The last time Velvet Revolver played Newcastle it was  at the Metro Radio Arena, a much bigger venue than the Carling Academy which staged this particular gig. The result of this was that the demand for the few thousand tickets was high, ending up with the show being sold out within a matter of days. Having witnessed said Arena gig I have to say it was rather special with the band giving outstanding performances and delivering a rock gig “par excellence”. So on that evidence this was a show to be looked forward to

However before we get to VR there was the small matter of support band, “Year Long Disaster”, a real power trio who delivered a huge sound from just three guys. Their songs were built on deep, dark and very solid grooves and at times the guitar playing of Daniel Davies proved a cool mixture of Jimmy Page and Tony Iommi. Each member of the band got stuck and, as the set progressed, the Newcastle audience started to warm appreciably towards them. Whilst some of the younger members in the audience didn’t seem to “get them” this was perhaps because Year Long Disaster are not an 'immediate fix' but rather  you had to really let the music wash over you to fully appreciate what the band were serving up. On this display Year Long Disaster certainly did enough to warrant looking into their music further.

Having seen Velvet Revolver on previous UK tours meant it was possible to compare the current live set with previous ones and, unfortunately,  it wasn’t a patch on the band's original Newcastle Arena show. Although still a great show it just wasn’t as sharp, or intense as the band had been in the past. Not that the reaction of the sell out crows would give the casual viewer that impression. Maybe it was because VR had drawn a predominantly younger audience, fans who may not have even been born when Slash et al first walked the stages of the world or perhaps even too young to remember when Velvet Revolver first emerged onto the scene. The point I am making here is that many had nothing to compare this show against and, as a result, simply being in the presence of icons such as Slash or Duff McKagen was magical enough to blinker them into thinking this was a good show.

The older members of the crowd probably had Velvet Revolver circa 2008 sussed out within the first two songs though, mind you even as a unit even a half cocked VR can still deliver down and dirty rock and roll and there were odd occasions which made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Sadly however these were few and far between, notably their take on the Guns 'N Rose classic “It’s So Easy” as well as the final song of the night “Slither”. Standing in front of the mixing desk for the whole show it was hard it believe how bad the sound was for the first four songs. Scott Weiland’s vocals were just a muddy mess in the mix, one punter nearby commenting that all of his running around, with nothing to show for it, was making Weiland look like a cross between Kenny Everett and Mick Jagger.  In saying that when the band were good they still proved just how much class they have. “Patience” say the audience raise the roof as they sang along and “American Man”, for once, saw the band play with real gusto.

The encore featured the bands re-working of Pink Floyd's “Wish You Were Here” on which they did quite a nice job but, on the flipside, there was also the low point, namely “Fall To Pieces”. As the name suggest VR literally did just that, with no one seeming to finish in the same place. It was telling to see each of the quintet looking accusingly at each other as if to apportion blame as to who had finished too late or too early. The bottom line is Velvet Revolver shot too many blanks and didn’t go for the throat like everyone knows they are capable of. It appeared as if, rather than being a band, VR were five individuals doing things in their own little world oblivious to their band mates, with certain members simply going through the motions, doing just enough to keep up appearances. As those who saw the following evening's show in Glasgow can attest to this may very well be the last time VR find themselves on stage as a band in their current incarnation. It's just a shame that if the band are going to implode they do so on such a low note rather than at the level of which they are, undoubtedly, capable.

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