May 24, 2005 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete's Times Forum

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General Information

Date: May 24, 2005
Location: Tampa, FL
Venue: St. Pete's Times Forum; 401 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (813) 301-2500
Additional Info: Support Act: Modern Day Zero and Hoobastank

Set List

• Sucker Train Blues
• Do it For The Kids
• Headspace
• Superhuman
• Crackerman
• Illegal I
• Fall To Pieces
• Dirty Little Thing
• Big Machine
• It's So Easy
• Sex Type Thing
• Set Me Free
• Wish You Were Here
• You Got No Right
• Mr. Brownstone
• Slither

Reviews (7) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Tampa show ]

Thanks to Evan: The first thing I noticed was the average age of the crowd in attendance. Falling somewhere between 30 and 50 years young, the crowd energy level was somewhat subdued. Imagine seeing your dad in a Metallica concert shirt. The women attending (again with an average age in the late 30's) were absolutely hot, hot, hot and dressed to impress (which is not very conducive to crowd surfing). About the show: the sound was awful, especially for the first three songs of the apparently road weary Velvet Revolver. But, maybe because I was about 6 rows from center stage, the guitars sounded shallow and muddy and the vocals faint. Slash's guitar playing was marginal but entertaining with the blistering riffs few and far between. Scott Weiland carries all the charisma and professional stage presence of Jagger, Bowie and Iggy Pop slithering and prancing seductivly, barely losing eye contact with the audience. I've rarely seen a singer able to move so fluid like around stage. The bullhorn was a nice touch but failed to project thru the sorry sound system. Duff looked great, aging pretty well as a rock star and giving that "nod" to a couple of hotties in the audience to hit the side stage entrance just like the old days. At times, Duff, a bit off tempo and a hap-hazard on the start of one song he's still a star player. Matt Sorum played strong but stayed virtually un-noticed and never did bang that gong set up behind the throne of his kit. Rhythm guitarist, Dave Kushner is a fine guitar player, but is an odd fit for this band and seems conscious not to enter the other rock stars personal space on stage. The crowd was most responsive to the G-n-R and STP stuff. Of course the crowd enjoyed the change up with the Wish You Were Here cover and was one of the few songs that sounded pretty good. Velvet Revolver did pull off a really strong finish wrapping up with Slither. This is a fine super group that is sure to be alot more fun with a Cleveland crowd or a smaller venue. All in all it was a great show but I'm glad I didn't have to pay for tickets. One last dig... if you are over 40, get a long board and hit the beach, don't try to surf Velvet Revolver's crowd.

Thanks to Shawn Webb: WOW, Slash and crew were totally mind blowing. The guitars were awesome and the band was great. Best show I have ever seen. Pure rock n roll man!! I took 150 + pics and they are absolutly awesome. I got one of Slash's cigarette butts {I'm a big fan}. Just a little pissed that I didn't get a guitar pick. Oh well. Worth every penny for the v.i.p tickets. Velvet Revolver rocks.

Thanks to Dennis: I give this show a B-. I saw them in Orlando in December at the Hard Rock Live venue and it was amazing.

The boys seemed to be tired from the tour, which is understandable. I'm a huge Weiland fan, but his vocals on "Do it for the kids" and "Big Machine" were lack-luster. During the encore, "Slither", Scott sang the entire first verse out of time with the rest of the band. And, he has gone into the crowd for EVERY show, except for Tampa. Dave Kushner was tired didn't move much, Matt Sorum had an obvious bad attitude.

Velvet Revolver is by far my favorite band and my critizim means nothing, but I expected a little more from the band. Still, overall a good show. I can't wait to see them again.

Thanks to Kevin Duhas: This show probably tied Smashing Pumpkins circa 1997 as the absolute worst thing ever on stage. There was a lot of potential here and it was really sad to see the waste of talent. I primarily blame the sound techs and the Forum in general. When they did "Wish You Were Here" it sounded great, mostly becasue of the toned down volume. Everything was much clearer on that song. Then it went right back to muddy nonsense on the next song. I really hope these guys get it together and play a better venue (Ford Amp) next time they are here.

Thanks to Adam: This is my third time and I must say it gets better every time. The band seems to really enjoy what they are trying to achieve and they're definitely dominating the rock scene. For all those skeptics that like to bring them down, they can eat their f'n words because this band is reaching out to a diverse population of fans. The energy, quality of music, and their ability to captivate a crowd will continue to take them to the top. I'm proud to see so many people rock out to Velvet Revolver. What an experience!!!!!

In regards to the Tampa article, I wonder if the person was at the show because this band was incredibly tight and sounded amazing. To hell with the skeptics!!!!

Thanks to Hammy: All I can say is WOW!!! I have been to a lot of concerts over the years, but Velvet Revolver ROCKS!! Best Rock and Roll show I have ever seen. The setlist is the same as the other shows. These guys gave 110% for an hour and a half and they did not disappoint. The crowd level was a little questionable, but for the people that were there, they saw legends performing at their best. Great show, can't wait to see them again. In closing, the ears are still ringing and it was worth every penny.

Thanks to Curtis Ross from TBO: They definitely look like rock stars, those Velvet Revolver guys.

Singer Scott Weiland, prancing like a guttersnipe Freddie Mercury in his leathers and military cap, oozed reptilian charm.

Lead guitarist Slash, face obscured by corkscrew curls, played magnificently and posed like an icon.

They were, most of them, rock stars before their current band, Weiland fronting Stone Temple Pilots and Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum in Guns n' Roses.

Adding well-connected rhythm guitarist Dave Kushner, Velvet Revolver was the rock success story of 2004, with debut album, ``Contraband,'' making its Billboard chart debut at No. 1.

Live on Tuesday before an announced crowd of 7,206, however, the band proved to be more potential than greatness.

There were moments, such as the extended jam on ``Illegal I,'' which loosened up the band considerably after a stiff start. The ballad, ``Fall to Pieces,'' featured Weiland's most impassioned vocal.

Weiland's voice, however, sounded weak and wavered badly on such tunes as ``Do It For the Kids'' and ``Dirty Little Thing,'' where his singing sank the songs' choruses.

Despite the constant motion of the band's front line, save for Kushner, the show lacked energy.

The band members seemed to be playing at the same time, but not truly together.

The typically bad Forum sound - muddy bass with a compensatory layer of shrill highs - didn't help.

Although the band's ballads fared better, Velvet Revolver's rock numbers sound half- baked.

This was made plain when it trotted out Guns n' Roses' ``It's So Easy,'' which hit like a fist to the chest.

When an anthemlike take on Stone Temple Pilots' ``Sex Type Thing'' followed, it was obvious the new band's songwriting still needs to jell.