Velvet Revolver/Alice in Chains-Aug 14, 2007, Mansfield, MA
Aug 15 '07
The Bottom Line VR and AiC put on a hell of a rock and roll show.
If there's anyone out there who still subscribes to the idea of rock and roll being dead, you obviously weren't anywhere near the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA last night. Thanks to co-headliners Velvet Revolver and the reformed Alice in Chains, the small but vocal crowd of 8-10,000 or so got every dime of their money's worth.
The night started with a short (I'd say not nearly short enough) set by Kill Hannah, a band who seemingly was the goth South Park episode come to life. They sounded to be out of place and would probably be better suited to opening for Fall Out Boy and their ilk. Their singer sounded like the child of Perry Farrell, just without any balls or a decent lyrical idea. Their brand of punk influenced whine rock was monotonous, and it honestly left me wondering how the hell they scored a slot on this type of tour.
The crowd was completely amped for Alice in Chains, who reformed last year with new vocalist William Duvall replacing the departed Layne Staley. I was never a huge fan of AiC, mostly due to the fact that Staley would make me so depressed I'd want to die after 4 or 5 songs in a row. As far as I'm concerned, they could have reformed with guitarist Jerry Cantrell completely taking over lead vocals. I know he's loved, blah blah blah. He did nothing for me. As for Duvall, he sounds almost exactly like Staley, which is impressive. But his voice sounded stronger, and gave even the bleakest songs in AiC's 60 minute set some hope. Grind was an early highlight, with Duvall and Cantrell harmonizing perfectly. The band's set was mostly predictable, mixing in a couple of deeper album cuts with their heaviest hits, but that was to be expected. The crowd ate up tracks like Them Bones and Would?, screaming along loudly with every word while the band sounded like they've been playing every day for the last 10 years. I can't get over how in sync they were, or how full of life they all seemed. Dare I say, if you closed your eyes, you might've thought it was 1992 AiC and not 2007 AiC. If any AiC fan hasn't gotten over the initial shock of there being an AiC without Layne, they obviously haven't seen this group yet. DO NOT miss them.
Velvet Revolver, meanwhile, has hit on some hard times. Their excellent new album, Libertad, pretty much tanked on the charts (the weak choice of a first single surely didn't help), and that was reflected in the half empty amphitheatre. But for a band full of members with nothing to prove, they sure as hell came out last night like a bunch of 20 year old kids firing on all cylinders. Beginning with Let It Roll, and lasting straight through for another 4-5 songs, they blasted out hard rocking album cuts from both of their discs. Lead singer Scott Weiland, supposedly sober, but who really knows, was energetic and manic onstage, dancing, running, jumping. His voice was a little rough on the first few songs, but it got better and better as the night wore on. Meanwhile, the rest of the band looked to be in fantastic shape, with Slash in his classic top hat.
They brought out chairs and drummer Matt Sorum switched to a smaller kit for a stripped down set of ballads. Beginning with the soon to be new single The Last Fight, the band captivated the audience. They quickly moved into Interstate Love Song, followed by Patience, which got a huge roar of approval from the crowd. I'll say this: the band's choices of GNR material to play is very smart. They don't go for anything that is too far out of Scott's range, but they keep it simple and to stuff the crowd would know. Gravedancer closed out the mini set, and man, this song has grown on me a LOT since Libertad came out.
From there on, it was foot on the accelerator all the way. Just Sixteen, Set Me Free, and She Builds Quick Machines were rocking salvos that left the crowd breathless. Only the power ballad Fall to Pieces slowed things down tempo wise, but the crowd was deafening in their singing along to the band's most popular original track.
Over two encores, the band ripped out a swinging Mr Brownstone and a ferocious Sex Type Thing, before ending the night with Slither, which featured a bit of an extended solo section.
For a band who could have been deflated by a (relatively) small crowd and mailed in a half-a*sed performance on a Tuesday night, they instead gave a highly enjoyable rock and roll show. I haven't had this much fun at a show in quite a while. With ticket prices reasonable, and with a new album in stores that deserves a LOT more love than it's getting, don't miss this pairing of bands.
Alice in Chains setlist:
Again
Grind
We Die Young
Them Bones
Down in a Hole
Junkhead
Rain When I Die
Man in the Box
Would
Rooster
Velvet Revolver Setlist:
Let It Roll
She Mine
Sucker Train Blues
Do It For The Kids
Superhuman
Big Machine
Get Out The Door
Vasoline
The Last Fight
Interstate Love Song
Gravedancer
Patience
Just Sixteen
Fall To Pieces
It's So Easy
She Builds Quick Machines
Set Me Free
Mr. Brownstone
Sex Type Thing
Slither
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Member: Matt Aucoin
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