April Charlton/Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, August 2, 2006 12:00 am
When Velvet Revolver shot onto the main stage Sunday night at the California Mid-State Fair, it was reminiscent of seeing Guns n? Roses live in Seattle in 1991.
The only differences are Scott Weiland, the former lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots who now fronts Velvet Revolver, looks nothing like G&R front man Axl Rose, and the two sound nothing alike.
That aside, seeing Velvet Revolver was much like watching G&R perform so long ago, and neither was a bad thing; quite the opposite, both bands rocked, now and then.
Velvet Revolver played an 11-song set spanning a range of songs from their debut album, BContraband,C mixing it up with hits from G&R, Stone Temple Pilots, The Doors and Pink Floyd.
BWe are Velvet Revolver and we play rock ?n? roll,C Weiland told a screaming crowd after playing the ballad BFall to PiecesC and the first G&R song of the night, BIt?s So Easy.C
The crowd went absolutely wild when the band broke into BIt?s So EasyC and again when they played BMr. BrownstoneC during a second encore, where they were joined by No Doubt drummer Adrian Young.
Being an Axl Rose fan, I figured Weiland couldn?t pull off G&R songs, but the former STP front man got it done and did it well; he rocks and rocks hard.
It probably helps that he?s backed by three former G&R members 8 Slash on lead guitar, Duff McKagan on bass guitar and Matt Sorum on drums 8 but Weiland is entertaining in his own right. His command of the stage shows he definitely belongs in front of a rock ?n? roll band.
As far as Slash, McKagan and Sorum go, the guys can still rock it out. Velvet Revolver guitarist Dave Kushner, who played in the ?80s punk band Wasted Youth, is also a good fit with the other four.
Slash knows how to make his guitar sing, whether playing behind his back or while lying on stage, both of which he did Sunday, leaving fans screaming for more. And more they got.
Velvet Revolver played for more than 90 minutes, never letting up, even when they slowed it down for a ballad and performed just like a rock ?n? roll band should 8 loud and long.
Having seen Velvet Revolver and Scott Weiland live, I might just like Weiland more than Axl Rose; sorry, Axl, but the days of G&R are over, and there are five new guns in town.