August 17, 2005 - Tinley Park, IL - Illinois State Fair

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General Information

Date: August 17, 2005
Location: Tinley Park, IL
Venue: Illinois State Fair ; 19100 S Ridgeland, Po Box 189, Tinley Park, IL 60477 [ Venue website ]
Box Office Number: (708) 614-1616
Additional Info: Brian Tichy was a temporary replacement for Matt Sorum, who fractured his hand in a boating accident.

Thanks to Jeff for the set list.

Set List

• Sucker Train Blues
• Do it For The Kids
• Headspace
• Superhuman
• Dead and Bloated
• Illegal I Song
• 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 (16) [ send in your own review/pictures of the Tinley Park show ]

Thanks to Peter: Pretty wicked, I encourage the GN'R and STP Covers, nice choices they made.

Thanks to taramisu: I just had the chance to see Velvet Revolver for the first time on 8/17 at the Illinois State Fair and OH MY GOD was it a great show! I have always been a fan of Scott and the boys in their seperate ventures but putting them all together is mind blowing. It was definitely a treat and something that will live in my memory forever. I didn't want the show to end! I had never enjoyed a concert as much as this one EVER! Keep rockin guys!!!! Love you all....

Thanks to Big John: I went to the Springfield show with excitment and anticipation Scott is one of my top 10 favorite front men of all times and all that was good with GnR in one show then it started band sounded great then Scott opened his mouth and my show was ruined he sounded horrible it was a major disappointment a let down. I stood in there and got more upset as the show went on band still sounded great. Scott ran around doing his thing but didn't sing one song even close to correct. I had to leave as they started the encore the let down was too much. I hope this was just an off night but Scott was bad real bad still think he is great on the album not sure I'll go see him live ever again.

Thanks to Tabetha Lanham: This was the best show that I have ever been to in my life. I hope that they come back to Springfield or even a town or city close to us again. I would make sure that I made it to that show as well.

Thanks to Stevie: Springfield, IL has been the only Velvet Revolver show I have attended and unfortunately it was a major disappointment. Perhaps it was because I was in the seats instead of in front of the stage, or perhaps it was because I was sober, but Scott W sounded absolutely terrible and his vocals were way too high in the mix. He sounded very off on many of the songs, especially the STP songs! He actually sounded best on the GNR songs. The band was flawless and made the show still enjoyable.

Thanks to Michele Cordray: I am 39 years old, and have always been a STP, GNR and Velvet Revolver fan. I thought the show was great. It was my first time seeing Velvet Revolver. I drove from Columbia, Missouri. I was on the track, about 6 rows back from center stage. Great view. People down front around me all seemed to be seriouly enjoying the show and not that I'm older, I didn't mind that there was not too much slamming, and crazy rock concert behavior going on. I was really able to get into the music and enjoy the show. The young girls around me thought Scott, Slash, and Duff were as sexy as I still think they are. My daughter thought so too, until I told her Slash and Duff are older than I am!! They have a wide age range of women fans.

Thanks to Amy Vala: Tonight there was definitely some trash in the crowd. We waited and waited for Velvet Revolver to come on. It was an hour and a half after the opening act came out when Duff emerged from the darkness. There was a total different vibe that I felt the whole night. It was like the band was tired. I was dancing away when the crowd of drunk men gave way to moshing and crushing all the women in the front. I mean it was the State Fair so my expectations weren't that high anyways. Chicago they rocked and three days later it seemed totally different. It could have been the beer thrown that bounced off my head onto the stage - I look forward to the new stuff and a new tour. A revived soul of energy in a band as a whole. I did spy a sight though - I saw Duff point at someone either Slash or in the crowd and gave the motion of pulling tubes with a nod afterwards. I was like oh yeah that is hilarious. That and just the site of Scott is awesome. So overall I would give it a solid B.

Thanks to Nick: The opening act of the concert was really bad. I would have rather watched a Celion Dion concert then watch them. But after the hour wait, Velvet Revolver came out and the crowd went nuts. I was sitting in the reviewing stand (broken ankle prevented me from the track) and I could see many older people sitting down. Even with a broken ankle, I was standing up the whole entire concert. I was dissapointed when they did not play Come On, Come In. It's one my favorite songs from them. But all in all, the concert was great.

Thanks to Jordan Billington: The show was awesome. I have been to three previous STP shows and Velvet Revolver by far was a better show. The mix of the new stuff with some of STP and GNR old stuff was great. Also the cover of Wish You Were Here was awesome. Scott Weiland is the most entertaining front man in rock.

Thanks to Nick Rogers from Arts & Enertainment: It's cool to dress like a rock star. Partying like a rock star is considered a badge of honor. Rock-star parking even is permissible.

But nowhere in the laws of rock 'n' roll living should it be allowable to make a patient crowd - who already sat through a lame opening act - wait an exceptionally long time for the main event.

The only felony Velvet Revolver deserved to be written up for Wednesday was letting a full hour pass before unleashing their full-ahead fury on a crowd of about 3,600 at the Illinois State Fair Grandstand. (They also committed the misdemeanor of burying "Slither" at the end of a second encore, but it sounded good enough to plea down.)

Once they decided to play it, theirs was a pretty mesmerizing show. This supergroup is the meeting of Stone Temple Pilots (the wiry and wired-up Scott Weiland) and Guns N' Roses (guitar god Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum). Because of a broken hand, Sorum was absent from the show, but his un-introduced stand-in was outstanding.

Weiland and Slash anchored the 90-minute-plus show at two ends of the showmanship spectrum.

The silent Slash let his amazing skills speak for themselves. He worked up some talk-box mojo on "Illegal i Song" and humorously ran off a series of false introductions to "Set Me Free" before playing the guitar behind his head at the song's close. Plus, in the first of two encores, he offered a 12-string instrumental so peaceful and calming that it easily could have been a lullaby.

For all of Slash's musical muscle, Weiland's kinetic craziness - which didn't overshadow his amazing pipes - commanded the most attention. He expressed himself through intense body language. Weiland's constantly slinky dance moves blended do-si-do, disco and striptease with perfectly stricken glam-rock poses.

The electronic musical score from "A Clockwork Orange" played as glitzy, multicolored marquee lighting spelling out "Velvet Revolver" rose from below. On the opener, "Sucker Train Blues," Weiland scampered about in a military uniform that wasn't long for his body. It took all of 15 minutes before his shirt, vest and tie were thrown to the ground to the crowd's frenzied delight.

During the chorus of "Do It For the Kids," Weiland adopted a faux lounge-lizard croon. And at the close of "Headspace" (whose propulsive backbeat recalled STP's "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart"), he salaciously lunged forward and gave everyone a good view of his tongue.

"I apologize to the families that are here, for the profanity," Weiland said. "We are really, at the core, nice Catholic boys with families of our own. But when we get onstage and strap on these guitars and grab these microphones, something just happens, and we can't control it. I gotta say, it's better than shooting dope."

Velvet Revolver returned only four times to their previous bands' days of hard living.

Weiland's liberal megaphone use was best applied on STP's "Dead & Bloated," and he moaned the "Here I come, I come, I come, I come" intro to "Sex Type Thing" before the band's perfect re-creation. Just as Velvet Revolver trotted out the oldest possible STP material, they stuck with vintage GNR, going with "It's So Easy" and "Mr. Brownstone," both off "Appetite for Destruction."

The only time Velvet Revolver wasn't compelling was when the tempo slowed. Given his bungling of a verse on Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here," Weiland must not listen to classic-rock radio that much. And he wasted a perfectly good bottle of juice by tossing it into the crowd before the downbeat "You Got No Right."

Opening the show was Modern Day Zero, a St. Louis band that did awfully little to distinguish itself from the crowded field of nu-metal bands. Their songs have been featured in videogames, and their music would be best suited as that sort of background to something more entertaining.

It's rarely a good sign when the best crowd response comes from a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love." But vocalist Scott Gertken delivered the funniest concert anecdote yet at this fair, even if there was no ounce of actual truth to it. He said "When You Lie" was about a girlfriend who slept with his best friend.

"He's still in the band, but I kicked her to the curb," Gertken said, presumably of guitarist Rock Davis.

Thanks to mynameisandy: I was there, it was a great show. The highlight of the night was most definitely the cover of Wish You Were Here.

Thanks to STUART: Second Velvet Revolver concert in a week! First Chicago on Saturday and then Springfield on Wednesday (with a 2.5 hour drive each way for Springfield). In the pit/track both nights with both my brothers. I'm 33 and this week really brought the youth back out of me! I've really had a great time. For the Springfield show I was right in front of Slash most the night. How awesome! I thought the band rocked harder for this show, but the IL State Fair based audience was not near as in it as the Chicago based fans. Lot's of families and folks who probably never heard of Velvet Revolver until this night. Have to wonder what they thought after they left? I know Scott saw the audience, especially in the grandstands, were not into it like the track/pit audience. He looked up there several times in disappointment. Finally he pointed out and named off each grandstand section one by one "A Section", "B Section", "C Section".....until he went through each one. That appeared to get most of them on their feet for awhile. Anyway, it was a great time and the few set list changes were nice. Can't wait until the next time their in Chicago or I'm where their at (I travel a lot).

Thanks to Velvet RevolverRocker: 110% High Energy Rock Experience! 3rd time seeing Velvet Revolver. I also went to the show in Chicago Aug. 13 in the pit and that was incredible but in this show Velvet Revolver brought their "A" game. This time I was 2nd row, centerstage, in the pit. Most of the people I talked to at the show knew little about Velvet Revolver and had never seen them. It dawned on me that they play those types of venues for that reason. And the people weren't disapointed. They jammed Dead and Bloated and Dirty Little Thing, which they didn't play in Chicago. I can't wait till they come back with new material next year. This last week has been a trip. Did a little cocaine, drank some alcohol, got laid, now I'm goin through a little withdrawl.

Thanks to Adnan: The Velvet Revolver concert at the Illinois State Fair was awesome. Velvet Revolver is an amazing live band. Scott Weiland continues to be one of the preeminent front-men in rock n' roll. Slash's iconic stature was unmistakable from the moment that he walked on stage and the crowd erupted into a thunderous ovation. Slash remains one of a very few artists that transcends musical boundaries and genres. Duff McKagen's presence evokes the memories of Guns N'Roses; yet, his bass prowess and rocker-aura help solidify Velvet Revolver's standing as the new standard in rock n' roll.

Thanks to Laurn: I just want to say this is one of the most kick-ass, harcore, fuckin' down and dirty, rock and roll concerts I have been to yet. I think Velvet Revolver has a very raw sound. Their sound is classic. You listen to the new stuff and there is nothing like it around. No one has the guts, now-a-days, to bring out the life of true Rock and Roll. You can't but a limit or a restriction on real Rock and Roll. I believe Velvet Revolver will be around for another generation. The spirit of Rock and Roll is back!

Thanks to Jeff: This was my second time seeing Velvet Revolver - the first time was before Contraband came out, so I was excited to see them when knowing all of the songs this time around. The band gave it their all and then some. These guys don't just make great music, they are true performers on the stage. The only thing that sucked about this show was the crowd- I have never seen such a lame crowd at a rock concert in my life. This show was at the Illinois State Fair and it was definitely a state fair crowd. Half of the people in the seats remained seated, one guy behind me was even trying to tell people in front of him to sit down!

This crowd reaction was not a result of Velvet Revolver's lack of performance - you could tell that a lot of the people in the seats were not big Velvet Revolver fans- they were just there for the State Fair. The crowd down front seemed to have a great time, though. Scott paused between songs and apologized to the families that were still over at the fair- he said they were sorry for all of the profanities and made a little speech about how Velvet Revolver are actually all good catholic school boys at the core. It was a pretty funny comment.

I was very suprised that they opted not to play Come on, Come In. I liked hearing DLT but I was really pumped to hear the new stuff. Other than that, the set list was great. Velvet Revolver did get there share of cheers, even from the lame-asses that stayed seated. Dead and Bloated really got the crowd going towards the beginning of the show and people went nuts with their excellent cover of Wish You Were Here near the end.

During the closer, Slither, the State Fair threw the crowd a little suprise. Right when Slash started busting into his solo, fireworks started going off behind the stage. They shot up in rapid succession during the solo, almost like and endless series of rapid fire missiles- by the time the solo was over they started letting off huge explosions in the sky that kept up until well after the show was over. It made a really nice grand finale.

Overall, Velvet Revolver kicked ass and I can't wait to see them again. I just hope that I can catch them in St. Louis next time instead of at a State Fair in Illinois- a great rock band deserves a better crowd when they give a performance like Velvet Revolver did at this show.