Many doubted that the potentially combustible combination of Scott Weiland and former members of Guns N’ Roses could last more than one album, but Velvet Revolver are hoping to have the last laugh. Guitarist Slash says that, after a worldwide tour, the supergroup plans to get cracking on its second record in the fall.
“As soon as we get off the road, we want to start getting the next record done and get it out,” he says. “We don’t want to lose momentum.”
The group already has plenty of material to follow up its 2004 chart-topping debut, Contraband. “We’ve got tapes and tapes of stuff that we’ve been writing at soundcheck,” Slash says. “There should be more than an album’s worth of material. And then there’s all the stuff we wrote before we did the first record that we never really touched.”
Slash also thinks that, with the orientation phase of the band over, their sophomore effort should come together more easily. “When we did this first record, it was like a bunch of kids in a sandbox all thrown in at one time,” he says. “Now we’ve managed to play together as a band, grow as a band and get to know each other as a band.”
Velvet Revolver’s U.S. tour dates:
3/24: Centennial Gardens, Bakersfield, CA
3/25: Compaq/Bill Graham Civic Center, San Francisco
3/26: Forum, Los Angeles
3/28: Cox Arena, San Diego
3/29: America West, Phoenix
3/31: TBA, Las Cruces, NM
4/1: American Airlines Arena, Dallas
4/2: Reliant Arena, Houston
4/4: UNO Arena, New Orleans,br> 4/7: American Airlines Arena, Miami
4/8: TD Waterhouse, Tampa
4/9: Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville
4/11: Gwinett Center, Atlanta
4/12: Cricket Arena, Charlotte, NC
4/14: Constant Convocation Center, Norfolk, VA
4/15: Patriot Center, Washington, D.C.
4/16: TBA, New York City
4/18: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, NY
4/19: Cobo/Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit
4/21: Savvis Center, St. Louis
4/22: US Cellular, Milwaukee, WI
4/23: Target, Minneapolis, MN
4/25: Magness/Pepsi Center, Denver
4/26: E Center, Salt Lake City, UT
4/29: Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC
4/30: Key Arena/Everette Arena, Seattle, WA
Source rollingstone.com.
The Offspring is the latest act to sign on for the 2005 Vans Warped Tour. Beyond the California rock act, which is making its first Warped appearance, the 11th annual trek will also feature the Transplants, Thrice, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy. Dates and venues will be unveiled next month.
It is unknown if the Offspring will be touring in support of a new studio album. The group’s most recent was 2003’s “Conspiracy of One,” which debuted at No. 9 on The Billboard 200.
Warped, which claims to be the longest-running music and extreme sports festival in the world, celebrated its most successful year in 2004. Attendance was 652,000, up 26% from 2003.
“We’ve learned not to mess with the brand too much,” tour founder Kevin Lyman said in October at the What Teens Want Conference in Los Angeles. “The formula when we started was to have a backyard party, and that’s what this tour is all about. After 10 years we’ve kept that same atmosphere.”
Lyman said the 2005 tour will include a Samsung-sponsored Adult Day Care area, where kids can drop off parents and have fun on their own. But he notes he has also added a stroller section.
The goal for this year, he said, is to expand the appeal to the third generation. “Live touring and events are in a bad state right now. If we can get 11-year-olds in the trend of going to shows, we’ll be in better shape in the future.”
Source billboard.com.
