June 13, 2004 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre

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General Information

Date: June 13, 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Venue: Celebrity Theatre; 440 N. 32nd. Phoenix, AZ 85008 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (602) 267-1600
Additional Info: Doors Open at 7:30 pm. 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 Phoenix show ]

Thanks to Randall Householder: I bought the Contraband cd on Tuesday, found out Velvet Revolver was playing at Celebrity Theater in Phoenix that Sunday. I played the cd 15 times at least to learn the music before the show.

It was absolutley amazing. They started the sold out show with the first song off the cd Sucker Train Blues. Just Duff with a spotlight standing on the stage, playing the bass line that I now know like oh so well. The anticipation of the crowd, dressed in new Velvet Revolver/STP/GUNS N ROSES t-shirts was met by a full on assult of what we all grew up on...kick ass rock and roll.
Not to be wimpy here, but I was a bit choked up half way throught the show as I was being treated to current and past rock music that I live for. Scott is the perfect front man for this band. They played old STP and Guns and Roses music that I thought was brilliant. Too many times we see bands ignore their past, Velvet Revolver served up an awesome mix of new and past music that I have been jonesing for some time.

I'm not going to review each song, but anyone reading this should know...this is the real deal!!! Fall to Pieces was amazing!!!! So were Headspace, Slither, Do It For The Kids. I love"Big Machine" it better end up on the radio because if it's groove. I could keep on writing, but I won't...buy the cd...see the tour!

Thanks to Nick Garzolini: I got to the venue around 5:15PM and there was a line across the parking lot upfront on the rail. Again the club doors downstairs open at 5:30pm and then the doors to the venue opened around 6:35pm, I would estimate my position in line to be near 100. I got in got 2 bottles of water and a Velvet Revolver tour shirt for $25. I went into the theatre part and ran over to Slash's side. The first 10 rows or so were filling up and the GA part which is extremely small was filling up quickly. I got to Slash's side but I was second row back between a couple of chicks.

The only opener was The Living Things. They were really punk kind of like Sex Pistols; I don't like it too much because I'm not a punk fan, however it was ok. Nothing really memorable there. I recall hearing the lead singer say they were on Lollapalooza this year. Oh well they deserve to be there or the other shitty tour what is? Oh ya, the Warped Tour.

SO after what seemed to be a 45 min break. Which could have been? I estimate The Living Things to play from 7:35 pm- 8:00 pm. Then set up to be from 8:00pm to 9:00 pm. During the setup, there was a really big Sybian cymbal behind Matt's drum kit. The bass drum said Velvet Revolver on it and the time the roadie took Slash's famous bucket hat out it got a standing ovation.

I'm not sure where to start with the review for Velvet Revolver, it was incredible. To begin, my ears are ringing and my voice is gone. Both of which don't happen often at shows. During the first song they had incredible solos and crowd performance. Everything people have said in the past about Scott's stage presence is 100% true, he dances and sings and just moves all over, hell I even saw Duff and Slash getting into the dancing and shit.

During Its So Easy, Used to Love Her, Mr. Brownstone, Sex Type Thing, Negative Creep the crowd and the pit went crazy as the jerks next to me were starting shit (hence the bruised rib). Normally it don't bother me people start shit but this fucken rude as mother fucker was starting shit all night. A couple of guys even pushed him over once and got him out of there. Everyone seemed to have those damn camera phones out, don't get me started on the fucken shit!

Memorable things include, one jackass by me getting pushed up, loosing his pants, falling on stage with security, knocking Slash over and pissing everyone off. Also about half way during Velvet Revolver this asshole threw a full beer on stage covering Scott Weiland and the stage. As a result sec as a request of the band pulled him up and over the barricade. The band said it was ok and put him on the stage to finish the song. He sat on Matt's drum riser. After the song Scott took the mic and verbal abused him calling him every name in the book and then some and everyone booed him and the kicked him out of the theatre. I know this was no joke because all night I could tell Duff had a smile on his face, at that moment there was no smile it was tense time. I witnessed some incredible light and musical experience with a few songs being played out for a few minutes, with incredible Duff and Slash solo's.

I also noticed a few times Duff and Slash would make their way to Matt behind the kit and they would converse, as Scott was talking to the crowd and Dave Kushner was just standing by himself. I hope there is no break being formed here, I think the band works great together. During Sex Type Thing at the end Scott climbed up and to the back over the soundboard thru the office over looking the artist ramp to the stage and up in the lighting structure I'v neer heard. It must have been planned because there was no-one sitting up there at the time and they took a spot light to put on him, he was up there for about 10 min, singing and what-not. During that time I tried several times to get a pick from Slash, but he maybe gave out 2 all night. I was able to grap Dave's attention and he personally handed his pick to me, which happened to be a Duff pick. You may form your own conclusions there. I also noticed during the GNR songs Scott had the mic about 8 inches away from his mouth, kinda letting the other guys and the crowd sing it. I don't blame him; after all they are not his songs. Slash dedicated Used To Love Her to Izzy Stardlin, who originally wrote it.

In conclusion, I would have to say if you get a chance to see these fellows in Velvet Revolver do it, because soon, and probably their next tour they won't be playing to sold out 2000-4000 person venues, they will be playing to sold out 14000-20000 person arenas. These guys were awesome Duff leaned on Scott and vice versa and Slash would join them, all together these 5 guys know how to put on a show. Slash also mentioned he once played in some old and which some may like or not like, and they were once suppose to play at the Celebrity Theatre, but someone not anyone there tonight, and not mentioning any names, said hell no "it's too small."

Thanks to Brenda: Very cool show. My ears are still ringing. We waited in line for hours but got in the front row. The sound was very loud and unfortunately I couldn't hear the vocals very well but the energy they all put out on stage was awesome. Each of the band members took their turn being the star of the show. Slash was right in front of me a lot of the time and though I was an STP fan more than a GNR fan, I was impressed with his performance. He didn't even miss a beat when he tripped over a fan that security was attempting to remove from the stage. There were quite a few idiots in the crowd like the one that threw beer on the band, but they were dealt with appropriately and the show went on. The highlight for my son, who plays drums, was when Matt handed him a drumstick at the end of the show. It'll be a night we'll never forget.

Thanks to Jessie: WOW. All I can say. OK, that's not much of a review, so let me expand on that: Living Things were OK. I wouldn't pay to see them, but they weren't as awful as some others have said, IMO.

In spite of the sound challenges, the boys sounded *tight*. They just looked like they'd been playing together for years. Slash + Duff were great foils to Scott's over-the-top energy, playing it cool but still working the crowd. It was great to see the whole crew clean, focused and on their way back on top. Enough has been said about the fat 'fan', so I'll pass on that one, but much respect to Scott for calling him out. He's an ass. You can tell how into it Scott gets; he was so intense-looking when he was up in the scaffolding and totally fed off the crowd's energy. They all did, really. My favorite songs were 'It's So Easy' (WAY better than w/Axl),' Illegal I' and the extended 'Slither' - very sinister, drawn-out intro. Negative Creep', most of us had never heard, so it was kind of anti-climactic as an encore. I think most of us would've rather rocked out to a 'popular' song, cover or not.

I managed to scam my way backstage (thanks lax security!), and the blond stripper everyone has commented on was pure 1984. She looked all coked out, and was having her tits signed. Pure class. By the way, she's not so hot under real lights, and she dances @ Skin, if anyone didn't get to see her naked. I got to meet all the guys except Scott, which I expected from past reviews, and they were all super-cool, even though we all clearly considered them bigger than life. As a bassist myself, Duff, my hero, was really humble. I was totally stoked to finally meet him, and a little star-struck. It was a strange backstage scene, with a variety of different people. The girl there with Matt was beautiful and put the strippers to shame by being sexy yet classy. There were a couple of fans who came out from LA who were really cool, too. Overall, all of the fans were - for a rock show, I had a great time and didn't get all 'moshed', no one was overly drunk by me, and everyone thought Velvet Revolver ROCKED!

All hail Velvet Revolver! Come back to Phoenix soon, boys!

Thanks to D. Mcneil: Oh shit! The show was incredibly awesome. The mood of the entire set was unbelievable. And as everyone has been saying, some fat ass motherfucker threw beer at the band and Scott said something like 'We aren't celebrating you motherfucker, you disrespected the whole band'. Not exact quotes, but this was after Matt gave him some drum sticks, that he didn't deserve. And man, this blonde chick that was there, if her "mini-skirt" had been any shorter it would have been a "supermini-piece of cloth". Scott totally worked the stage the whole time, running around all crazy, he even had to take an asthma inhalator a few times. He did get up into the catwalks above the room which was awesome. Slash also had this fuckin amazing extended solo with a talk-box during I think 'Crackerman'. Basically Velvet Revolver kicked some major ass. Living Things, however, sounded a little to pop-punk rock for my tastes. And the only real bad thing about the show was the wait, 1.5 hours for doors to open, 1 hour for Living Things, Living Things show 30 thirty minutes, 1 hour wait until Velvet Revolver. It was definitely worth it though, it fuckin rocked.

Thanks to Terrible Paulsie: I haven't witnessed an ass kicking like that in a long time, I would pay to see them again any time, I've been to plenty of shows and that one is seriously up there. Please come back to Phoenix.

Thanks to Drew: All three shows were bitchen (June 9, 11, and the 13th). Velvet Revolver has tons of energy and they project it to their fans. In my opinion, Velvet Revolver's performances grew increasingly better with each show, maybe do to the venue or the fans, but probably both. I would definately say that Phoenix was the highlight for a few reasons. First, they came on earlier. Second, they played with a lot of heart and passion. They seemed to really be having fun. Scott riddled some dude for throwing a beer on stage which was pretty funny. Plus, he left the stage and went into the crowd, everybody went nuts! He ran right by me, almost knocking me over, and I patted his back and told him he ruled. Lastly, Phoenix kicked ass because Matt and Slash signed my poster that I grabbed from the bar at The Joint(they are cool dudes too). Velvet Revolver is a great group of guys, and I thank them for sharing their talent with the world. I appreciate the work of their entire crew, their friends and family. God bless you all.

P.S. I would like to apologize to Scott for telling him it was fucked up that he wouldn't sign autographs after the Phoenix show. I guess he gives his fans gifts in other ways sometimes, like running into the crowd, getting out of control and being so persistent and persevering through so many feelings, thoughts, and emotions. I wish you and your family well. Thanks man. I'll try for that autograph another time.

Thanks to Anonymous: Velvet Revolver really put on an energetic show, Scott was singing into the crowd, and at one point climbed to the 2nd level which was above seating and wooed the crowd from there, Duff was stunned on stage. The extended version of 'Set Me Free' featured an amazing solo duet from Slash and Dave. Slash played killer tricks on his guitar, from playing 'California Love' by 2Pac with his wah-wah, to playing an extended 'Mr. Brownstone' solo above his head behind his neck. Interestingly enough, a fan threw some beer at Scott and he pointed him out in the crowd and got him on stage. The dude was air-drumming pretty good..he was stoked, until the song ended and Scott dogged him on stage and he was booed off. Overall, it was one hell of a show.

Thanks to Michael Senft from The Arizona Republic: Top Ten Differences Between a Velvet Revolver concert and a Guns 'n Roses Concert: 10 - Velvet Revolver started on time. 9 - Slash was sober. 8 - Velvet Revolver played a full set. 7 - When singer Scott Weiland had problems with his microphone, he didn't throw a fit. 6 - Slash had a bit of a beer gut. 5 - A riot didn't break out during the Velvet Revolver show. 4 - When an audience member threw a beer on Weiland, he didn't beat the guy up. 3 - People didn't drown trying to leave the concert. 2 - Velvet Revolver only played three GNR songs (Okay, this isn't too different from some of GNR's more notorious shows).

And the number one difference between a Velvet Revolver show and a GNR show: 1 - Velvet Revolver actually showed up. Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum seem to have wised up.

After years of dealing with Axl Rose's temper and mood swings in Guns 'n Roses, they hooked up with Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland as Velvet Revolver, released a CD and embarked on a sold-out tour, which stopped at the Celebrity Theatre on Sunday. Opening with "Sucker Train Blues" from it's debut CD, Contraband, which hit stores last week, Velvet Revolver had the crowd on its feet immediately. "Another band I was in was supposed to play here a long time ago," Slash said to the crowd, referring to a cancelled 1988 GNR show at the venerable Valley venue. "Now we can without dealing with the (expletive) hassles," he finished with a not-so-thinly-veiled dig at Axl. The group tore through most of Contraband , peppering the set with a few choice covers from its previous bands. While Weiland looked like someone who has long battled addiction, his previous drug troubles didn't hamper his performance. Looking more like a glam-rock god than a grunge rocker, he strutted and preened his way around the stage like a peacock in silver lame pants. Slash was showing his age a little, having gained a few pounds but not lost his trademark locks since GNR's mid-90s implosion. Duff however was still rail-thin, exhorting the crowd with his Fender bass slung to his knees. While the crowd was enthusiastic about the new Velvet Revolver material, it was clear that most of the fans were there to hear GNR and STP tunes. Some audience members loudly grumbled at the lack of old material during the encore break.

During the main set, STP's "Crackerman" and GNR's "It's So Easy" got the biggest response from the crowd, which sung every word to the two songs. Unfortunately, much of the show suffered from technical problems, with Weiland's microphone cutting out in many songs. He gamely kept singing, using his ever-present bullhorn to emphasize the barely audible vocals. The problem didn't get sorted out until "Fall to Pieces," near the end of the main set. After a tight 45-minute set the band retreated backstage. Slash and Duff emerged quickly, Slash lighting a cigar and donning his trademark top hat. With a quick introduction acknowledging former GNR guitarist Izzy Stradlin, the band played the acoustic-sounding "Used to Love Her" from GNR's "Lies" EP. A sensual reading of Velvet Revolver's current hit "Slither" followed, with Weiland doing a near perfect imitation of Jane's Addiction singer Perry Farrell. During the song, an audience member threw a beer on Weiland, who quickly had security haul the offender on stage and sat him down in front of Sorum's drumkit.

The unwitting audience member played air drums throughout the rest of the tune, but when the song ended, he jumped up and cheered, thinking he was being rewarded, but Weiland quickly chastised him. "You shouldn't be celebrating, you're up here because you threw a beer on me. That's not (expletive) cool. Now get off the stage," he angrily told the fan before security led him off. The band then tore into STP's "Sex Type Thing." Weiland disappeared backstage before reappearing in the lighting rig above the stage for a lengthy vocal improvisation before vanishing backstage again, along with the rest of the group. One more curtain call followed. Sorum played a short drum solo based on the GNR hit "You Could Be Mine" which quickly morphed into the Diddley beat of "Mr. Brownstone." Weiland's voice suited the GNR ode to heroin addiction perfectly, and the song was made more poignant by Weiland's own well-publicized dance with Mr. Brownstone.

One more tune was left, a cover of Nirvana's "Negative Creep," before the group took its final bows, promising to return. Let's just hope Weiland stays clean and we can enjoy this new band for years to come.

Thanks to Chaun: All hail Slash's hat! With the lights down low, Matt enters first and gives props to the crowd. The first light is on Duff for the extended intro to 'Sucker Train Blues', until the drums begin and you see the whole band in bright white light. The show has begun!! They rip thru the song, I will fiiiiind youuuuu!

Are you ready for some rock and roll?? We are Velvet Revolver and I went to fast, I'm out of luck and I don't even give a. It was cool to see Matt and Duff sing the harmonies.

I wish I remembered the setlist thu...My headspace, my headspace!! The breakdown during 'Illegal I' was awesome, complete with talking guitar with ending being the highlight...Slash's guitars melt perfectly with the bullhorn and the lines, just look and you'll, just look and you'll...

They looked like one well-oiled (human) beast, strutting around, showing off his stuff. Only pausing in between songs to let Scott take a hit off of his inhaler for a extra breath because of a lingering sickness. All props to the man for sticking through a tough night of songs, especially the mountaintop guitars of 'Fall To Pieces'...lighters on!

I remember 'Big Machine' and that jet set hook, it rules! I was impressed with 'Mr. Brownstone' and the ending of 'Set Me Free'...I don't know why all bands say, this is our last song, and then return for four or more songs. Say something like, we are taking a break, you can too. Not a big deal though.

'Slither' was extended as well, with that chorus bringing the whole crowd along with it!! And you already heard about the 'dunce chair' incident. Don't throw beer on the band man! But, during the break of 'Sex Type Thing', Scott disappears and winds up in the lighting platform above the stage and begins to motion up with his hands, letting us scream, then back down to a hush...awesome!!

I'm a 'Negative Creep', a 'Negative Creep'. Not everyone knew that one, I thought it would be cool to end with 'Money'. All in all, one of the best shows I've seen at the Round. Go Velvet Revolver, go!

Thanks to Jadison: It was the best show I've seen in a while. Slash is the shit. Velvet Revolver just kick ass, the thing was not to many S.T.P. songs just like 2 or 3 songs. Scott should have kick the drunks ass though. The End.

Thanks to Velvet RevolverMan: Wow! What a great show. Being a huge fan of STP and a listener to GnR, I was pretty excited to see this beast of a band perform. They didn't let down. The show was about 1 1/2 hours long and just totally rocked. I felt that there were some sound problems during the first few songs, it seemed a little bit muffled. But, as one reviewer mentioned, by the middle of the set those were fixed. My favs were the encore of 'Slither' and 'Mr. Brownstone'. I also liked that they brought out some Nirvana at the end, although most of the people in attendance didn't recoginze it. The music of the show was great but what really pushed the concert into the stratosphere were all of the little moments that I will remember. There was the fan that was brought up on stage, thinking he was special or something, in the middle of the song (watching him play air drums was funny as hell) only to be ridiculed by Weiland for throwing beer on him. The whole crowd was booing him once they realized that he did something "wrong". Also, there was this pornstar looking chick who kept parading around the venue all night in a little bra and hot pants, eventually ending up at the front of the stage.

Throughout the whole show, each of the band members went over to her and played for her, while she flashed her enormously large (and fake) jugs. It was surreal. Weiland also was in good form. During one song he ran off the stage and into the B level tier of seating, then ran back into the tunnel and up onto the catwalk where he conducted a "wave" with the crowd by having them quiet down and then cheer according to his direction. The guy looked freakin intense! I saw his eyes pretty clearly when he was up on the scaffold and, wow, it looked like some weird out of body crap he was experiencing. The band did two long encores, which was great and overall the energy level of the crowd seemed to really motivate them to keep playing. Slash made some comments about how he's had many "interesting" experiences in Phoenix over the years and he even referred to an old GnR concert that was supposed to happen at Celebrity Theater but was cancelled. Also, there was a really cool point in the show where Slash came out during an encore and they had his signature hat lying on one of the amps. He took his shirt off and went over to put the hat on. As soon as he did, the whole crowd went freakin wild. It was a nice touch and he played some GNR songs after that. Other than that, the band all looked good, pretty ripped and healthy. I've been to probably a hundred concerts over the years and I have to rate this one in the top ten. Partly because they rocked so hard, partly because it was probably the only time I'll ever get to see these legends of music so close.

Rock on Velvet Revolver!

Thanks to Brad: Fuck yeah..you can't really top that show. I saw them at the Roxy and they actually may have topped that tonight. Some girl from 98KUPD asked me if I wanted to meet the band while I was standing in line, because she saw that I had on my El Rey t-shirt. So me and my girlfriend along with 10 other people got to go back stage and meet and talk to the whole band (minus Scott) while Living Things were playing. We shook all their hands and said hey.. but we talked to Matt and Duff the most. Just talked about El Rey and the Roxy show.. not a long conversation though. My girlfriend made a homeade shirt that said "Duff" and had hearts and stuff around it.. all of them thought it was cool especially Slash. Then we went out and saw the show.. managed to get up on the rail infront of Duff. Show totally kicked ass and the venue was perfect. The sound was awesome. They extended out some songs and did some cool different things.. but the setlist was pretty much same as usual. The crowd was a lot more drunk and fucked up than normal.. so it made it interesting.. Scott put one guy in timeout by the drumset. Matt thought the guy was being awarded and shook his hand and gave him sticks after a song.. but then Scott explained that he threw a beer at him..then he pushed him and told him to get off the stage. Eventually Matt came over and gave my girlfriend a stick before one of the encores. They played 2 hours which was really fucking nice and I have some nice pics that I will post tomorrow. After the show Slash Duff and Matt signed stuff.. Dave and Scott just got on the bus. Matt recognized my girlfriend again and signed a lot of stuff for us and took some pictures. After that, the bus pulled away and the night was over.

Thanks to The Secret Agent: Well, hot damn...I've been reading the reviews here over the past few week, and I was cautiously optimistic on tonights performance...especially with Scott's bronchitis/laryngitis issues. I just wanted to see a full set! :) We timed it perfectly based upon prior reviews...got to the venue @ 8:40pm...bought a couple rounds and then found our respective "spots" around the stage. 30 sec later the light went down.

Into "SuckerTrain Blues"...It was "good" but not great. It's a really small venue and I thought that it sounded pretty muddy for such a small place. It got better after that however..much better. The sound issues were taken care of during "Do It For The Kids" and the rest was history. OMFG man...I have to ditto most of the prior reviews...simply kick ass. These guys were so damned psyched to be playing!!! It showed on all of their faces and intensity levels. Weiland's voice held out through the entire show which was a very good thing. The highlights for me were "Fall to Pieces"...Scott had his arm around Slash for the latter part of the song...you could tell there was some emotional shit going on with Scott. 'Mr. Brownstone'...total energy, 'Slither' was just amazing. And they got back to finishing the show with "Negative Creep". It was hilarious...95% of the crowd had no clue wtf they were playing...but for the people who knew, it really was "Nirvana" :). One thing that was sort of funny...they brought this guy onstage during...damn, I forget the song...but they had him sit on Matt's drum platform. This guys is air drumming through the entire song...loving life. After the song Weiland grabs him...pulls him real close and starts cursing him out for throwing beer on the band members...I guess he was in the "dunce" seat. The guy was then escorted out, but not before Duff razzed him a bit as well. If anyone else saw the show, I'd love to get the details...I was too busy "making friends" with one of the female fans.

Overall...totally kick ass...intense energy, mucho crowd participation and mosdef a show you don't want to miss! Cheers!

Thanks to Ian H.: The Velvet Revolver concert in PHX kicked ass. In the middle of the concert, Slash said Phoenix was one of the best cities out of all of the cities that he toured in. Said he had the best and worst experiences in that city and I think he was right because, someone threw beer on Scott and he got the security guards to catch the guy and Scott got him on stage and sat him down in front of the drums during a song. Scott left him and finished the song off while the guy was pretending to jam with the band. When the song stopped Scott went up to the excited guy and said he wasn't celebrating for him and said that anyone that throws beer at the band is messing with the whole band. Everyone yelled at the fan and Slash got his guitar if he was holding it like a bat. The guy got off the stage and walked around Duff and Duff got in his face talking shit to the beer throwing fan. It was pretty cool and you can tell you didn't want to fuck with Velvet Revolver. Also another bad thing, someone I guess grabbed Slash's leg and he almost fell. The security guards kicked him out also.

Also there was this hot blonde chic in the front that the band would rotate around the stage and played for her. Scott's voice sounded very good and I was amazed by his performance on stage. He knows how to move his body with the music. He also went in the middle with the audience and also walked on the cat walk that was above us. It will be one concert I won't forget.