's to you Scott...you rock my friend!

I've gone to Boston, MA, Las Vegas, NV and NJ. Each show gets better and better but also more crowded. I have to say Avalon in Boston was the best b/c it was one of their small shows, I actually was front row center stage. I think only 800 people can fit in the club. This small venue set the stage for some powerful shit. I've seen Scott perform with STP at huge venues but this was totally different. Slash, Duff, Matt and Dave are the perfect compliments to him. These guys are growing together at every performance. See you in Worcester, MA.

Thanks to Seamus: This is the best show I've ever seen or heard period. My girlfriend and I were sitting in front of Fenway munching on a sausage and I look up and see Duff. I thought to myself, there is no way. I could see someone walking with him and I couldn't see him. He was shorter but man I got excited. I thought it was Slash. It was actually Dave but man I was so happy to meet them. I jumped up and yelled Duff! My girlfriend in a confused state with a mouthful of food jumped up too. I gave him a high 5 and he was totally cool, very easy to talk to. We waited in line and finally got in and watched the first band, pretty good, then waited over an hour for Velvet Revolver to hit the stage. They did and it was chaos. Best show I've ever seen and I've been to a lotta shows. At one point Slash threw out his towel and it got caught on a wire on the ceiling. After the show I threw my sweatshirt at it and knocked it down. I almost had to fight a guy to keep it but my girlfriend assisted and got it back. Overall, awesome awesome awesome show!! Can't wait to see them again!!

Thanks to Kevin Long: "We're a Rock n' Roll band". Scott Weiland's explanation of the Velvet Revolver experiment. I can't imagine a better one.

As a kid I struggled rather fiercely with religion and in turn, sublimation has come through art. My gods are artists, the writers, painters, musicians, and creators who show us what it means to be alive. I admit that I am too young to have ever seen Guns N' Roses before, too lazy to ever catch Stone Temple Pilots on stage and too ignorant to know much of anything about Suicidal Tendencies or Infectious Grooves. I have spent many years listening with volume turned up. I've watched videos and performances on television with youthful fascination. I've read the occasional article with peaked curiosity. I met the sum of all this when representatives of each band showed up as messengers, as artists, as gods to play together for me. And for all the new songs I don't know yet and the old ones I know backwards, it was absolutely beautiful. And it worked.

My friend Andy has presented the theory that Axl Rose should have to serve any jail time incurred by Scott, and I feel strongly about this. Axl only wins in the past tense now. He strikes me as similar to a great athlete who comes out of retirement after his time is up and replaces memories of his glory with images of his decline. And I'll tell you cause I now know, these members of Velvet Revolver can still play at the top of their game. On May 29th I stood there before the big names at a small club with a couple friends and a few beers and watched it all converge into a pure form of 'fuck yeah'one of those experiences you can't repeat or replace, you can only hope to match.

Axl was absent, and no one noticed. In my near twenty-four years, I have learned that there are few things better than Scott's energy, Duff's smile, or Slash's hat (or for that matter, that thing he does with his guitar where everything that comes out of it is amazing). This is what I live for.

For this new band and their new album. For Sex Type Thing, Negative Creep (so glad they play this song). For Used to Love Her and It's So Easy. For Mr. FUCKING Brownstone.

Let me tell you - I never imagined I'd see a day where Scott Weiland and Slash were leaning against each other doing what they do best at the top of their game. Now I'll never forget it. Religious people can have their certainties. Politicians can have their wars. I'll have my Velvet Revolver. I'll have my Rock n' Roll.

Thanks to Devon: Absolutely amazing show. This was the best club show that I have ever been too. The energy was amazing and even though I left with a ton of bruises and stuff, it was well worth getting up front. My friend Katie and I met up with this girl Diandra when we were in line, who already left a review on this page, and we kind hung out with her the whole night, it was cool :-D The show was awesome, of course I really liked their new stuff, but 'Sex Type Thing' and 'Mr. Brownstone' were wicked awesome. I was also surprised by how good their cover of 'Negative Creep' was, it's an awesome live song. After the show I asked Duff why they did that song and he said because it's fun to play. I asked Matt, too and he said that Scott wanted to do it. When the show got out we got pushed around by some jerk off bouncers, but we met up with a guy I know who books bands, so we still went to the aftershow deal at Axis, the small club next door. We got to chat with all of the guys and ask them questions and take pictures and stuff, it was great. The only person we didn't really get to meet was Scott because we only walked over to him briefly and then he kind of ran out of there. He made like a brief, low-profile appearance, you know, standing in the corner with his hat pulled over his face kind of deal. We also met a ton of old burnout avalon-regulars and staff who were the coolest :) I had the band (-Scott) sign my shiney silver pants :-D everyone was really nice and Dave helped us out by letting us bypass the bouncer to talk to everyone else. I'm still getting over how great the show and the whole night was. Even if we hadn't gone and met the band and stuff, it still would have been the best club show I have ever been too.

The only thing that wasn't so great is that the opening band went on at 7:00 and played a half hour set, and then Velvet Revolver didn't come on until 9. I couldn't hear the openers too well, I will have to listen to their recordings before I decide if I really like them. They had an interesting sound but they are definite Ramones-followers, and they all looked about 15 years old, hahaha. They should pull their hair back though, they have nice features.

Thanks to Bill Walls: Awesome show! Caught the towel Scott used (ended up with half a towel). 'Sex Type Thing' rocked. Took pictures but lost camera when approached by security (thought I handed to my friend but he never got it) so if anybody found my kodak please send me dupes!!

Thanks to Adam: I made the trip to Boston with a friend, all the way from Miami, to watch an actual rock band tear the roof off. Although I have always been a fan of both bands, I was not fortunate to see Guns n' Roses. This new "super" creation of personalities, called Velvet Revolver will definitely bring the edge back into the banal existence of rock music.

Back to Guns n' Roses: This has been my favorite band since I was 11, so when the band hit the stage, I totally flipped!!!! Seeing the band was really special for me, especially when Scott did a great job of performing the GnR hits. Nonetheless, the new stuff also blew me away. I can't wait to get the album and hope radio stations begin to play Velvet Revolver more and more.

The worse part of the event was the crowd in Boston. I expected absolute mayham and the crowd did not show much emotion. Who cares if your Red Sox lost that day??? Get over it!! I was disappointed with the crowd but rockin out to the GnR and STP classics, along with the fresh Velvet Revolver material was enough to make an otherwise mundane trip to Boston, a trip of a lifetime.

I would like to give a special thanks to Duff for signing my shirt after the show. Unfortunately, I did not get to meet Slash and the rest of the guys, but Duff was fan-friendly and willing to hang with us.

Finally, I hope the very best for Velvet f'n Revolver (hahaha) and hope they continue to change the landscape of rock music. Thanks for a great show. Hey, even at 27, you can still be star-struck!!! See you in Miami!!! Hopefully sooner than later!!!!

Thanks to Jonah: Well I traveled over a 1000 miles to get to the show and a 1000 back and it was worth every single minute. I got in line around 1 and was the second in line. While I was standing there Duff and Dave showed up and a few people rushed over and got autographs, everyone went to Duff and left Dave alone so I went over to Dave and got him to sign my ticket (I forgot to bring anything). They only stayed for a minute there were only like 10 people at this time, they went across the road to Fenway and went to the Red Sox game. So back in line around 5 o'clock Slash and Matt showed up but I didn't want to give up my spot so I didn't get to talk to them. When we got into the venue I walked in and when the door man ripped my ticket he took half of Dave's signature....bastard....but I went to the front of the stage on the right, so I could see my man Slash. Living Things were the opening act and weren't half bad, they kinda reminded me of The Ramones. After they went off we waited for about 75 minutes for Velvet Revolver. Then the lights went out and everyone went nuts. They came on and fucking rocked. Slash climbed the amp that was right in front of me 4 or 5 times threw the night. The place was very into the music, Scott was drowned out by Slash's wailing guitar at times. Scott, Duff and Dave all stood on the barricade right next to me, I should of switched places with my girlfriend and I would of had a knee in the face. When Duff stood on the barricade he stepped on my girlfriends tits and the security guard saw this and moved his foot. She is the lucky one through out the night, Slash shook her hand and gave her a pick, Duff steps on her boobs, Scott shoves his ass and cock in her face while standing on the barricade. Slash was real friendly during the concert talking to everyone. Matt pointed at me during one of the songs cause I was the only one paying attention to him cause Duff, Scott and Slash were all standing side by side. All and all it was an awesome night, I was going to stand out and wait for them to come out but the bus was parked behind a fence that no one could get in so I thought waiting for an hour or two just to see them load the bus would be pointless seeming as I was just two feet away got to pics from Slash and he even spit in my hand. Duff looked like he was going to puke at one point, he bent over the stage but just spit a couple times instead. All and all it was an awesome show, they all did a fantastic job. I'll see them again and again.

Thanks to Craig: Velvet Revolver completely rocked the Avalon on Saturday night. I was standing about 2-3 people from the stage on Slash's side and looking around, the crowd was sweating just as much as the guys on the stage ... non stop energy and the band was in top form. The chemistry the guys have with Scott seemed like they have been together for years. All of the guys were cool and got right up in the faces of the audience. Slash even went out of his way to take a demo cd from a guy standing near me. Definitely check this band out while they are still playing clubs!!!

Thanks to Dreux: What an awesome freaking show! They are much tighter than they were in the earlier shows that I've downloaded. Freaking awesome! My buddy that was with me had already been to the Kansas City Show (Jeff who sent in the setlist), so he could really see how much stronger they've gotten.

Let me point out some different things outside of what everyone else has been saying (which is the same).

1) Duff and Dave walked out of the Red Sox game right past the line of about 25 people (waiting for the Velvet Revolver show) w/ out anyone noticing. This was around 3:30 in the afternoon. Duff had a beanie on and was covering his mouth with his hand. I knew it was someone and assumed it was Scott cause my buddy yelled "Scott".

2) Soundcheck rocked! They screwed around and then did a perfect run through of Sucker Train Blues! No one knew the song except for a couple of us.

3) We got right up front in front of Dave and Duff. Duff let me grab a spare pick off the head of his guitar as he was playing Sucker Train. Dave handed me a pick later on. Matt gave the girl next to me a drumstick. All of them were in-our-faces! We'll never have a chance like that again!

4) Absolutely no cameras allowed: F'em! I brought mine in and only got one decent pic. I had to keep the camera down by my chest and step back so the bouncer wouldn't see me. The bouncer ended up grabbing a camera from the guy next to me and almost beat the living snot out of him, so I gave up at that point! I did get one w/ my phone cam of the stage right before they came on to. I've been a GNR fan for 15 years....I doubt they'll come after me!

5) Same set as always

6) After the show: This shows venue was different than most of the others. The bus was in an alley behind a chainlinked fence (w/ barbed wire), so we couldn't get too close. Scott darted right on the bus, Duff and Dave came out to sign autographs and then traded a shirt for a hat w/ some girl (I think that was the trade). Matt came out as well and signed and did pictures.

That's about it....freaking awesome! Jeff has the setlist and will send it in when he gets back to Kansas.

Thanks to Shades: Didn't go expecting much being an old school Guns N Roses fan. Always felt Set Me Free sounded commercial but when I heard Slither I thought maybe there was something there.

With that being said, I thought they kicked ass Saturday night, energy was there, the band was tight and it sounded like old school rock. Place was packed but could see the stage from anywhere. They nailed Mr Brownstone and made a fan out of me..

Thanks to DF: After reading previous reviews of Living Things, I had extremely low expectations. Unfortunately they lived up to them.

Once they were off, the wait begain. Over an hour between LT and Velvet Revolver. We began to wonder if Axl was in the house.

Once they came out though, they were awesome. It's hard to get into songs hearing them for the first time, but Headspace and Fall to Pieces stuck out amongst the new ones, they will both do well on the radio. Set Me Free & Slither were amazing live, the extended version of Slither especially. Being both an STP and GnR fan, I was especially excited to hear the covers and they more than lived up to expectations.

Can't wait for them to come back East!

Thanks to Diandra: I have so much to talk about; I don't even know where to start. I guess I'll start at the beginning! I woke up at 4:30 AM to make a 6:50 flight and got into Boston around 9:00. The day was long and was spent mostly shopping and walking around. At around 4:30 we finally were able to check in and after having a few too many sociables; we walked around the corner and got to the Avalon at 5:00. Fortunately, we picked the right time to go, because we (my brother in law and myself) met the funniest girls, who played a huge role in the later part of the night. Anyways, the hour and a half passed by quickly, and we got into the show at 6:30. Me and my new companions rushed the stage and got in the second row after doing some pushing (we were probably 25th in line to begin with), while my brother in law stood back, then he later headed to the bar.

Living Things were an ok band - the vocals were impossible to hear over the roar of the instruments, but they had catchy riffs, and nice skinny bodies =). After waiting for way too long in 3-inch heels, (an hour and a half) waiting for Velvet Revolver, the stage went black, and the roar of the crowd was unreal. As soon as the boys took the stage, everyone went nuts, there was a huge rush from the back and you had no breathing room. I managed to take 25 pictures, and got threatened only once that it would be taken away - I wasted my pictures in the first 4 songs, which I was kicking myself for later in the show, and later in the evening. They played an amazing set, the energy of them was unreal and there were times where I would stare at the stage and not realize I was in complete awe of their performance. Unfortunately, when Scott went to pass his sweaty towel to one of us three girls in the front, the staff came over and started yelling at me for taking pictures, so he passed it to someone else. =( Scott had complete control of the crowd through all of the songs, his eyes were so captivating, he locked eyes with me twice when I was singing along with their new lyrics as if to say "How the hell does she know the words to these songs?", I just couldn't get enough of him. Duff remained quiet the whole night and Slash dedicated one of the songs to some guy, I wasn't really paying attention to him. haha. Scott introduced all the songs per usual, Fall To Pieces -the new single, blah blah, Do It For The Kids - This one is great to fuck to and so on. Nothing new in that respect. After the show, I was milling around trying to find out where the after party was, because rumor had it that there was going to be on in the back of the club. I tried to get in through the producer, but he had no connections. After the security guards ushered out all of the teeny-bopping girls, we refused to go since my friends that I met up with earlier knew the guy who organized the show at the Avalon. But, three girls have no chance against a huge bodyguard, and after my drunk brother in law tried to bribe the guy(against our wishes), we were sent out to the lobby where we finally found their friend with "connections". After he said that he could only get my new friends in, I told him I was all the way from Nova Scotia and I played him up a bit. Well more than a bit, but oh well, he fucking got us in. So here I am, the girl from Truro, Nova Scotia about to get into the Velvet Revolver V.I.P party, and as I walk through the door - I don't even believe what I see. Right in front of me, Dave Kushner talking it up with some fans. There were about 25-30 people in the after party that weren't with the band. I waited around, trying to calm myself down so I could deal with meeting my favourite band and then finally got a chance to slip in and steal Dave away from a couple guys. We started talking about the show, how amazing his performance was and then we got onto the topic of the Velvet Revolver board. I mentioned that I was a Global Moderator "Velvet Revolver Revolution"; he wanted me to tell you guys that he reads the board everyday, and loves it so much. He says he usually goes to the board to find out what they're doing next because it's so up to date and we usually find out what they're doing before they do. We had a few laughs and I asked him if he could sign something for me, and I settled on my pants since I didn't have anything for him to sign! He said, "I don't want to ruin your pants!" so he ran into the changing area and came back with a poster that they had signed right before the show, except Scott's autograph was the only one missing. We talked some more about the show and how Scott was doing. He mentioned that Scott mostly has his own routine, which involves his family and his singing after the show. He does vocal sessions right after the show, much like an athlete would stretch after they ran, so he can keep his voice fresh. I asked if it would be possible if I could meet him, since he was the only one that wasn't out (or not in the"VIP" area) and I needed him to sign my poster, so he said maybe, just keep a look out for him. I mentioned that we had sent the producers some questions for the band and he started to answer but some dude wearing sunglasses grabbed him and started talking about chord progression or something. After he was done, he walked me up to the VIP area where the rest of the band was, because you needed to be waved in by the bouncers, Dave was defiantly the coolest guy of all of them, maybe it's just because he's fresh to the scene, but I love the guy now. I proceeded to go talk to Slash, who was surrounded by almost the whole room by the bar and I snuck up and got him to sign my pants after I shook his hand and told him he was absolutely amazing, and that I loved the opening riff in Fall To Pieces. He didn't seem like he wanted to talk, and he had a lot more people to go through, so I left him alone and went and found Duff, who was standing by my two friends. After they were done talking, I started talking to him about the board and he too reads it everyday. After he signed my pants, he asked me what my screen name was, and I said "Velvet Revolver Revolution" - then he told me "Yeah! I see you around all the time, that's fucking awesome!" When he was leaving later in the night, I told him to keep posting since the fans all love it - he said he'd make sure to. I spotted Matt flirting with a girl (no kidding) at the bar, so I went up and as he was walking away I snagged him to sign my pants. He asked me how the show was, and I told him that it was amazing, even though the last half of the show I had a 6"4 guys armpit in my face ugh. We laughed, and he gave me a big hug and a kiss. I started to walk down the stairs when Dave said "Hey!!" and grabbed me, introduced me to his friend, and asked me what my name was. He got this sly look on his face then said "Go over there" and pointed to an area where there were a few people standing, I asked why, and he told me Scott was over there, but he's leaving soon, so go quick! I mouthed the words "Thank you!!" and Dave literally had to push me because I couldn't move my feet. I saw a girl I stood behind in the show who got Scott's sweaty towel, and she took a picture with him. I walked over and I overheard Scott say that he needed to get out of here, he seemed a little on the edge, but it's completely understandable in his situation - the last thing he wants to do is sign autographs. As he started to walk away I said "Scott" and as he turned around I told him I got this poster from Dave, and his signature was missing, he said he had to go, but I shoved the marker in his hand, and he signed it - I couldn't get him to sign my pants because his bodyguard dragged him away, so that sucked, and he was the only one who I didn't get a picture with. He was only in the room for about 5 minutes, so I ran back to Dave with a big smile on my face and gave him a huge hug and thanked him even though it wasn't the best meeting I've dreamed of, but I still got to meet him and I got a smile out of him, so it was ok. He left really quickly about an hour before the rest of the band did, and it looked like he was with a bodyguard, or maybe his rehab guy, because he looked really unhappy and I heard him mention twice that he really had to get out of there (almost like he was going to have a nervous breakdown because people had started to walk towards and around him).

Anyways, I left when the band left, but Matt stuck around for a bit longer, he was being smothered by girls, so I decided it was time to leave since I would be waking up at 4:30 for my early morning flight ugh. It was defiantly worth it, there was so much more I could talk about, but this is way too long, I'm still on a rush from meeting them and being able to talk to them. If you guys can get to a show, defiantly go - it will be the most amazing thing you'll ever experience (but stay away from tall guys with smelly armpits!!).

Thanks to Erin Lee: Philadelphia was all that I hoped for. Very glad that I made the trip from Boston. Saturday was a long drive 2 Boston. Staff at Avalon in Boston explained that you had to be off stage by 10pm (Clear Channel sucks). Very glad that I caught the Philly show. Despite that, 2 thumbs up for the "Negative Creep" cover in Boston. Thanks guys for a rock star weekend.

Thanks to Ryan: Absolutely amazing show. It's one thing to listen to the boots coming from the tour (thanks to all you tapers!) but the live experience is beyond comparison. First off, this band is the real deal-these men are all rock gods...they have the moves, the attitude, the swagger-not to mention the skills-that make rock n roll magic.

Quick note about the opening act, Living Things. I know a lot of people have been slagging off on them, but give them a chance. Their debut album is amazing, and I got to meet the guys after the show-they were just hanging around outside the venue. Very down to earth and incredibly friendly dudes. Give the album a listen!

It took Velvet Revolver almost an hour to take the stage, and so the Velvet Revolver announcer decided to introduce them as "The band that puts PUNK back in PUNKuality...."

Standout songs:

Sucker Train Blues (the band had SO much energy and the crowd was just feeding off it....Even though not many people knew the words, everyone was digging it)

Fall to Pieces (excellent Slash solos-gorgeous melodies)

Slither (While I really like the studio version, it's amazing live. The build up with the chrous and bridge were so cool live, and the crowd knew the song, making the"like holy water..." chorus part awesome...)

Finally - it was GnR that drew to me Velvet Revolver and so I was a little wary of Weiland as the frontman, at first anyway. Tonight, he laid to rest any and all doubts I might have had. The dude is rock n roll-pure and simple. Yah-the pictures of him with the Police hat etc looked kinda homoerotic and while ya, his image/stage persona is still def. homoerotic/androgenous, all I can say is, it works. Everything about this band just clicks -I can see what Duff, Matt and Slash meant when they said that when Scott walked in, they knew they found their man.