April 16, 2005 - Anaheim, CA - The Pond

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General Information

Date: April 16, 2005
Location: Anaheim, CA
Venue: The Pond; 2695 E. Katella; Anaheim, CA 92806 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: 714.704.2500
Additional Info: Support Act: Hoobastank

Thanks to Alfred for the set list!

Set List

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

Reviews (24) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Anaheim show ]

Thanks to JP: Totally kicked ass, big Slash and Duff fan, loved it when Scott did a stage dive!!!! I also thought the sound was good looking at it as a musician, can't wait to see them again !

Thanks to Rianna: I went with my best friend Jordan. The show was amazing!! We were screaming the lyrics and totally rocking out!! We loved Scott Weiland's speech on Rock n' Roll and never sat down. Velvet Revolver was my first concert and I'll never forget it!!

Thanks to anonymous: It was soo tight, it was the best thing I ever saw. Slash was kick ass. Me and my friend sat like 10 rows back so it was very very good! I gave Duff my cross and he still wears it today!! Scott was very flixible and he sang very well!! The concert was kick ass!!!

Thanks to Michael Errickson: It was bar far the best concert I've ever been to, I've seen alot of very good and respectable bands like Metallica, but Velvet Revolver was bar far the best one I've seen yet, I can't wait till they come back around LA. And I can't wait to see Slash tear it up like no other, he was so awesome, just chillin doing his thing, while Scott Weiland (the best front man ever) just got the crowd so pumped and sang and danced his ass off, it was awesome, and I'm gald I got the chance to see them, I really doubt anyone will top that!

Thanks to NO THANX TO I LUV ALL ACCESS: The concert kicked ass! This is the third time I've seen Velvet Revolver. Seen them in Vegas, Phoenix and in Anaheim all fucking great concerts. In the first 5 rows for each concert! The only thing was I paid $550.00 for 2 tickets to I Luv All Access for a tee shirt and finger foods what a fucken rip off. Do not buy those 5 star packages unless you know for a fact that it is going to be a small group because the only way to meet the band is to be in a small group what a bunch of shit!! Oh I almost forgot try watching a concert in the pit with a bag of shit I mean let us at least keep the shit in the closet I mean in the VIP lounge not!!

Thanks to Sergio: First of all let start off by saying DO NOT BUY THE I LOVE ALL ACCESS VIP PACKAGES!!!! It's a total rip off! They charge you $275, and for what? Sure they let you in early, four hours early to be exact and for what? To cram you into this little "VIP" room. Oh yeah and they feed you, if you want to call it that. Vegetable sticks and dip with tortilla chips, and before I forget, they also had deviled eggs. Then it gets better. Don't forget you have to wait four hours so there gonna get you all boozed up right? WRONG! You only get 4 complimentary drinks. If you want more, yup, you have to pay for them. But wait, do you hear it? It's the call for sound check. Finally! We're gonna hang with the guys, you know the moment everyone has been waiting for, the meet and greet. There they are, Velvet Revolver!!! Wait, what the hell is this? A retaining wall? You mean I have to watch and listen to sound check from what is gonna basically be my seat once the concert really starts? Shit, I've had better meet and greets leaning over the wall of the NBC Studios as the guys waited for the taping of The Tonight Show. Hell, that time I was even able to get autographs. Say what? Our twenty minutes are up? Sound check is over? Now what? You mean we have to kill two more hours back in our "VIP" room before showtime? WOOP-TI-DOO!!! (I'm being sarcastic) So show time comes.. hoobaSTANK..exactly. The house lights go down, the crowd roars awaiting Velvet Revolver. The silouhettes of the guys appear through the darkness, unmistakable, from left to right, Dave, Duff, to the rear center Matt and of course you most recognizable silouhette with his signature mop top, to the far right, Slash. Scott then appears dead center as the stage lights up, the rest of the guys begin SUCKER TRAIN BLUES. Scott, in only the way he knows how, dances side to side with mike stand in hand, never losing step, all the while keeping his cool smoking a cigerette, and right on cue, it starts, "Hands are shakin got your finger on the trigger/ Jesus ain't complainin gonna figure it out". Ah, the night hows now begun. Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. The point I was trying to make was, DON'T BUY THE I LOVE ALL ACCESS VIP PACKAGES!!!! ITS A TOTAL FUCKEN RIPOFF!!!! As for the concert itself, just read the other reviews. They all sum it up pretty much the same, Velvet Revolver FUCKEN ROCKS!!! I'll see you all at the next show.

Thanks to DLBaez: Velvet Revolver totally rocks. They are a tight band and compliment each other. This is the 2nd time I saw them. It was nice and loud in the pit, with that feeling that the music is going right through your body. I love Scott. The only problem they had was Scott's vocals weren't loud enough. They should have turned his vocals up, if you weren't familiar with every song there were times when you would not have known what Scott was singing. I will definitely be going to see them every time they come around!

Thanks to roxtar: Holy shit! Great show with spectacular production and sound. Not real happy having to watch a Robbie Kenevel commercial when I'm waiting for my musical heros to hit the stage, but I guess somebody's gotta pay the bills. Slash is the greatest rock star of all time and it's so fucking cool to see him and Duff on top again, seeing as how that's where all the talent in GNR was anyway.

Thanks to Destiny: Well the stories are true Velvet Revolver kick ass live trust me I've witnessed it. The whole show was amazing not one flaw they all had such amazing energy. Scott even jumped into the crowd he is such an amazing frontman!! Ya Matt was amazing I now think he is even a better drummer than I thought he was. Slash well what's there to say about him he is just amazing you can't keep your eyes off of him, he came out with his top hat later in the show and with his double neck too!! Duff sooooo much energy, he was everywhere amazing. And Dave he blew me away such an amazing guitar player, he was so into it, him and Slash started playing off each other and everything it rocked!!!! Scott started explaining the difference between rock and rock n' roll forgot exactly what he said but it made sense lol the crowd was so into it shows you what a great band they are when you see people singing their songs and dancing. They played almost all of Contraband except for Spectacle and Loving The Alien but it's all good lol ya and they played Crackerman and Sex Type Thing from STP and Mr. Brownstone, Used To Love Her and It's So Easy. Well all I got to say is it rocked and whenever you get a chance go see them I know you'll love it it was one of the best days of my life!!!

Thanks to Luisa: It was the best fucken show in the world. I loved Velvet Revolver performance they are worth paying all that money. I was sick but I felt soo much better.

Thanks to Monica: The show was awsome. I had a really good time. Scott was just a crack up when he was bending down and shaking his butt. Slash was the best guitar player ever. He was up there doing his thing and Duff was awsome. he best part of the show is Matt. When he did his solo act with his drums and bangin them hard. When I was getting check by the sercurity, I saw a guy that just look exactly like Matt, I wack him by accident and he yell at me but then he was just kidding and gave me a big smile. I thought that he could have been his brother or something. The show was awesome.

Thanks to Jacob Ramirez: The show was the best that I've seen. I saw them in S.F., L.A., L.V. and now in Anaheim. The new lights added lots to the show. The band was really unified. Scott was rockin' the mega. Matt was gritting his teeth. Duff was playing tall with his head lifted. Dave was shakin' his head. And, Slash was doing the rain dance. Great, great show! And I'm out, going to China you muthafuckas.

Thanks to Tracy Ung from New University Paper: If skin-tight leather pants, piercings, tattoos and smoking cigarettes in between songs are characteristics of stereotypical rockstars, then Velvet Revolver ought to sign a ten-year, multimillion-dollar contract to be the poster child for rock 'n' roll.

At Velvet Revolver's nearly sold-out show at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim on April 16, the atmosphere seemed to epitomize all of the standard clichés regarding rockstars and rock 'n' roll. The audience was clearly prepared to rock out, and many wore their steel-toed boots and righteous goatees accordingly.

Hoobastank, a multi-platinum pop-rock band, served as a the sole support for Velvet Revolver's headlining act. With hits such as "Running Away," "Crawling in the Dark" and most recently, "The Reason," Hoobastank initially had a difficult time connecting with the old-school rock 'n' roll loving crowd (think Stone Temple Pilots and Guns and Roses).

For example, when the lights dimmed, signifying the beginning of Hoobastank's set, some attendees shoved up against the barricades in front of the stage booed. Several individuals even chose to verbalize their dislike of Hoobstank, shouting, "Fuck you, assholes" and "You guys suck!"

Regardless of whether or not you're a Hoobastank fan, they deserve credit for their solid performance full of energy, enthusiasm and album-quality sound-quite a feat considering the Arrowhead Pond echos profusely due to the nature of the venue. In addition, lead Hoobastank vocalist, Doug Robb, should be commended for his ability to warm up the crowd.

"I gotta tell you-I like them," said the slightly-balding man in his mid-40s to his wife sitting in front of me.

She nods in agreeance as she eagerly takes pictures of the stage with her camera phone, scrutinizing each one before realizing that her attempt to capture Hoobastank in action is futile.

"Hey, I know this song!" the man exclaims as "Crawling in the Dark" begins, most likely enthused because it makes him not feel that old after all.

The couple that they're presumably attending the show with has clearly had more than their fair share of Miller Lite. The head-to-toe denim-clad woman decides to stand up and dance around. Her husband watches adoringly as he slaps her ass encouragingly.

At 9:15 P.M. the on-stage activity observed from the photo-pit at the base of the stage indicates that Velvet Revolver is about to begin their set-and not a moment too soon. Security is fielding the complaints of those smashed up against the barricades; apparently a young male was taking advantage of the sardine-like nature of the floor space of the concert, groping whichever female he was standing next to at that moment. Security infiltrated the crowd and promptly removed the gentleman who apparently never learned to keep his hands to himself.

Meanwhile the stagehands busily set up Velvet Revolver's provisions: two flavors of Gatorade (red and orange) pre-opened for easy access (nobody likes to see their rockstar struggle opening their Gatorade while onstage), three small dishes of what appears to be either nuts or candy, a dish of cigarettes, lighters, towels and water.

The house lights of the Pond go out and Velvet Revolver's taking of the stage is indicated by the glowing-orange cigarette ends (or maybe they were blunts-I don't know, it was dark) hanging from their mouths. As the stage lighting fades in, we see lead vocalist Scott Weiland in what appears to be a captain's outfit ... or maybe it's some kind of Police uniform as a tribute to the title of their album "Contraband."

In any event, he's wearing the Unibomber's aviators and funky captain's hat as he grips the microphone and sends the roaring crowd into a state of rock 'n' roll euphoria. Guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and guitarist Dave Kushner wander the stage aimlessly, yet aggressively. The four guys that I saw wearing leather pants while wandering around the Pond must be stoked that Slash is also wearing his leather pants. Slash's tattoos are also as vibrant as ever.

It looks like all of the classic rock 'n' roll clichés are in place.

Instrumentally, the Velvet Revolver set was quite amazing. Slash, in particular, maintains his legendary guitarist status from his Guns N' Roses days. While Weiland's vocals aren't exactly album quality, it's not fair to take points off for them either. After all, the entire existence of the band is scheduled around his court appearances and rehab appointments. Given the excessive amount of drugs Weiland has done in his days with the Stone Temple Pilots, his vocals are actually quite amazing. What's even more amazing is the fact that he's still alive and kicking.

As Slash plays with a huge blunt hanging from his lips and the Sorum drums like there is no tomorrow, Weiland eventually strips down to only his pants.

At the back of the entirely dark stage, a massive "Velvet Revolver" sign composed of red and white lightbulbs flickers on. A spotlight finds him at centerstage where he takes a long drag of his cigarette and begins the song that everyone has arguably come to hear.

"It's been a long year since you've been gone ..."

"Fall to Pieces" ends in an a wild explosion of applauding and cheering.

It seems safe to say that despite the rocky individual pasts of each bandmember, collectively Velvet Revolver is here to stay.

Thanks to Michael Libby from Daily Trojan Online: "Do you know where you are?"

Velvet Revolver singer Scott Weiland asked the crowd this question Saturday night at the Arrowhead Pond. The question was the same, but the answer was different. This time, no one was in the jungle, and no one was going to die. Answering his own question, Weiland screamed, "You're at a rock 'n' roll concert!"

The band is an impressive supergroup culled from the ashes of '90s rock icons. Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots), Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum (all from Guns 'n' Roses) and Dave Kushner (Loaded, Dave Navarro) all have incredible experience and musicianship.

The subtle jab at Guns' "Welcome to the Jungle" wasn't the only tip of the top hat to the band members' histories. Before the group even took the stage, the stadium speakers played the entirety of Alice in Chains' Dirt, an album that was released on the same day as Stone Temple Pilots' debut album, Core, in 1992.

The older and wiser band then took the stage and launched straight into "Sucker Train Blues." Not only are the band members not youngsters anymore, but their rock star pasts are filled with heavy substance abuse, including Weiland's highly publicized battle with drugs that landed him in jail. Nevertheless, the band was in fine form Saturday night, and when Slash launched into a blistering solo, his wedding ring didn't slow his fingers down one bit.

Velvet Revolver played the entirety of their debut album Contraband and even extended the bridge on "Illegal I Song" into a free-form feedback trip. Although songs such as "Superhuman" sometimes felt rushed, the band was tight and held fast to the drumbeats created by Sorum, one of the most powerful and unrelenting drummers playing today. The main set concluded with "Set Me Free," the first song the band ever wrote. After a fake ending, Slash and Kushner engaged in a high-octane guitar duel, with Kushner holding his own against his more famous counterpart. Most interestingly, the band made the decision to play material from their previous groups.

Weiland did a solid Axl Rose impersonation on "Mr. Brownstone," "It's So Easy" and "Used to Love Her," while Slash easily handled the riffs of STP's "Crackerman" and "Sex Type Thing," adding new guitar lines to parts while faithfully quoting some of the licks from guitarist Dean Deleo's original solos. But the similarities to Stone Temple Pilots ended there. Although Weiland is the face if the band, it's still the Guns 'n' Roses show. Having completely abandoned STP's artsy rock sensibility, Weiland has embraced Guns' penchant for sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, as evident in his wardrobe, his lyrics and his profanity-ridden attitude.

The band's decision to play these songs, while not surprising, was an interesting decision. They elicited by far the biggest audience response, overshadowing what are otherwise pretty impressive original compositions like "Fall to Pieces" and "Headspace." However, the older songs fit in seamlessly with the newer material, as both have an arena-friendly sound harkening back to a previous era in rock music.

When Slash emerged from backstage for the encore wearing his signature top hat and leather pants, sucking on a cigarette and holding his double-necked Guild guitar, it was impossible not to get goose bumps from memories of a time when rock stars were larger than life.

Weiland, out of all of them, lives the largest. He is the last great frontman of our generation and often doesn't get the credit he is due. While his voice isn't what it once was, his stage presence hasn't lost a beat from his STP days. When he says "rock 'n' roll is the passion," you believe that he means it, especially when he stage-dives during the next song.

Still, for all its talent and charisma, Velvet Revolver is nothing more than a very good nostalgia act.

"I'm sure there's a lot of you out there who have enjoyed similar travels," Weiland said. Referring both to his drug habit and the band's musical history, the crowd responded with an emphatic cheer.

Thanks to xxxxstarcrossed: That was amazing! The other concert I saw Velvet Revolver at was the KROQ one so they didn't have much time to talk and have fun, but this time they did and that was so amazing...it was so cool having everyone know the lyrics to every single song!

I got freaked out when they kept running off stage for a few minutes, do they always do that?

We tried going out back by the tour buses but we had to leave, did anyone get a chance to see them come out?

I found it funny when people were cheering during the set up thinking it was the band.

Thanks to Wendybird: This show was fucken unreal. I'm not going to see them for a long time but this will hold me over a while.

My pictures sucked but I don't care because I'm still in an adrenaline high. I can't even believe it. Today's show blew yesterdays out of the water. From where I was the vocals were the best I ever heard after 15 + concerts. At the other gigs they were a bit drowned but today they were crystal clear as were the all the instruments. There was a couple to my left from Israel that were there just for Slash, they said they really didn't care for Scott, she thought that he was just a Mick Jagger wannabe. I turned around to talk to them towards the middle of the show to see their reaction and as I expected they saw the light. They were freakin blown away as was I again. She mentioned something about not being able to believe how much energy Scott had and that his voice. I have a feeling she's going to be having some real nice dreams tonight.

You know I totally loved chula vista and thought it was easily one of the best concerts but this one, fucken amazing I'm telling you. You would think this shit would get old after going to so many concerts but to be completely honest just when I think that I seen it all I'm blown away again and again. Or to quote Michael Corleone "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in” I'm really in awe right now and can't even begin to explain what I'm feeling.

As Velvet_ReVolvEr mentioned Scott did a stage dive. I don't remember seeing that since the Roxy. His vocals were chilling. Slash was all over the stage, totally into the set and doing his dance thingy. I saw tons of smiles from Duff, as he was rocking out. Matt, well Matt is always Matt. What I mean is that he's always such a stud. I wish I had a better lens so I could show you what I mean. And Dave was tight he seems to be fitting into the shoes of a rockstar quite nicely. The first shows I saw him in he seemed to be somewhat shy and stuff, now he's in a whole different league and is winning over legions of fans that totally feel his infectious grove.

I'm going to see if I can rescue some pictures. My camera couldn't keep up with them.

Last nights concert was filled with Velvet Revolver virgins, today's concert was full of Velvet Revolver whores. And I don't mean “whores” I mean people like me, that can't get enough and must have more Velvet Revolver. I recognized and talked to a ton of people I met from other concerts, somebody was even trying to convince me to go to San Francisco and if I wasn't so broke, I would be there in heart beat. I guess I better check my lotto ticket, I might just get lucky. You never know.

As far as the VIP thing, I'm sorry to say that this was not the best deal today. A few people were disappointed that they didn't get to meet the band.

Thanks to janeman699: It was an awesome night but I couldn't hear Scott's vocals too well. Also someone said they saw a shirt that said "Slash pulls my trigger". I was in front of her and complimented her about it as well. It's funny though I was the 5th person in line and by the end of the concert I was pushed to the back of the pit. Great show. I still have that surge of adrenaline from last night.

Thanks to Lana: I got to experience another fabulous show and what a treat it was to bring some friends along for the ride. They were blown out of their minds when they saw Scott slithering across the stage and putting an infectious performance. Most of them are Axl Rose fans, but they were also delighted to see Scott's powerful showmanship.

About the VIP 5 Star Package, it was a gift from someone so I appreciate it a lot. It is a sweet package and you get all these wonderful perks as many have already mentioned (free swag, after party etc.) I wouldn't purchase it myself though, so I'm glad it was a gift. I didn't really care about the free stuff but it was nice to have free drinks and stuff and hang out with my friends. I didn't take any pics of the band or with the band because I didn't want to come across as annoying.

Got to meet Slash again, can't believe he remembered me from the Roxy gig. It was a cool experience and my gal friend who is a Matt Sorum fan had a blast because Matt gave her a sweet compliment and said she's very pretty, you know Matt has a sweet spot for blond, tall, thin and long-legged gals as she happens to fit that category.

This show along with the Roxy and Chula Vista were the best Velvet Revolver shows I've ever been to. I've never been to the Pond in Anaheim but it was a great setting for a Velvet Revolver show.

Can't wait for summer since I'm heading to Europe to visit my relatives in Germany for summer vacation and most likely will see Velvet Revolver again! Wow I saw Velvet Revolver in Vegas on New Year's and I'm not very superstitious but I guess I'll be seeing them all year long.

Thanks to Javs: The pit was cool, the vocals were off in the beginning of the show. By the end of the show everthing was kool.

Thanks to Michelle F: Again, another awesome show. I went to the Chula Vista show on Tuesday and Anaheim on Saturday. The Anaheim show was a bit better sound wise and performance wise. This was my 4th and 5th show, they just get better. We bought the 5 star VIP package and since our group was so large, they raffles off two passes to meet the band. Before the show, we got to meet Slash, Duff and Dave. All seemed very cool. They signed stuff and we took pictures. Can't wait to get them. After the last encore, Matt handed me a drum stick, finally after 5 shows I got one! Then after the show, we got to go back and meet Scott and Matt. Scott was really cool....much more than we thought he would be. He told a cool story about something that happened at the show.....that no one else would have known. Totally awesome experience, once again. Can't wait until the new material comes out. If I remember right, they played all of Contraband except Loving the Alien and Spectacle....two STP songs, Mr. Brownstone, Used to Love Her and It's So Easy.

Thanks to Joshua Shibata: Simply amazing... there is no other way to describe seeing Velvet Revolver live. All the hype and positive reviews you have ever heard about them are all TRUE...they are the real deal.

Got to the show about an hour and a half early and already there were people in the pit. My best friend and I made our way to the pit and were maybe ten people back from the front. The opening band, Hoobastank, went on stage right at 8pm and to be honest I like them but they are NOT the right band to be opening up for Velvet Revolver. The crowd was definitly not into them with many people trying to boo them off the stage. Doug (lead singer of Hoobastank) put it best they were just the appetizer for a huge main course. So anyway after they were done the roof blew off the house with Velvet Revolver taking the stage!

They opened up with Sucker Train Blues and Scott was wearing his Germanesque outfit and totally grabbing the attention of every person at the stadium. The band as a whole was amazing but it really was Scott and his amazing showmanship allowing the audience to eat out of the palm of his hands. Slash was amazing on the guitar and blew me away with an extended solo during Fall to Pieces and Set me Free. The crowd went nuts for the STP and GNR covers. After Set Me free we had the first of two intermissions with Slash coming out with his top hat and a double set guitar smoking a cigarette. Scott then came out with a cigarette too and started into You Got no right...absoluteley amazing. The second encore Scott came back with Mr Brownstone and ended with Slither. If you have not seen Velvet Revolver GO SEE THEM AS SOON AS U CAN. One of the best concerts of my life!!

Thanks to Allison: This show kicked ass! They played all of they're hits as well as some of the best Guns n' Roses hits! They are so animated and exciting, if you missed it too bad, it was awesome!

Thanks to Jordan: Velvet Revolver was so amazing! Scott Weiland gave an amazing performance and seems to be staying sober. I think that Velvet Revolver is here to stay and they played songs not only from their album but even from the other bands they have been in like, Scott sang Sex Type Thing from his other band Stone Temple Pilots. Scott also gave an awesome speech about rock. Slash and Duff were also very good about playing and Slash once brought out a 2 neck guitar and Matt gave a huge drum solo that was amazing! I really hope to see more of this band in the future!

Thanks to Tait: The setlist included the same songs as the Fresno show, kicking off with Sucker Train Blues and wrapping it up with Mr. Brownstone and Slither. They guys were great, Slash seemed to not open up as much as I'd hoped, maybe the stage was too small, but that's how they like it I suppose. Duff, as always, was runnin' around stage, tying everyone together, it was great. I wish the fans would just quiet down a little though, so everyone could hear the music they love and start hoot n' hollerin' AFTER Slash's solo and not throughout it. Nonetheless, it was an amazing performance, well worth the wait. I had a blast. Velvet Revolver, I love you guys, keep the legacy alive!