You can always tell when a 'big band' is playing the Birmingham Carling Academy, because the queue to get into the venue stretches back beyond 'Scruffy Murphy's' pub (disgracing a corner about half a mile from the entrance!)
Thus was the case for Velvet Revolver on Sunday Evening, prompting us to partake in some 'pre-concert refreshments' at said hostelry, rather than stand outside in the nipple-shatteringly cold night air.



click image for full gig photos

Consequently, our pre-gig quaffing caused us to miss the majority of support band/ mini 'Supergroup' 'Pearl's set, which was a shame 'cos they sounded pretty tight in an old school 'Bonnie Tyler meets Tina Turner' kinda way! Although James being the ultimate professional went on early to get the photos done and he came away bigging them up !
They closed their set with a storming version of 'Nut Bush City Limits' which responded well to being 'rocked up' by Scott Ian & co, and suited the pipes of Pearl Aday very well indeed.



click image for full gig photos

Come 9.30(ish) it was time for Velvet Revolver to take the stage, opening up with 'Let it Roll' and (depending on where you stood at the venue) sounding pretty damn tasty. This despite the rumours circulating that Scott is off back to his old Stone Temple Pilots buddies, and this could be the last VR tour (as we know it, Captain!)

Being more concerned with rockin-out and generally havin' a good time, I neglected to note the entire set list for the evening, but remember the following VR songs got a good airing:
'Let it Roll'/ 'She Mine'/ 'Big Machine'/ 'The last fight'/ 'Demons and etc..'/ 'American Man'/ 'Get out the door'/ 'She builds Quick Machines'

PLUS we had a greasy palmful of Stone Temple Pilots favourites such as 'Flies in the Vaselene'/ 'Interstate Love Song' and, of course, 'Sex Type Thing' which, unsurprisingly, Scott delivered with even more twisted gusto than usual (was he trying to make a point??)
Finally, no gig with Slash, Duff and Matt on stage could be complete without a few Guns n Roses tracks, and so 'It's so Easy', 'Patience' and finally 'Mr Brownstone' were all eagerly devoured by the Full-to-Capacity crowd (despite the fairly massive 'train wreck' at the beginning of the song, where Scott staggered back on stage too late to sing the opening verse, confused the sh*t out of the band and caused an embarrassing re-start! Was his misbehaviour intentional, I now wonder….??.....Who knows!!)

That left only 'Slither' for VR to sign out with, which met with the usual rapturous reception that you might expect for the band's 'Signature Tune', and then we were shuffling and stumbling our way back out into the frozen Birmingham night air once more.
Had we just witnessed one of the last gigs that Velvet Revolver would ever play together?
Quite possibly; Scott certainly didn't look like a 'happy puppy' on stage tonight, but let's look on the bright side, we'll definitely get a re-formed STP if VR does 'Fall to Pieces' (excuse the pun!) and who knows, with Scott gone, would the door be open for that other ginger maniac to rejoin his band mates and then reform the ultimate rock band? Stranger things probably haven't happened……

Wern B - words
James Hope - photos

Pearl @ myspace
Velvet revolver @ myspace