June 8, 2004 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern LG

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General Information

Date: June 8, 2004
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Venue: The Wiltern LG; 3790 Wilshire Boulevard; Los Angeles, CA 90010 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: 213-388-1400
Additional Info: This was the same day that Contraband was released.

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 (10) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Los Angeles show ]

Thanks to Lana: Rock N' Roll at its best! Truly a spectacular performance, with much energy. Velvet Revolver brought the house down with the 2,000 or so number of hungry fans going wild.
What you see is what you get with this band. To paraphrase Scott Weiland, Velvet Revolver is a rock band. They are definitely one of the most important and significant bands around these days. Creme de la creme, it does not get any better than this. The show was one hell of a ride; the band stayed on top of things and delivered the show with that in your face rock swagger. Perfect!

Scott was one smooth slithering rocker; I still can't get enough of his serpetine dances and that powerful voice. Scott is the epitomy of how to front a rock n'roll show. His stage prescense is immense. Slash was just on fire with those twisting solos and riffs. Duff, Matt, and Dave rocked the stage.

Velvet Revolver blasted through the songs and kept things wild from start to finish.

Thanks to Miguel: One word: amazing... this is what we have been waiting for... rock and roll in that is true to its meaning. We have been deprived of this kind of musical performance for the past years and now its back again coming in gradual full force in the form of Velvet Revolver. Slash haven't changed and that's a good thing.. indeed this just proves that he is not a sell-out rock star... same with Duff... the rest of the band was unbelievable... great! Great! Can't wait to see them again live!

Thanks to Marie Vasari from U Music: Velvet Revolver: Held together by the velocity of Scott.

If there was a single moment hinting at whether Velvet Revolver might just really work after all, it came in the midst of the band's sold-out L.A. show Tuesday at the Wiltern.

Not that bullhorns, ear-splitting guitar solos and bone-jarring drums deliver messages with any subtle innuendo.

The unexpected lineup of the band - Scott Weiland, a singer with larger-than-life talent and imploding tendencies now loose of his Stone Temple Pilots ties and, apparently, the pull of his addictions - and three former members of Guns N' Roses - guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum, plus guitarist Dave Kushner - has fueled both interest and skepticism on the part of aficionados of those former projects.

But the alchemy of that mix became apparent in that darkened, intimate space of the historic Art Deco theater when Weiland, a storm of twisting and whirling sound and movement across every inch of stage in the midst of "Set Me Free," picked up his beloved bullhorn, started to pull it toward his lips, then tossed it off, while ex-GNR guitarist Slash, all low-slung hair and black leather and attitude, sent his usual torrent of huge guitar chords towards the smoky rafters.

Because at the heart of a fury of noise and energy during that tightly coiled 90-minute show, Weiland was living out his own wildly cathartic, expressive experience and Slash, still a river of dark curls and sound, offered up exactly what he does best, and both seemed perfectly in their own element.

There's definitely a cohesiveness to Velvet Revolver onstage - not just between Weiland and Slash, but all five members. Yet they don't go overboard trying to conform to one another, and it's that infusion of sound and style that makes it such an intoxicating mix. It's neither STP nor GNR, but rather something else fueled in part by their elements.

The band's delay in taking the stage - nearly 30 minutes past their scheduled start time - caused some worried murmurs among the waiting crowd. But when they did appear before the exhuberant crowd, the quintet wasted no time building momentum - from the first note, they generated a maelstrom of energy in the midst of an onslaught of volume and strobe lights.

The crowd's lack of familiarity with a half-dozen songs off the band's debut, "Contraband," released that same morning, seemed to dampen little of the enthusiasm, although during several of those numbers, the packed-in floor was more still than usual, absorbing the experience. But even if no one but the band knew the words yet to "Illegal i Song," the building, circling groove churned out by the band proved irresistible. Likewise, the churning, aggressively rockers "Big Machine" and "Headspace" may have been unfamiliar to most, but they're not hard to like even if you can't sing the words yet and the big power ballad "Fall to Pieces" actually drew more than a few lighters into the air.

And "Slither" and "Set Me Free" - although also new - are already becoming familiar through heavy rotation, and the crowd responded with a wild enthusiasm.

But not everything was new.

"Sometimes in our set, we go way back to play obscure songs from obscure artists from past decades," joked Weiland, as the band drew from their past lives, with GNR's "It's So Easy" and "Used to Love Her," and a breathless, bombastic "Mr. Brownstone" as one of its encore numbers. It also tapped the STP library, Weiland and his bullhorn in fine form on "Crackerman," later following up with a particularly intense "Sex Type Thing." And perhaps fittingly, their closing song was neither unfamiliar "Contraband" song nor too closely tied to former elements, but rather, a furious version of Nirvana's "Negative Creep."

The band, which was scheduled for a second Wiltern show Wednesday, plays the Hard Rock in Vegas Friday and KROQ's Weenie Roast in Irvine Saturday.

Thanks to Jizzo: The band was on fire in Hollywood last night. They came out late, but as Slash said "they said half the audience was watching the game in the lobby". Slash mentioned the Lakers won right before 'Illegal I' and dedicated the song to the "next 5 games of the series". Slash talked about how people love the hat more than they love him, and that Scott convinced him to bring it out at the Roxy, and that if it weren't for Scott he wouldn't be wearing it. During "Big Machine" a near fight broke out, mainly because there is a drunk blond dude was moshing in the pit in front off the stage. Scott looked really pissed while watching it go down and then went off on the fans, saying something like this "[We're all here to have fun, you need to get laid, no more of this macho bullshit, what do you have small penis syndrome]". Luckily the guy got thrown out and the show was normal beyond that. Matt once again solo'ed the intro to 'You Could Be Mine', which I screamed at the top of my lungs as he walked back on stage, figuring he'd do it again. Between 'Mr. Brownstone' and 'Negative Creep', I tried to start a "Scott you rule" chant, but no one chimed in and my voice couldn't hold the high pitched note long enough.

Thanks to Erik Pedersen from Reuters: As scores of folks crowded around a TV in the lobby to watch the Lakers in overtime, the anticipation swelled for those waiting in the auditorium. But the L.A. boys in Velvet Revolver knew they had to wait for the hometown team to win before hitting the stage. Good decision.
It became obvious, though, during the opening "Sucker Train Blues" that numbing volume and a bottom-feeding mix would devour the new band's songs -- and its stars. Bad decision. First things first: Velvet Revolver has the chops and the presence to be a great band, if it isn't already. Former Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland showed why he's long been among the most charismatic frontmen in the business, and the three-fifths of Guns N' Roses on display -- bassist Duff McKagan, drummer Matt Sorum and uber-shred guitarist Slash -- have been to rock's mountaintop and appear eager to return. The band's powerful, aggressive approach fits perfectly with modern rock radio's newfound love of old tricks. And there was certainly something special amid the din, but the booming, sludgy sound clobbered it. Whenever Slash would strike a famous pose and sail off into what was probably a helluva lead, all you could do was watch and wonder exactly how good it was. Even on the many occasions when Weiland sang into his trusty (and crusty) bullhorn, the rhythm section flattened him. Yet despite all that, this was a borderline spectacular show. Showcasing its debut RCA album "Contraband," which had come out that morning, Velvet Revolver dug in for the kind of crowd-pleasing performance you wish every hard rock act would give. With all five members shirtless within 20 minutes, they stormed through muscular new songs including "Headspace" and "Big Machine," the former sporting a wah-wah guitar and owing to STP's "Vasoline" and latter with a fuzzy intro that sounded somewhere between "Money Money" and "We Got the Beat." Radio hit "Slither" proved to be the ferocious concert song it aspires to be, with a flowing chorus that begs for a shout-along and a break that recalled the one in Krokus' olde metal nugget "Stayed Awake All Night." Chatty as always, the reed-thin Weiland prowled the stage with his trademark serpentine shimmies. It's rare during a savage rock show that you actually look forward to a ballad, but Weiland's sweet, moving vocal on the new "Fall to Pieces" was a welcome break in the action. Dedicating it to his wife, who was at the show, he sang it with a beauty and conviction that spoke to his range and talent but reminded that it would have been nice to be able to hear more of him all night. The packed house went predictably wild for the sprinkling of Pilots and Guns oldies. "Sometimes in our set we play pop songs by obscure artists," Weiland said before launching into STP's "Crackerman." But the undeniable highlight was a striking take on "Mr. Brownstone," which Weiland embraced despite any irony. Sorum kicked it off with his opening drum bit from "You Could Be Mine," then settled into a Bo Diddley beat before Slash ran with the familiar, surging riff. The extended result was a showstopper. And "Sex Type Thing" is still creepy after all these years.

With an album that seems to get better with each spin and a show that needs to be witnessed to be appreciated, Velvet Revolver appears destined for rock's elite -- and much larger venues. But before they start playing arenas, someone ought to pay closer attention during their sound checks. There's some outstanding rock 'n' roll in there somewhere.

Thanks to Adam: This show was even better than I thought it would be. My buddy and I got there early and were walking by the back door area when Duff and Dave pulled up in Duff's BMW. Both of them were really cool and signed my Contraband insert sheet. Duff also signed my AFD insert as well. Matt showed up a little later and was really cool about signing stuff. It was nice not having a bunch of people crowded around to get stuff signed. Anyway, Slash showed up a little later but had to go to sound check. We eventually got Slash to sign my Contraband album and AFD album after quite a while. Slash said that it was the first Contraband album, he had signed. I was pretty happy about that. We saw Weiland leave the theater in his car but we did not see him come back and he wasn't signing stuff even though there was only about eight of us hanging out in the back. All the guys seemed very happy that we had the album and Dave even said "thanks for buying it."

As for the show itself, I thought it was totally rockin'. I had listened to the album about three times before the show and I found it weird that my buddy and I seemed to be the only ones who knew the songs and were cheering when they anounced the songs. Standouts were especially 'Headspace', 'Big Machine', 'Do It For The Kids' and 'Falling To Pieces'. The new versions of 'Set Me Free' and 'Slither' were tight, as well. Duff, Matt and Scott's harmonies are incredible. It made me realize that this band truly belongs together and I hope they continue for a long time into the future. In my opinion, I think I would have rather liked to hear more Velvet Revolver stuff than old stuff. I've heard those same GNR songs and STP songs when I saw Snakepit and STP a few years back. Not to diss the classics but I am just sick of hearing them at shows. I guess I can just wait until their next tour when they'll play more Velvet Revolver stuff. All and all it was an awesome show and I can't wait to see them again.

Thanks to Underover: Great show. You've seen the set list, and they rocked the shit out of that place. Scott's energy is infectious, Slash and Duff just emit rock legend status. Sorum keeps driving the band harder and harder with tight skins and Kushner kept the rhythm smooth and hard. I swear they teased us with the intro to 'Paradise City' right before 'Mr. Brownstone' and I think they may have just burned the Wiltern down if they had played it, but damn. Great call on the 'Negative Creep' cover I looked around and so many people just didn't understand what the hell was going on, fantastic! Can't wait to see them again, and the album just got better after seeing them live.

Thanks to Valerie Seiberlich: Velvet Revolver was awesome I mean man were they good! They put such a good show on last night! I am such a big fan of G & R and Velvet Revolver. Slash was the reason why I picked up a guitar in the first place! Ya I had floor seating and I was literaly 4 feet away from Duff, Slash, Dave and Scott that was bitchin'. Duff smiled at me (oh ya) well fellas you did a wonderful job! I will be seein you again. And watch for me because I'm gonna be famous one day and hopefully me and Slash can jam! ;):)

p.s. if the members of Velvet Revolver read this I was the chick in the blue, black and white flanel rockin out on the right side (Slash's side of the stage with a big tall bald guy *my dad*) I LOVE YOU GUYS! :)

Thanks to Gabriel Sheffer from LiveDaily: Old-fashioned hard rock took center stage Tuesday night(6/8) in Los Angeles. A month after flooring the crowd at The Roxy on Sunset Strip, the all-star amalgam that is Velvet Revolver did the same thing for an excited, sold-out crowd at the larger Wiltern LG theater.

Featuring former Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, three former members of Guns n' Roses (guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagen and drummer Matt Sorum), plus guitarist Dave Kushner (McKagan's onetime Loaded partner and ex-Wasted Youth guitarist), Velvet Revolver is most definitely a supergroup. Though its debut album, "Contraband," hit stores on Tuesday, the band already has been on the road for nearly a month.

When the lights went dark at 9:40--about 30 minutes later than scheduled--the crowd shrieked in unison. Then Velvet Revolver took the stage. McKagan, standing front and center, plucked an intense, boiling, bass line as Sorum pounded a meaty beat. Then--all at once--the lights exploded and the band was in full throttle. Weiland looked eerily like Axl Rose, wearing aviator sunglasses and a bawdy police cap. For much of the night, he snaked across the stage, his left hand clutching his hip. "Hollywood," the singer announced, "do you believe in rock and roll?" And, true to form, this night included nearly every hard-rock cliche out there: sweaty, long-haired guys without shirts, singers posing atop the stage's manifold monitors, guitarists spitting out fast solos and even the requisite shoulder-to-shoulder posturing. "This band's about rock and roll, people," the singer later reminded the crowd. Indeed. The nearly 90-minute set featured several tracks off the group's debut, including "Headspace" and the ballad "Fall to Pieces," which Weiland said was inspired by his wife. "Big Machine" was a locomotive of distortion. After rebuking the moshing numbskulls down front, Weiland and boys launched into "Set Me Free," their hard charging contribution to "The Hulk" soundtrack. Here, Slash offered a quick, pissed-off guitar solo on his Les Paul. It was tight, screaming, vintage Slash. And while loyal fans rocked out to tunes they had yet to learn, some just couldn't wait for the more familiar stuff. It was no surprise, then, that the tunes that earned the loudest applause were the ones that most attendees already had in their music collections. GN'R fans were rewarded with"It's So Easy" and "Used to Love Her," which opened the show's encore. Next came Velvet Revolver's first single, "Slither," with Weiland clutching the microphone with both hands. The song included some dramatic interludes with Slash dipping angry guitar licks into the mix. Likewise, STP fans got what they were looking for when the group offered "Sex Type Thing." With a dangling cigarette peering from behind his poodle hair, Slash made the song his own, rocking out as he ran across the stage. But the clear fan favorite was "Mr. Brownstone," which showed up toward the end of the night. At the peak of his guitar solo, Slash leaned back onto Weiland's shoulders, two rock stars getting down and intimate. With Scott Weiland, this band, which began its life as something called The Project--and in search of a lead singer--has managed to discover a primo rock-star frontman, preening, sexy and powerful (sort of like their last singer). The Wiltern was also the right place for this band, with its massive sound system blasting gobs of distortion out into the crowd and its myriad lights blazing colors across the room.

By the show's encore, all the rockers onstage were shirtless. Slash had donned his signature top hat and played a solo behind his back, Weiland had spouted sweet rock nothings into his bullhorn, and the crack rhythm section of Kushner, McKagan and Sorum had obliterated any notion that they were past their prime.

As Velvet Revolver left the stage, sirens, noise, thunderous drums and lightning crashes filled the room. And if the avalanche of sound that recoiled across the Wiltern auditorium was any proof, hard rock remains alive and well--even in 2004.

Thanks to JMLoud: Just got back. Great show, Scott has great stage presence and Slash and Duff were awesome as usual. Dave and Matt were great too.. although I'm not even going to lie, I was pretty much focused on the Big 3(Scott-Slash-Duff).

They played pretty much the same setlist as every show, which pissed me off a bit. I was hoping since this was the record release day they might mix it up a bit or even play the whole CD. Or at least play one of my 3 favorite songs off the CD (You Got No Right, Loving the Alien, Dirty Little Thing) but they didn't.

Overall the songs they did play were great and the lighting for the show was exceptional. My biggest gripe would be the bass, which was far too loud and really drowned out both Scott's vocals and the guitar play.