May 3, 2007 - Hollywood, CA - Avalon

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General Information

Date: May 3, 2007
Location: Hollywood, CA
Venue: Avalon; 1735 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028; U.S.A. [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (323)462-8900
Additional Info: Special guests The Actual. This show was also the first concert to benefit Scott Weiland’s newly-formed charity foundation, aimed at helping families of loved ones lost to the disease of addiction. Proceeds from the show will go towards supporting Scott’s late brother Michael’s widow and two surviving daughters. The audience included former Guns N' Roses guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell.

Thanks to Josh for the set list!

Set List

• Let It Roll
• Do It For The Kids
• Sucker Train Blues
• Superhuman
• The Last Fight
• She Mine
• Fall To Pieces
• Just Sixteen
• Vasoline
• Get Out The Door
• She Builds Quick Machines
• Set Me Free
• Wish You Were Here
• Used To Love Her
• Psycho Killer
• Slither

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

Thanks to royrocker81: Well, waited in line for about 5 hrs before we got in. Had awesome standing room on the floor, about 2 people back from the rail. It seemed totally awesome to get that spot. The guys took about 1 1/2 hrs to go onstage. Crowd got really restless and starting booing. The guys finally came out and started ripping "Let It Roll" when this greasy, fat ass, intoxicated, long haired hollywood piece of shit started shoving his way through the crowd and finally gets to me and "tries" to get past me. I f'n didn't think so! We were the ones in the scuffle and thanks to the lame security he ended up staying there. We continued shoving and arguing and i had my back turned to the guys rocking on stage. I had friends to pull me away and lost my f'n spot. I just wanna say that i should've done everyone the favor and broken that guys nose when I had the chance. I waited a whole year for this gig and some loser wrecked it for me and my friends. Next time, I'll make sure to wear my stomping boots! I can't wait for the next gig. ha ha.

Thanks to Rovert: Cornell and Cantrell rhyme, sorry Jerry it wont happen again. Yes, Jerry Cantrell from Alice and Fuckin' Chains was on the Avalon concert and I dissed him by callin' him Chris Cornell (my bad I was drunk).

VR rocked (no shit), "Psycho Killer" the best cover yet. The vibe in the waitin' line was so 'lax and cool I got drunk before the concert, Crown Royal my new fave (thanks Sean, Dave and the Girl). Kerie and Kera (Mom and daughter I hope I spell your names right) hope you cherish the white rose.

The only thing I didn't like was the non-fan crowd and some of the people at the front, if you people wanted to start a fight you messed with the wrong cuz the could have been your "Last Fight", and people if you gonna be in the front take in consideration that people are going to push from the back, and is not the fault of the guy behind you.

People go to this concerts on a common ground and affection: "Velvet Revolver". If you gonna behave like a Jackass you should stay at home and not ruin it for the rest, and this goes for everyone the fans, the non-fans, and the overly obsessed-fans (theres a thin line of being a fan a being a stalker).

In the wise words of SNL writer's "Just keep you mouth shut and enjoy the Velvet" (it was actually Ozzy, but it fits the situation).

Thanks to rhyte: The L.A. Show was fantastic, it really was, but there were some kinks. The vibe was very particular in L.A. For a number of reasons I am certain. They played amazing, I can not stress that enough, however, their energy was largely internalized. Which is to say that they vibed off one another more so than they did the room at large. And that is cool albeit a bit frustrating. Why was it that way? I don't know but there were a few elements of the show that were less than stellar.

The hour long wait for their arrival, for me seems normal (which is not to say that it is right, so much as it is to say it's not new), but it certainly lent itself to turning the crowd. Boos, jeers and the like are, I'm guessing, not conducive to facilitating good will and banter from the fellas.

In addition to the wait/crowd vibe the performance itself for Scott (clearly) and for Matt and the others as well, I am sure, was very personal in its nature. Scott who on most of the occasions where I have seen him delivers any speech or verbal banter with a kind of swagger that is utterly befitting a superstar frontman, when addressing the crowd regarding his brother stammered, spoke haltingly, struggled to find words to accurately describe his sentiments and seemed to genuinely be reeling in his attempt to get his brain around what he and his family are currently facing. You probably have seen the video on this but did you hear the jeering? While Scott attempted to speak his heart, assholes around the room yelled “just play something” or some other equally obnoxious bullshit. And that does not lend itself to “outward” directed bonding.

In addition to those elements, it was the first night of the tour in the U.S., much of the material was new and they were no doubt weighing shit out as they went along. Here's the thing though...Slash didn't say a word. Dave was stoic. Duff didn't flirt. And Matty was missing that grin (you know the one) for much of the show. They played the shit out of that material and they absolutely fed off one another and as I stated at the outset that is cool, albeit a bit frustrating...

Thanks to linkster: The band was unusually late, almost an hour I thought "you know who" was out of the band. Anyway considering the emotion of the evening...I thought they were a little rusty. The long gaps for emotion...slowed things a bit but I think we finally seeing what these guys can really be. The new songs are a step up....but please fellas if you are gonna be late don't let the music repeat. It makes it seem longer...get out the door.

Thanks to Nick: The show was great with an amazing set list. It seemed like they made the fans wait a long time but Let It Roll was the perfect opener. I really liked Last Fight but I couldn't make out the melody of the verse because the guitars were turned down. Slash has a really really good solo on it with some cool melodies. He also plays some cool stuff in the intro with some harmonics. Pretty much Slash was right on with all the solos, top notch. Great concert overall except a majority of the fans who took away from the energy.

Thanks to Zayde and Amber: WOW!!! What an amazing show. It was fantastic as always. Someone mentioned that Scott is getting predictable. For me, the only thing predictable about the show was that Velvet Revolver blew my mind for the 15th time live. And in terms of Velvet Revolver being about an hour late, I feel as if all should have been forgiven when they were announced with "Velvet Revolver! The band that put the punk back in punctuality!" That's just my opinion at least. Just like last week at the Yahoo Sets, the new songs exploded with originality, breaking through their shells of Contraband to the other side, raising the bar lyrically and musically and exploring new territory without fear. Hearing Vasoline was pure ecstasy and Wish You Were Here coupled with the tribute to Michael Weiland brought me to tears. Thank you so much to the band for sharing such personal stories and letting the audience/fans in on them. It was a moment that will never be forgotten. She Mine, Get Out the Door, Let it Roll, and She Builds Quick She Machines were even better and more powerful than last week at the Yahoo Sets. The Last Fight really strikes a chord (no pun intended) and may be my favorite of the new songs (though I go back and forth between all of them). And the song Just Sixteen (as listed on the set list) was a great punk rocker. All in all, great show with no complaints here.

Thanks to Greg Burk from Los Angeles Times: Velvet Revolver's back with a fresh, fierce sound. It wasn't supposed to last this long, but Velvet Revolver is back — sounding strong and armed with new songs.

Velvet Revolver looked like a train rolling toward a rickety bridge when it loaded up four years ago. Supergroups aren't built to last and fate offered few promises to the combination: three burnouts from a destructive/destroyed rock band (Guns N' Roses), plus the lead stoner of Stone Temple Pilots.
At the Avalon on Thursday, though, V.R. warmed up for a tour promoting an imminent second album, "Libertad," and the omens were favorable. Emotionally bruised singer Scott Weiland didn't look like he was doing us a favor anymore. The new songs sounded different and good. And the band rocked.

When Slash drags his top hat and guitar to any band, it burns. Not only do the dude's riffs pack more crunch than a truck full of pretzels, but he's also an old-school showman who will stick his ax into the floorboards, into the air, behind his neck or anywhere but where the sun doesn't shine to get some sweat popping.

Bolstered by the leathery resiliency of old GNR bandmates Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums), plus old pal Dave Kushner (second guitar), Slash stabbed like a knifepoint, delivering minimum notes for maximum damage.

The emaciated Weiland, meanwhile, sporting his customary Nazi officer's cap and new teeth, was quickly out of his shirt and into his sexy-prisoner belly dance. Weiland's rangy but foggy voice, which in 2003 seemed a bad fit for this noisy gang, cut through pretty well thanks to practiced diction and judicious soundboard equalization.

Though he posed with a star's un-self-conscious naturalness, there was something newly haunted about him, which he explained in a rambling tribute to his addict brother, who died during the making of "Libertad." (Weiland also nodded to Sorum, whose brother died during the same period. This night's proceeds benefited an addiction charity.)

The five new songs were a major draw. "She Builds Quick Machines," the introductory single from "Libertad," was a straight rocker with a gripping, half-tempo bridge, in the mode of Velvet Revolver's first album, "Contraband." The main ear-opener was "The Last Fight," which mixed a Creedence-like country sway with nasty midrange jangle and a soaring chorus.

The set leaned, of course, on "Contraband" material — the big ballad "Fall to Pieces"; the chiming "Superhuman"; the sleazy, dynamic hit "Slither" — and the band tore through it with fierce authority and a Sex Pistols-like groove. It also pulled out a rocked-up version of Guns N' Roses' acoustic "Used to Love Her (But I Had to Kill Her)," a shrouded take on Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" (in brotherly memorial), and an overtly evil revision of Talking Heads' nerdy "Psycho Killer," with Slash on smoking slide. The mostly 30-ish audience, though attentive, remained surprisingly unfrenzied except when booing the hourlong delay between sets. (Learn that from Axl, gents?)

The Actual, four nice young men signed to Weiland's label, opened with a springy set of pop-punk that recalled a grungier Green Day or a preppier Replacements. The few devil horns the public offered were of the sarcastic variety.

Thanks to In Utero: Wow, what a flippin incredible show one of my favorites! I really had a good time at this show.

Before and after the show all of the band were out and about, saw Slash and Perla come into the venue, saw Izzy come in too.

The crowd was great no pushing, shoving, crowd surfing. We were front row with plenty of room to rock and dance..

VIP wrist band got you into the afterparty upstairs. I had no idea Scott & Mary were there. Saw Dave & wife, Matt & Ace, The Actual. Didn't stay too long we were tired. Me & Wendy split tried to get to bed a decent hour to travel to SF today but I was too excited to sleep!

Thanks to Mikkka: Just a few tidbits:

Slash used at least 6 different guitars.

I found it funny that at the Nissan show someone asked Slash how he plays guitar, manages to look cool and smoke at the same time. His one word response "practice". So I almost busted out laughing when he was smoking last night and his cigarette got stuck to his lip when he tried to spit it out. He wound up spitting it towards the front row and gave a little "I'm sorry" nod to whoever it hit.

I had a backstage laminate and was hanging outside of the dressing room after the show. Matt came out and had his picture taken between two beauties which he called a "Matt sandwich".

I got to talk to Duff, Matt and Dave about the time I spent with them in Japan which they surprisingly remembered (Duff's Birthday, I made his cake).

Slash came out briefly with his hair up and wrapped in a towel. The same girls asked Slash for a picture and he understandably said "No" and went back in the dressing room.

The best part of the night for me was when Slash finally came out again. I kindly reminded him where we met (Osaka, New York etc) and he said "holy shit dude what are you doing here?" and proceeded to give me a big bear hug. It's funny because I was met with the same reaction after the New York Hard Rock show. He has a great memory. We chatted for about 10 minutes and he seemed generally interested about my move from Japan to LA. What a trip. Overall a great night and the show was the icing on the cake.

Thanks to jnine: That was one of the most emotional moments I have ever seen. When Scott was talking and said he hadn't watched a video or looked at pictures of his brother since he died and that he was going to show some now while he sang Wish You Were Here, I didn't see how he was possibly going to get through that song without breaking down. I couldn't imagine looking at images of a lost loved one for the first time since they'd gone on stage while trying to perform. Then to see he was going to turn around and watch it while he sang was so heart wrenching, at one point it looked like he stopped looking at the video and was looking at Matt, who was emotional too. It seemed like they were looking at each other and supporting each other to get through it, Matt gave him a smile and nodded his head a little, then Scott turned around and sang to us. All day today, I was thinking about how poignant those moments were.

Thanks to Reuters: Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland paid tribute to his recently deceased brother on Thursday, during the first show of a brief North American tour to promote the band's upcoming second album.

Michael Weiland died of a drug overdose during the recording of "Libertad," and a brother of drummer Matt Sorum died about the same time in similar circumstances, the singer told the crowd at the Avalon Hollywood club.

"It literally crushed us," said Weiland, who has long struggled with drugs himself. "It made this record happen for both of us."

He then turned his back to the crowd to sing Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," with Sorum singing harmony, as he looked up at a video screen playing home video footage of Michael, his wife and two young daughters. The concert was a benefit for Michael Weiland's family.

New material previewed included the first single "She Builds Quick Machines," for which the band had shot a video the day before, "The Last Fight," "Get Out the Door" and "Just Sixteen," according to a set list.

The abundance of unfamiliar songs, combined with the show's late start -- 50 minutes behind schedule at 10:50 --was a drain on the crowd. The floor emptied steadily throughout the performance.

Thanks to Chris Pepper: I dunno, perhaps it was hearing VR twice in a week. The energy from the crowd was off or something. Definately didn't feel a good vibe throughout the night. The usual fickle LA crowd? Maybe. Just like last week's set for Yahoo, the new songs were definately the highlight. They sound great and should expect a solid album. The guys definately seem to be enjoying playing especially Slash. He loves to play.

Vasoline was a very pleasent suprise. Though, it was a bit off musically. Plus the tribute to his brother was a nice touch. Not many suprises after seeing them last week.

Scott's getting a bit predictable already and I hope he stops it. Introducing FTP as a song they've never played or you might not remember ala when he'd introduce Plush w/ STP. Also, he always plays the megaphone at the end. Still the best frontman in rock music today.

Thanks to slash_frehley: I'm too tired to write a review but it was amazing.And yeah, Scott did seem a little off on Used To Love Her which is quite possibly why Duff sang the second verse of it. Wish You Were Here with Scott's back turned to the audience and watching the screen with footage of his bro and all had to be one of the most touching live perfomances I have ever seen though. It was just like, it's hard to explain in words, you'd just have to be there.

Thanks to dl8esman119: Freaking awesome show!! As mentioned before, it did take over an hour for VR to come on after the opening band and yes, people were getting really irritated...myself included. C'mon I was out there since 2:45!!!! Got to see Dave, Duff, Slash and Scott walk in! I think Scott went out to the store or something, because he came back with a bag. I was surprised he had no security with him. So fast forward to the show. I thought the band was great. There were some people being stupid on the floor, there was a bit of a scuffle because of some drunk dude. Wish You Were Here was amazing!! You can tell it really got to Scott though, because he was a bit off on Used To Love Her right after and I couldn't help but feel like they might have cut a few songs from the setlist as a result. If anyone managed to get their hands on the setlist let us know. All in all, amazing show! Can't wait for July 3rd and I hope to see them again very soon!

P.S. I managed to take a few pictures with my phone...yeah I know!

Thanks to cc4sc: It's 2am, so I'm not gonna go into details, but great show, although it took over 1 hour for VR to come on after the opener. The fans were excited at first, but then even started booing because the band still wasn't on stage!

The new songs gave me a range of emotions and made me think "wow, this is great!", "well, that was interesting...", "this is a bit heavy for VR", "this is a bit mellow for VR", "this is a bit too bluesy for VR".... But all in all, I like the dynamics of the new songs and the different moods of them.

Question for anyone who was there. Was it just me, but did it seem like VR was tuning down 1/2 step on a lot of songs like the old Gn'R days (Fall To Pieces is 1 step lower to begin with, so that wasn't changed and Slither might have been "drop D on top of 1/2 step flat)? Maybe they didn't, but everything sounded a bit heavier! Maybe it was the sound...

I've never seen Slash use so many different guitars at one gig and many were not Les Pauls. I didn't count, but he must have used 7-8 all together.

Security was pretty laxed. Got my camera in and took a bunch of shots. Many others did as well. The crowd was a bit weak though, especially on the floor.

Saw many many familiar faces in line including Wendybird and In Utero.

Thanks to John: Great show. I really enjoyed it. Of the new stuff, "She Mine" was my favorite. Missed "Crackerman" alot. Always love that one. "Vasoline" was good, but not tight. Overall, incredible show. Everyone was amazing. Can't wait to see them again.

Thanks to OhTheHorror: The band sounded extremely tight tonight. All of the new songs rocked hard... And though I can't go into full details now, I will say this...

Anyone else think Vasoline was really off? I'm coming from the STP camp here and found it interesting they went with Vasoline tonight (especially since Army of Anyone is also playing it). They even jammed it out and extended it a bit (that part was cool, though I couldn't make out what Scott was saying during some of it). But overall the music portion of it was missing all the hooks and kinda sounded all mashed up. Like there were just too many different vibes from each musician and it wasn't really flowing...Rambling...

Regardless, the show was fantastic. Tribute to Scott's brother including video montage of memories during "Wish You Were Here" was beyond touching and genuinely grand on multiple levels.

Uhm, Superhuman solo was sick. Let's see, like above, there was one song I hadn't heard them play at any performance yet..also great... I have extremely high expectations for this album now because if these songs rock live, I can't wait to hear studio versions...

Also, This Fight Could be The Last Fight is destined to be a great hit. Good night.

Thanks to Josh: AWESOME AWESOME SHOW, everyone was on. Scott of course did his thing and Slash was amazing on the solos. During the song Wish you were here, Scott did a little tribute to his brother Michael who passed away by showing a little home film of him and his two kids. It was very touching. But as for the music IT ROCKED! New songs sounded fresh and Vasoline was AMAZING! The Actuals were good too (just had to toss that in there ;) lol