Considering the fact that this supergroup hasn’t really existed for three years, this DVD release of a 2005 Velvet Revolver performance shows that for a short period, these guys were a real force to be reckoned with. The set captures the band at that brief moment in time when they were on the top of their game and on top of the world. 
Considering their debut album Contraband had just hit #1, and all band members were sober (something which was soon to change as their tour continued).
Scott Weiland is in fine form here, prancing around the stage with his megaphone, and the band plays with snarl and swagger, churning out their hybrid grunge-metal with a new-found purpose. Seeing these former superstars perform with something to prove is a minor revelation, as the band seems to draw its energy from being an underdog of sorts. The fact that this tour was their “comeback” from rock and roll obscurity gives the music a hard-edged vigor which is retained throughout the set.
The band’s performance leans heavily on the material from the then-just-released Contraband, though a couple of tunes from STP and Guns n’ Roses’ catalog make appearances for good measure. Weiland is a pure showman, and his voice sounds great singing his megaphone-enhanced call-and-response lyrics. Duff McKagan (GnR) and Matt Sorum (GnR) hold down the rhythm section, Dave Kushner (Wasted Youth) crunches out heavy riffs on rhythm guitar, and Slash (GnR) fulfills his role as star of the show by shredding every song to oblivion. He is clearly the band’s ace-in-the-hole, and his signature melodic guitar virtuosity elevates every song from rocking-yet-forgettable to rocking-and-catchy. To see the top-hatless Slash abandon his “I’m Slash” gimmick and just play his ass off to new music is a joy. Of course, the band knows they’re being recorded, and they all strut like shirtless peacocks for the camera (Slash puts his hat on for the Encore), but that’s ok, cause they’re rock stars, and that’s what these guys do.
Velvet Revolver’s sound can be described as a grungy, shred-happy, less melodic version of G n’ R. Musical highlights include the psychedelic “Illegal I,” (which is surprisingly jammed out into a spacey section where Slash rocks the voicebox!), “Fall to Pieces,” (the epic, drug addition-inspired monster ballad of the night), an acoustic version of GnR’s “Used to Love Her” (which features a bluesy Slash channeling Keith Richards), “Slither,” (the band’s big hit, featuring Slash peaking out on Chuck Berry riffs), and “Sex Type Thing,” (the STP speed-metal rocker which climaxes with a wall of feedback to close the show).
The band’s rockstar showmanship is very watchable, mostly because they’re actually digging in and playing some real music to back it up. The concert’s light-show is captured on film well, but the ADD-editing of cuts and pixelated cross-fades between shots are awful, and will make you cross-eyed. To give the DVD some sort of narrative, footage from VH1’s Inside Out reality special on the band’s formation is spliced throughout the set. It’s not really necessary, as it’s the same old Behind the Music story: addiction, redemption through musical camaraderie, etc. Of course, it certainly loses its effect knowing that these guys fell off the horse again in the ensuing years, but it does serve to give a background of how the band got to this particular point in time.
While it’s odd that this DVD was released so long after the disillusion of the band, it serves as a reminder that these guys really did get their shit together long enough to be a momentarily great band. Recommended.
