Download Festival 2005: Velvet Revolver - 11th June 2005
Setlist: Sucker Train Blues / Do it For The Kids / Headspace / Superhuman / Fall To Pieces / Dirty Little Thing / Big Machine / It's So Easy / Sex Type Thing / Set Me Free / Wish You Were Here // Mr. Brownstone / Slither
Back in January, I wrote some scathing comments about Scott Weiland. What’s more, in my not so humble opinion, they were all perfectly justified. I have never wanted to be so wrong about a band, but Velvet Revolver’s Manchester show was spoiled by the inability of Weiland to perform, for whatever reason there may have been. When I discovered that the Velves would be appearing at Donington this year, I was always going to come for the Saturday, no matter what.
Why? I hear you mumble. What? Only a few paragraphs above you wrote that you wouldn’t stand around watching a band you didn’t like. You losing you mind, Oh Mighty One? No, little pigs, I am not losing my grip on virtual reality.
Back in January, I wrote some scathing comments about Scott Weiland. What’s more, in my not so humble opinion, they were all perfectly justified. I have never wanted to be so wrong about a band, but Velvet Revolver’s Manchester show was spoiled by the inability of Weiland to perform, for whatever reason there may have been. When I discovered that the Velves would be appearing at Donington this year, I was always going to come for the Saturday, no matter what.
Why? I hear you mumble. What? Only a few paragraphs above you wrote that you wouldn’t stand around watching a band you didn’t like. You losing you mind, Oh Mighty One? No, little pigs, I am not losing my grip on virtual reality.
I was so looking forward to seeing VR back in January and it gutted me like a catfish to write my previous review. My only escape route back to sanity was that it was just a bad night for Scott, and that it was a one-off. I was always going to give him, and them, a second chance. The Contraband CD is so good, I couldn’t believe that the show I saw was representative of this, on paper, awesome band.
One of the other things that royally pissed me off in January was the audience. Each and every one of the conversations that filtered through to me (and, sadly, this was also the case here at Donington too) involved the words: Guns ‘n’ Roses. Why? OK, three of these guys used to be in GnR, so? Contraband is a fine CD in its own right and is one of the best debut releases I’ve ever heard. Whilst little Billy Rose is off trying to pretend it’s still 1990, having his face tightened, his skin peeled, and gluing what looks like gorilla’s ass-hair onto his scalp, Slash and co have been hard at work, recording something that has echoes of the past, as you would expect, but also exhibits enough of a new sound to be truly original and ground-breaking. Go and see them for this reason, you Jackasses! You can go and see a covers band anytime.
Anyhoo, enough bitching. You want to know what I thought of Velvet Revolver, huh?
Come Saturday evening, as HIM wheeled Vallo back to his coffin, and roadies readied the stage for Velvet Revolver, I was really getting quite worked up about the imminent appearance of LA’s bad boys. What if they were a big bunch of toss this time?
One of the other things that royally pissed me off in January was the audience. Each and every one of the conversations that filtered through to me (and, sadly, this was also the case here at Donington too) involved the words: Guns ‘n’ Roses. Why? OK, three of these guys used to be in GnR, so? Contraband is a fine CD in its own right and is one of the best debut releases I’ve ever heard. Whilst little Billy Rose is off trying to pretend it’s still 1990, having his face tightened, his skin peeled, and gluing what looks like gorilla’s ass-hair onto his scalp, Slash and co have been hard at work, recording something that has echoes of the past, as you would expect, but also exhibits enough of a new sound to be truly original and ground-breaking. Go and see them for this reason, you Jackasses! You can go and see a covers band anytime.
Anyhoo, enough bitching. You want to know what I thought of Velvet Revolver, huh?
Come Saturday evening, as HIM wheeled Vallo back to his coffin, and roadies readied the stage for Velvet Revolver, I was really getting quite worked up about the imminent appearance of LA’s bad boys. What if they were a big bunch of toss this time?
Well, I am overjoyed to report that they were, like, totally awesome, dude!
Coming on after HIM, they were a breath of fresh air, rocking Donington Park in the grand old style, and making the previous band on that stage look like children by comparison. Whereas HIM had dressed mainly in black and played maudlin little doom and gloom love songs with their cutesy little heartagram backdrop, the Velves came on stage, pouting and posing beneath their huge, red, cheap, nasty, illuminated VELVET REVOLVER Sunset Strip whorehouse sign. Weiland elicited a huge roar from the crowd, as soon as he strutted on stage, by saying that we should [forget about] Download, because this was DONINGTON! And then, they unceremoniously cranked out some dirty, disgusting, debased, debauched and depraved, full-blooded, grown up Rock ‘n Fucking Roll, man! Ninety minutes of unadulterated cock rock as good as you’ll witness on a stage, eeeeeeever.
Weiland camped it up for all he was worth, strutting, mincing and shaking his ass all over Donington, resplendent in his SS uniform, but today he was different; he came to play with the big boys. His voice was great and he sang the songs like I was expecting. He didn’t over use his megaphone; in short, he was the undoubted star of the show. During the STP song, Sex Type Thing, he even ventured down the centre stage no-mans land, way out into the crowd to show off his bod to the ladies (and some fellas too, I should imagine!) Basically, Scott Weiland performed the opposite of how he had in Manchester 6 months ago.
Coming on after HIM, they were a breath of fresh air, rocking Donington Park in the grand old style, and making the previous band on that stage look like children by comparison. Whereas HIM had dressed mainly in black and played maudlin little doom and gloom love songs with their cutesy little heartagram backdrop, the Velves came on stage, pouting and posing beneath their huge, red, cheap, nasty, illuminated VELVET REVOLVER Sunset Strip whorehouse sign. Weiland elicited a huge roar from the crowd, as soon as he strutted on stage, by saying that we should [forget about] Download, because this was DONINGTON! And then, they unceremoniously cranked out some dirty, disgusting, debased, debauched and depraved, full-blooded, grown up Rock ‘n Fucking Roll, man! Ninety minutes of unadulterated cock rock as good as you’ll witness on a stage, eeeeeeever.
Weiland camped it up for all he was worth, strutting, mincing and shaking his ass all over Donington, resplendent in his SS uniform, but today he was different; he came to play with the big boys. His voice was great and he sang the songs like I was expecting. He didn’t over use his megaphone; in short, he was the undoubted star of the show. During the STP song, Sex Type Thing, he even ventured down the centre stage no-mans land, way out into the crowd to show off his bod to the ladies (and some fellas too, I should imagine!) Basically, Scott Weiland performed the opposite of how he had in Manchester 6 months ago.
Whilst Slash and the boys are always excellent, as strange as it may sound, Weiland can, and did, make the difference, elevating Velvet Revolver to the next level. Taking into account their performance, and judging by the reaction of the sizeable audience they attracted, VR could quite easily headline this event next year.
I am so pleased to be able to finally write the review I wanted to write, back at the beginning of the year. On any given day, Velvet Revolver has proved to me that they are one of the hottest acts in the world today. They may not have the vibrant, angry, young thing going on, that G’n’R had back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, but they do have experience, stagecraft and a great set of songs that more than makes up for it. Do yourself a favour and see this band. If you don’t do it for yourself, Do It For The Kids!
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
14th June 2005
I am so pleased to be able to finally write the review I wanted to write, back at the beginning of the year. On any given day, Velvet Revolver has proved to me that they are one of the hottest acts in the world today. They may not have the vibrant, angry, young thing going on, that G’n’R had back in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, but they do have experience, stagecraft and a great set of songs that more than makes up for it. Do yourself a favour and see this band. If you don’t do it for yourself, Do It For The Kids!
Mark L. Potts
The God of Thunder
14th June 2005