May 28, 2004 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

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General Information

Date: May 28, 2004
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Venue: Electric Factory; 421 N. 7TH ST.; Philadelphia, PA 19123 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: 215-627-1332
Additional Info: Support Act: Living Things. This show sold out in less than two minutes, cause of Ticketmaster's fault to set a ticket limit of '50' per person.

Thanks to Mick Rockster for the Aftershow Pass scan!

Set List

• Sucker Train Blues
• Do It for the Kids
• Headspace
• Crackerman
• Illegal I
• It's So Easy
• Fall To Pieces
• Big Machine
• Set Me Free
• Used to Love Her
• Slither
• Sex Type Thing
• Mr. Brownstone
• Negative Creep

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

Thanks to Nick from KNAC.com: Going to this concert I really didn't know what to expect, besides the single "Slither" that is playing on all the radio stations around and a few GNR classics, but this was one of those concerts that you see once in a lifetime that just makes you say wow.

Scott Weiland easily gives Axl a run for his money and I was at Axl's last show at Madison Square Garden (December 5, 2002). This concert by far was way better then Axl, but don't get me wrong: Axl Rose is isane to hear, if he ever comes around again I recommend you see him at least once. Now anyways the opening act, Living Things, was okay. I really was expecting them to suck, but they weren't bad. Now after that it took about an hour for Velvet Revolver to come on stage and Scott stole one of Axl's old lines, "You wanted the best, but they couldn't make it, now here's what you get -- from HOLLYWOOD, Velvet Revolver!" (It used to be GNR). I believe the first song they played was "Sucker Train Blues," but I can't be sure since the album isn't out yet and the only songs I know are "Set Me Free" and "Slither" by heart. Now this was a show for Metal fans -- every single song was mindblowingly awesome. I'd say the weakest song on the album is "Slither" and that says something. In their set the guys played "It's So Easy," "Used To Love Her" and Mr. Brownstone from GNR hits. They also ran through the STP songs "Sex Type Thing" and "Crackerman," and the Nirvana song "Negative Creep." This show lasted about 90 minutes to two hours and every song they played made me proud to be a metal fan. The guys still got it -- Slash, Duff, Matt, Scott especially and Dave are all set for rock stardom again, and they are all really cool guys. Me and a friend of mine waited outside of the show and got Duff's, Matt's, Dave's and Slash's autographs. I even had a short conversation with Slash and he was a really nice guy -- he signed more autographs than any of the guys in the band. I wanted to get Scott's but he only signed 3 or 4 people's posters and things since his wife was calling him on his cell phone about something.

All in all I'll never forget that night getting to see some of the greatest rock stars who ever lived making rock 'n roll again that reminds me of the same F YOU attitude of Appetite . Get yourself down to a record store and buy Contraband -- it's easily one of the best rock 'n roll albums in years.

Thanks to Heather: God, this show was so cool! The band was amazing. The place was packed and bodies were moving to the music. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The only thing that would have made it better was if I could have seen it after I'd heard the album.

Thanks to Kristen: This show is definitely in my top 10 of shows I've seen, and believe me, I've seen many shows over the years. Scott was on top of his game, hotter than ever and with more energy than I have ever seen him display. The mix of talent in this band more than works and proves that rock and roll is still alive! Scott is more than a lead singer, he is a performer in every sense of the word. It was great to see Slash and Duff again...their sound was amazing and really pumped up the crowd. I pushed my way up towards the front and was stepped on a few times but it was worth every bruise on my tiny little feet! If you haven't seen them you have to experience what we all did on Friday night. I ended up getting my tickets last minute on the internet and I feel lucky to have caught them so early on in the tour...truly one of the best nights I have experienced in quite some time. Thanks guys for a great show!

Thanks to Jen: Being a long time fan of STP I was extremely disappointed over their breakup but was excited about the opportunity to see Scott Weiland in this newly formed band. 'Slither' has a familiar STP sound to it. Well, that was before the show. First, they had the balls to make us wait an hour before coming on, then the sound was horrible. You couldn't understand anything that was coming out of Scott and all you heard was the mind-numbing bad guitar solo's from Slash with every song. I hated it. And I think that Scott Weiland will gain the fans of GnR and lose all the STP followers. It is GnR with a new singer. It is a competition of Slash, Duff and Scott. At least STP let Scott do his incredible movement all over the stage and DeLeo's guitar solo's were short and so perfectly played.

Velvet Revolver is the new GnR and I can't see why anyone would be excited over that....

Thanks to Andrea: Scott, you are amazing.........the concert was unbelievable. Went with a group of die heart STP fans. Everyone loved the show was never that into Guns and Roses, but the band with Scott on mike was right on. Scott sounded better than Axl ever did. 'Slither' busted the house, Philly fans are the best. Hope to see you at A.C. next month.

Thanks to Rick Eaches: I got there at 4:30 and was surprised that I was about the 50th person in line. By the time the doors openned the line stretched out to Win Dixie. I honestly didn't pay much attention to the opening band and I heard mixed reviews after the show about them. I think the highlight of the night was the "Axl sucks" chant that emerged (pure Philly moment!) and then Slash said something along the lines of: "Let's forget the red one". Also, Fall To Pieces was amazing...along with the rest of the set, but that was my highlight. Anything else I would type has already been said so until next type, Rock On!

Thanks to Whirlwind Girl: I sit here with a huge smile on my face as I think of last night. I describe the euphoria in my soul at the sight of such talented musicians and songwriters and performers. I stood in the second row in the mob between Scott Weiland's & Slash's microphones. All of them played right to us. Scott Weiland has been a major inspiration since I first saw STP in 1996. I saw GNR in 1992 and had been an obsessive listener since 1988. So to see these guys like this was a true gift. If anyone has pictures, I would love to see them.

I must say the best memory I have of last night is of Duff and Slash smiling at each other after each song as if to silently say, "this is why we do this". They don't have to make names for themselves. That hard part of working their way up the club circuit has been over for a long time. They are up there doing what they love. That was just so cool to see.

Thanks to Ryan K. Smith: I was one of the luckiest people last night to witness the beautiful explosion of the super group Velvet Revolver. It was clear that all the God's that this universe contains stepped aside last night and let the stars of Velvet Revolver run the world. I have seen Scott Weiland before, but no time was he more on point and emotional than this great show. Slash was someone whom I never thought existed until last night. He was honestly more spectacular than I thought he would be. Before the show a roadie came out and put Slash's top hat on his Marshall Stack, and the crowd went nuts. It was incredible to hear 3,000 people scream over seeing someone's hat. I knew I was in for a treat after that. The setlist was the same as it has been throughout the tour and it was never boring or short of breath. There were two songs in particular that will clearly be favorites to all who but the album. Headspace, and Fall to Pieces. They will go down in the category with Plush, Interstae Love Song, Sweet Child, November Rain, and Welcome to the jungle. Velvet Revolver put on the best rock show I have ever experienced and if Scott stays straight, Velvet Revolver will go down in history as one of the most influential and remarkable bands of all time in rock n roll music.

Thanks to Justin: What an amazing show!!! I know everyone's been saying it in the reviews and it's been sounding cliched as of lates, but holy s***, it's so true.

I was right up front the whole night on the right side of the stage. From what I was noticing, that's where most of the action was happening. Scott kept coming right in the face of the crowd and it was unbelievable. Same with Slash. Slash chilled on this side of the stage most of the night and he was amazing. Having Guns N' Roses being my favorite band, there was nothing more exciting then seeing Slash in arms length of me. The highlight of the night for me was Slash doing the guitar solo for It's So Easy right in front of my face. That's a moment I'll never forget. Scott's stage presence was awesome, the man has, still, and from my guessing will always know how to rock the f*** out on stage.

Living Things sucked. The only thing I was enjoying about the band was the drummer. He was pretty cool. The lead singer was horrible though and I mean horrible.

Contraband will be a great CD. From what I heard last night, it's going to be huge. And if it's not, we know music has truly gone to the shitter. I was expecting the new songs to be good, but they went way beyond my expectations. "Fall to Pieces" was really good. "Big Machine" I remember was a pretty rocking tune. I can't put together the songs with the titles, I was just enjoying myself to much to remember what songs were which.

"Sex Type Thing" was awesome!!!! When that end came up where the music just went apeshit, the crowd was going insane! Same with "Slither" and "Set Me Free". They totally rocked those songs out with awesome alternate versions. "Crackerman" was really cool. And of course, all three Guns songs were great! It's So Easy was so much fun! So was Brownstone.

Right before Used to Love Her, everyone started a loud Axl sucks chant. Then Slash came out by himself and said something to this effect:

"I just found out tonight that he screwed you guys a while back, but let me tell you, that's not us. We are two totally different things and let's just forget about the red-headed one."

Being that I went to that new Guns Philly show where Axl didn't show up, that was funny to hear.

Anywayz, that's all I got to say before I start to just ramble. I recommend this concert to any fan of music. It's just an unbeleievable expreience.

Oh and BTW, if you don't like pits breaking out and being crushed during a concert, don't go to the front of the floor to this band. Because that's exactly what I experienced last night, but I'm not complaining, it was fun. But I did see some people all being pissed and complaining because of this, and I'm wondering, "What the f*** did you expect?"

Thanks to Booker Floyd: The show was just incredible, as I expected. I was at the very front of the right stage, about 9 or 10 (maybe less) feet away from Slash, and the whole entire experience was simply surreal. I remember reading that Slash sometimes drools while playing, and I think it's true. It's possible that it was sweat (it was puring from his hair), but it looked like spit to me. That man is focused.

I was a little annoyed by the audiences pushing and being generally cramped up...but it's a rock and roll show, so I accepted it. The energy was unbelievable, quite a few crowd surfers, especially toward the end. I was also shocked at how many hot females were in attendance. The band sounded great, however like many have noted, it's extremely loud and Scotts vocals are unintelligable for most of the performance. My ears are still ringing. Because of this, it's impossible for me to say anything about the new songs, other than they rock very hard. "Fall To Pieces" was obviously the most audible song of the night and I liked what I heard a lot. "Sucker Train Blues" sounded great. Awesome intro on that one. "Illegal I" was one of the highlights. Incredibly heavy riffs and Matts machine-gun drumming on it is . "Slither" owned the night. The absolute highlight of the evening was when the riff kicked back in after the second breakdown - the place just exploded. Everybody was singing along to it, moreso than any other song of the night. "Sex Type Thing" was highlight #2. Scott had the whole building clapping along. "Its So Easy" got a big reaction too. "Set Me Free" was spectacular. One of the great moments of the show was the band forming a circle during that song, as if they were a league of superheros about to combine forces or something. Seeing Slash and Dave take center stage in what seemed almost like a guitar duel was similarly awesome. Other huge responses included "Crackerman" and the top hat's appearenca. Right before "Used To Love Her," the inevitable "Axl sucks" chant broke out. Slash took center stage, grabbed the mic and playfully told the crowd "Hey! Shut up!" He pointed to a guy and the front and said "you probably started that one!" He was very cool about the whole thing, saying "I just got word that you guys kinda got screwed, but that's not us. We really like being here." He said something to the effect of Velvet Revolver not having anything to do with all of that, "...so just let it go. But were about to play something that kinda is by them...but no more about the redhead." You have to hear the audio, because I'm only paraphrasing. He handled it in a very cool way. The whole band was great. Slash was Slash. Scott was amazing. He's relentless on stage and endlessy interesting to watch. Several times he would come right up to the railing and hold onto the fans while singing. He was extremely engaging, doing all of the writhing/dancing/humping that we've come to know and love/hate. I actually wished he would have done more talking (his short interludes consisted merely of "This is music to fuck to!," except for "Fall To Pieces," which he described as a sad story with a happy ending.) He did some sucking up to Philly, as did Slash and Matt - both saying that it was definitely one of their most anticipated shows, Philly has the best crowd and they love playing there. "Crackerman" was introduced as a "song by...Marilyn Manson." Theres little question in my mind that all things considered, right now, Scott Weiland is the best rock frontman out there. Duff was extremely fun to watch. It wasn't hard to tell how much he enjoyed what he was doing, smiling at everybody he looked at. He threw a couple picks out...I unfortunately missed one by millimeters. Slash's picks were pilered right off the head of his guitar, Matt gave out drumsticks. You could see the passion in every one of those guys faces. They truly invested everything in their playing. Dave Kushner is always overlooked, for obvious reasons, but there's no knocking his playing or presence. He's great - running and bouncing around all over the stage and generally just rocking hard. Matt ended the show by banging his gong. An excellent show and everything I expected. Sorry for not going more into detail about the new songs, but it's just impossible to form any opinions on songs I'm completely unfamiliar with, in that setting. Between the surreal experience of being feet away from these guys, being caught up in the moment, insane volume, muffled vocals, etc. etc... the new material, except for the ballad, was mostly just a blur. I will say that on a strictly superficial level, I liked what I heard.

Now I'm hoping to see these guys in arenas...I'd love to see them live, with better sound and without hundreds of sweaty overzealous guys cramped up and pushing. However, I appreciate the experience of seeing them in such an intimate venue. Its certainly not a common thing to see guys of that stature performing in such small venues and they couldn't have gone about this whole tour in a better way. I'm stunned they've made it this far. A few months ago, I never thought these guys touring so soon was even a possibility. And when it did become a possibility, I was extremely doubtful it would become a reality...I never thought Scott would pull it off. I'm thankful that he did, and hope that he and the band continue their success.

Thanks to Ryan Kramer: At first I wasn't real sure how well Scott and the Gunners would mesh on stage, but once they started it seemed at though they've been playing together for 10 years and for me rock lives again! The energy that all members of the band executed was mindblowing. The way that they looked into the crowd and pointing at single people, myself included, (Duff) really made us feel like we were part of the show. My ears are, literaly, still ringing. It was by far the best rock show I have ever been to. And I'll be seeing them again in A.C.

Thanks to Jumbo: Rock and Roll is back and it never sounded better. This show was so full of energy. It was raw, in your face, we don't give a ^%^& what you think music. It's a shame the album doesn't come out until June 8. Anyway, the show was awesome with the highlights being It's So Easy, Fall To Pieces, and Crackerman. Slash came out by himself to start their second set with words about Axl. He promised this band will always show up and not run out "like the little red head" did at the First Union Center. That got the crowd chanting F%$# Axl. It was a little comic relief. Anyway, the show was unreal and go see them if you get the chance.

Thanks to Scott Epstein: I must say what an absolutely amazing show. Show started at 8:30. I was there at 4:30 with my guitar in hand waiting out back for some autographs or pictures. The security kicked us all out by 7:30. There were only about 20 people back there. These police officers showed up at 6:15 walked right in the back and got there ticket book signed by the band. Where were there VIP badges?
Anyways on to the show. Living Things were the opening act. They played for 25 minutes. By the end of the show they were getting booed. Velvet Revolver hit the stage at 9:55 and they rocked right into Sucker Train Blues. It was so amazing. Next they ran right into Do it for the Kids and Headspace. Slash was smiling and the band was so..tight. Scott then says he's going to do a song but he won't say the band's name."CRACKERMAN"! The place went nuts. They then played Illegal I which was a good song and then did an awesome version of It's So Easy. Fall to Pieces is an amazing song. I had never heard it before but I'm sure it will be a hit. They then closed the set with Big Machine and Set Me Free. During the break an Axl sucks chants starts and the band returns with Slash saying "Let's let it go and leave the red head alone". They play Used to Love Her. After Used To Love Her Duff get on the Mic and starts a Scott rules Chant. Slither was next. Followed by Sex Type Thing. I thought the place was going to explode. They come back out and played two more songs Mr. Brownstone and Negative Creep. Scott didn't look like he was in a real good mood but the band totally rocked.

Then I went to the back again where the tour bus was and waited from 11:30 until 1:45 until the band came out. Duff came out first and signed my guitar. Dave followed and did the same. Scott was rushed on to the bus but he signed right before he got on. 3 girls that were next to me went inside. They came out with Slash's signature on there boobs. Finally at 1:45 Slash came out and basically signed everyone that was out there. I couldn't believe it. I had just met Slash and my guitar got signed. I gave him my brother's business card that he is opening in Manayunk. He's like we'll have to check it out when we come back in. Last was Matt he signed as well along with Slash's guitar tech..They then boarded there bus and drove away. What a night!!! Come back soon Velvet Revolver!!

Thanks to Kristen: I have to say several times I was pretty sure I was gonna die and I couldn't think of a better place to have kicked the bucket than seeing my favorite band. Me and my friend being just over 5 feet tall were one of few girls on the floor that I could see pretty much got crushed. But the pain was worth it. The set kicked ass. Great preview of the new disc and some old goodies. The opening act I could have done without. Really could go on forever probably...but just go see them if you haven't. The reviews just don't do them justice. Can't wait till they come back!

Thanks to Joseph Rose: Holy shit. Velvet Revolver is a rock n'roll band. And I mean a real friggin rock n roll band. Scott Weiland said it best last night when he said "we wanna bring back songs you can fuck to". I barely know where to start with this whole show... it totally ruled in every way. First of all the last time I got to see Slash, Duff and Matt, they were on stage at the Philadelphia Spectrum at the start of the Use Your Illusion tour I think. Skid Row opened that show. I never expected to be within arms reach of Slash when he tore into the solo on "It's So Easy", but that's exactly where I was last night and I damn near peed myself. From the very moment these guys took the stage I felt almost kind of emotional. They just said all the right things and looked exactly the right way as they said em. Oh man, speaking of... they all looked great. Every friggin one of the guys is now totally ripped to the hilt, despite years of extreme substance abuse. Scott may still be on the fence but the rest of the boys; Slash and Duff especially, overcame some pretty serious shit. So like, Guns 'N' Roses had a huge impact on my life at an early age and so many of those songs still resonate with me today. To see those guys back on stage right in front of me, rocking harder than ever, was truly an amazing experience. They played 2 old Stone Temple Pilots jams ('Crackerman' and 'Sex Type Thing') as well as 3 old GnR jams ('Mr. Brownstone', 'It's So Easy', and 'Used to Love Her') and they owned all of them. These were not cover songs by any stretch of the imagination. They fuckin nailed em. I dunno, more about this later maybe. Man it ruled.

Thanks to Kate Sunderland: Oh man, let me just start off by saying, what a tasty show. I just got home from the monster of a show Velvet Revolver put on tonight in Philly. Not only was the music supreme, the beauty of the light show, mixed with the complete connection going on on stage, it just made for a once in a life time event. It's up there with picking up my first guitar. First of all, Scott is just an amazing show man, his magnetism just draws you in like a moth to the flame (and of course, the hat made it all the better). Slash, Matt and Duff...all still look like there in there late twenties, and the energy is just f'ing unbelievable. Seeing Slash put on the top hat in the encore, wailing away on guitar, the intensity in his eyes, it was just pure emotion flowing through him, the emotion inside musicians that is needless to say, decreasing. This was definately one of the best concerts I've ever been to. You know, it's great when the crowd learns brand new songs so they can sing it back, when the whole entire audience just bonds with the chemistry on stage, I really dig that. Living Things went on before them, and I was kinda hoping to see Silvertide, but I did get to meet them b/c my boyfriend grew up with them. Living Things was ok I thought. I always feel bad when people start booing and yelling get off the stage, I mean I just have respect enough for anyone creating music, and just think that's a horrible thing to do. Anyway though, I bet if the people were getting flooded with one of their singles on the radio, no doubt they would dig it.

But, to anyone that's reading this, do yourself a favor and get tickets to see one of Velvet Revolver's remaining shows...ticketmaster, ebay, whatever it takes...just get a hold of them. Then, after you see them live, go buy Contraband...I can't recommend this enough. Oh, and the closing of Nirvana's "Negative creep", just wow. I know a lot of the crowd didn't know it was a Nirvana song, and for that, they should be punched. But, to us die hard Nirvana fans, it just blew me away. The whole show blew me away, I'm not even here anymore, I'm floating somewhere hah.

Oh thanks to the guy who runs this awesome site for responding to my email, I actually would like to add this info for anyone who wanted to know what I did...

Merchandise price: most tee's- $25.00; thermal- $45.00; Hoodies- $50.00; Hat- $25.00; there ya go. Anyway, great night, great show, Great encore, great everything...truly wicked.

Thanks to Superman: Wow... absolutely incredible. My friend and I were against the rail, right in front of the stage. I didn't anticipate how crushed I was gonna get though but I didn't care. The setlist was the same as it was all the other nights. During 'Fall To Pieces' Slash spit his cigarette and it almost hit me. The kicker was the security thought that it was mine or the girl's next to me and started getting mad (no smoking allowed in there). Highlights: 'Suckertrain Blues', 'Do it For the Kids', 'Headspace' and 'Illegal Eye'. You will notice FTP is not on there. That was simply because at that point it got out of control and I was being crushed so badly I couldn't pay attention to the song. My friend had to have security help him out of there. By the end of 'Set Me Free', I figured if before the encore I can't put my fist in the air or sing again I'd just go try to find my friend. So I went to the back, enjoyed the rest of the show in the back where the EQ was a little better. Got me a T and a sticker, and we hit the road right after Negative Creep. Great night and despite almost dying a few times (and holding my piss since 2 till around 1) it was all worth it! The only reason I'd say seeing Kiss was better is I could breathe through that show haha but musically, I enjoyed this better.

Thanks to Jay Ochs: Oh man was this fun. Show supposed to start at 8:30, thank god my brother and I didn't get there until like 9 because they didn't come on till 10...kinda pissed me off, because I remember the last time I saw STP play on October 11th, they didn't come on till an hour later too. There was no opening band, and they rocked right into Sucker Train Blues..it was so amazing, and very fun. I don't remember exactly what else was there, but I remember what I think was called 'Big Machine', and 'Illegal I' (sorry if these aren't the exact names), 'Do it For the Kids', 'Slither', 'Set Me Free' which rocked because of the extra verses, and Dave and Slash's opposing solos, 'Crackerman', 'Sex Type Thing', 'Mr. Brownstone', 'Used to Love Her', 'It's So Easy' and then finally ended with 'Negative Creep'..there was another Velvet Revolver song in there, I can't remember the name but it's a mellow type ballad, very cool tune too. There might have been more songs, but that's basically it. It was an amazing show, and you know that it was amazing when you're deaf, have no voice, and come home smelling like one big ciggarette.