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Review from Sundance: Velvet Revolver a different type
of concert party
TEARIN' IT UP AT HARRY O'S:
Slash, in hat (naturally), and Duff McKeggan raise the
roof. / Photo by Ben Hansen
By Ben Hansen
January 24, 2008 | Have you ever been to the
fabled Harry O's nightclub during the Sundance
Film Festival? Stories of musicians, actors, and
athletes swarming the "by invite only"
events at Harry O's have been told for years.
I received a tip that Velvet Revolver -- the
mega band with members from Guns N' Roses and
Stone Temple Pilots -- was going to be playing
Sunday night. It was time to pull some strings
and get into Harry O's for the first time.
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More famous faces at Harry O's. |
"Paris Hilton Presents Velvet Revolver with special
guests The Bravery," was the official name of the
event. My ticket stub and the phone calls made to the
club confirmed that the doors would open at 9:30 p.m.
Wanting to get a good spot for the show, I joined the
line at 9 (I was the third person in line) and ended
up waiting until 10:15 p.m. to get into the venue. Even
with a photo credit, call-ahead and tickets, this was
still a tight venue to crack. I had heard stories of
previous Harry O's shows during this Sundance party
(Maroon 5, 50 cent) where people on the guest list had
to wait until after the musicians had completed their
sets to even make it in to the club, so I was appreciative
to be in.
By the time the show was ready to start, Harry O's
floor was swarming like an anthill. It was easy to see
why some people with tickets would have to wait outside
-- the club was filled to capacity within 15 minutes
of the doors opening.
The band "The Bravery" warmed up the evening
for Velvet Revolver and brought an energy to the already
excited crowd quickly. Although the musicians' set was
only four songs long, they played their hit Honest
Mistake, much to the delight of the crowd that
was singing along word for word with the band.
Velvet Revolver's members shot across the stage to
begin their set and went straight to business, pounding
out the Guns N' Roses classic It's So Easy,
with bassist Duff McKeggan covering lead vocals in raw
yet fabulous fashion. It was quickly noticeable, however,
that lead vocalist Scott Weiland was not with them.
Was he in rehab or jail again? Or just didn't show up?
At first, I was a bit disappointed to not see the
full band. As the set continued, however, one could
not help but to be mesmerized by how the show unfolded.
After the first song, the band quickly told the audience
that they had assembled a cast of singers to come help
out in Scott's absence. The vocal duties were shared
by both various friends of the band and members of the
band themselves throughout the night, with drummer Matt
Sorum taking over vocal duties for a cover of another
Guns N' Roses classic, Patience. Actor and
musician Donovan Leitch also provided a large majority
of the vocals for the evening, covering Mr. Brownstone,
helping Duff carry the load on It's So Easy.
Other vocal performances were done by various other
musicians and celebrities passing through town, including
rapper Lil' Jon, who had come to the show to celebrate
his birthday.
Lead guitarist Slash was pure brilliance, ripping
off one blistering solo after another, owning each and
every song played, whether a cover or his own material.
Some of the cover songs in the set list included Feel
Like Making Love by Bad Company, Surrender
by Cheap Trick, and Honky Tonk Woman by the
Rolling Stones.
The show had a fun and incredibly loose feel to it
regardless of the absence of Scott Weiland. The band
and the audience alike seemed to thrive off of the spontaneity
of the set. The events of the night definitely made
me ask myself, "Could this be the start of something
else for these guys?" Scott Weiland has recently
stated to the public that his former band Stone Temple
Pilots will be joining forces again -- is it time to
see the other guys "bury the hatchet" and
offer a handshake to Axl Rose for the reformation of
Guns N' Roses? Only time will tell. . . .
MS
MS
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