48 Hours in Manchester with Velvet Revolver and the Crue

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Just spent 48 hours in a travel lodge in Manchester, and saw 2 fucking amazing shows whilst I was there.


There's something about Velvet Revolver that I find more appealing than Guns N Roses...dunno what it is, and I know people are gonna tell me I'm a twat for thinking that.

First of all, does this band ever come onstage on time? Last time I saw them they were over 90 minutes late (and they were announced as "the band who put the PUNK into punctuality"), and this time we were left for nearly an hour. Although, judging by the way the lighting crew were fiddling about and looking blankly at each other, they were having lighting troubles. And, when the band finally made it to the stage, the lighting didn't look quite right, methinks they were using an under-par backup system.

Secondly, what is it about hot, humid and sweaty gigs, with a sold out crowd who are hot and bothered and can barely move that makes an atmosphere so great? The best shows I've been to have been under those circumstances. Tonight was much better in the Apollo, a relatively small venue (at least for Velvet Revolver) that holds about 3,500, than in the Manchester MEN Arena last time, which holds about 20,000. Its great when bands decide to do smaller shows every now and then. I recall Slash saying that Axl refused to do a smaller show once they reached stadiums (and a lot of the time he refused to do shows at all).

Ah, yes, SLASH. Probably the last of the rock icons. He just oozed cool on stage. Is he the best guitarist of his time? Probably not. He's actually quite average IMO. But, he's a guitar HERO. Everybodt recognises the hair and the top hat. He is instantly recognisable by most.

The band were tight, the crowd drowned out the vocals on all but the new tracks (which were fucking good, by the way) and everybody left happy...except maybe the lighting technicians.

Let It Roll
Do It For The Kids
Sucker Train Blues
Superhuman
The Last Fight
She Mine
Big Machine
Get Out The Door
Fall To Pieces
Vasoline (Stone Temple Pilots cover)
Just Sixteen
She Builds Quick Machines
Set Me Free
-----------------------------
Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd cover)
It's So Easy (Guns N Roses cover)
-----------------------
Psycho Killer (Talking Heads cover)
Slither


Motley Crue were a surprise. Tommy Lee injured himself somehow so was unable to play drums, so Will Hunt from Evanescence played drums (although Tommy did play on Kickstart My Heart). They looked great and sounded great (according to others, better than the 2005 tour), but just under 90 minutes and no encores? Maybe it was becuase of Tommy's injury, but it seemed a bit short...in fact after the deafening cheers, some people started booing when the house lights came back up.

Ah, well, it was good anyways. Can't believe they managed to get so much pyro into such a smal venue (the same 3,500 capacity venue Velvet Revolver played), I thhout the stage was going to go up in flames during "Wild Side". They were loud as fuck (12 hours since they left the stage and my ears are still ringing) and we were part of a crowd that, as Nikki put it, were louder than them. A couple of times, Vince just stopped singing and let us carry on.

On a side note, and this isn't relavent at all, but one of our happy little group was talking to this major KISS fan during a trip to the bar. He's one pf those lucky bastards who keeps scoring backstage passes and what-not, meeting the band etc...and he said that Paul Stanley is definatley either gay or bisexual.


Intro
Dr Feelgood
Shout At The Devil
Wild Side
Looks That Kill
Live Wire
Same Ol' Situation
Home Sweet Home (Tommy on piano)
Primal Scream
Louder Than Hell
Slut Comes Onstage to Give Vince a Guitar Blues (thats what I've named it anyways)
Don't Go Away Mad
Girls Girl Girls
Anarchy In The UK
Mick Mars Solo
Kickstart My Heart (Tommy on drums)



VELVET REVOLVER

Duff enters the venue

<a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2036241990">Duff Mckagan</a><br><embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" flashvars="m=2036241990&type=video" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430" height="346"></embed><br><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&videoid=2036241990&title=Duff Mckagan">Add to My Profile</a> | <a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home"> More Videos</a>

Do It For The Kids

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Slash Being Cool

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Wish You Were Here

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MOTLEY CRUE

Enter (can't hear a thing but explosion is cool)

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Home Sweet Home (we're so loud that Vince doesn't even bother singing)

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Tommy Cameo

<a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2036242891">TOMMY LEE</a><br><embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" flashvars="m=2036242891&type=video" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430" height="346"></embed><br><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&videoid=2036242891&title=TOMMY LEE">Add to My Profile</a> | <a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home"> More Videos</a>


Louder Than Hell (can't hear a thing but pyro is cool)

<a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2036243046">Motley Crue Louder Than Hell</a><br><embed src="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" flashvars="m=2036243046&type=video" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="430" height="346"></embed><br><a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.addToProfileConfirm&videoid=2036243046&title=Motley Crue Louder Than Hell">Add to My Profile</a> | <a href="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.home"> More Videos</a>

[binnie]

Hey Shaun, I couldn't make the Crue show due to finances and not really being able to afford the time away from my Phd, but was in the standing section for Velvet Revolver and I agree with your review entirely - fucking incredible.

The new material blows the shit out of the last album (which I love): it's rawer, yet less aggressive, has more of a groove to it and Weiland actually bothered to write some decent lyrics this time around.

I hear a lot of Cheap Trick on the arrangments and vocal melodies in particular, but with that bluesy/sleezy tone. Really good stuff.

The perfomance was very strong, IMO, but they have been the last two times I've seen them. And yes Slash is cool as fuck, and as for his guitar playing I but him in the angus Young league: not an amazing fret wanker, but knows how to belt out a solo; flashy enough, but doesn't make the solo the be all and end all, but uses it rather to take the song up a notch.

I actually met Duff Mckagan for the second time before the show. What a great guy. I told him I thought the cover of Psycho Killer was great, even though it sounded like an awful idea when I heard they were gonna do it, and Duff said he wants to cover Thin Lizzy's "Thunder and Lightning" next.

Slash and co. didn't come out for signing before the show though, probalby becasue most of the band didn't start arriving until 6.30 (might explain why they were a little late on, but 9.20 isn't that bad). Scott Weiland in tiny!

Glad the Crue were good, shame I couldn't get to see 'em again.

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Where was ya?

I was by the desk (always the best place to stand, best view/best sound).

I think they are more comfortable with each other now than they were a few years ago, so they've been able to write material more as a unit than they did for the last album. The last one was a grower, this looks like its gonna be a grabber. Picked up the single...less overdubs on Scott's vocals, certainly much rawer.

I fucking KNEW if they got a good arrangement for "Psyco Killer" they'd fucking NAIL it. The lyrics just suit them so well. Actually, I think Scott sounds a bit like Jim Morrison on the studio version.

Standing by the desk, it really looked like they were having trouble with the lights. I've worked lights about a million times for various projects, and I know that blank look where you have no idea what's going on.


Thunder and Lightnin' eh? Again, if they do it right...

Speaking of CHEAP TRICK and VELVET REVOLVER's covers, actually, I really liked their version of "Surrender".

You fucking missed out on the Crue though. They were on fire (almost literally with all the pyrotechnics on that little stage). Even though Tommy couldn't play the set (and when he started to on "kickstart My Heart" it sounded like shit for a short while until the song started properly). Ears didn't stop ringing until a few hours ago. The guy from Evanescence actually did quite a good job.

[binnie]

I was kind of centre-left of the stnading, sounded great from I was (ears hurt afterwards, which is always good).

They definatley look more like a band that works together (although they all travel separately), but to me Dave Kushner looked disninterested, except during Vaseline (which I thought was great, I actually prefer them doing STP to GNR, and missed Sex Type Thing and Crackerman).

The EP is fantastic, the two new songs are really, really classic, IMO. It's not often I get excited about new music these days, but those tunes did the business, and the stuff they aired on Monday sounded just as good.

I would have loved to have seen the Crue again: when I was waiting by the stage doors, two of the guys from the venue were botching about all of the pyro the Crue were bringing, it was clearly a major problem!

But, like I said time/money problems. Getting older does that.

But, Ozzy next week, which I'm still looking forward too.

And Metallica at Wembley - which should be fantastic.

[Shaun Ponsonby]

Definatley miss "Crackerman"...such an underrated song.

[binnie]

"And I think I think too much"

3000 people bang their heads as the breakdown kicks in!


Damn right it's underrated....