"Why are we always the first ones here?" I thought to myself as I grabbed a cup of water in the press building. Looking out the window we could see the two Alice in Chains tour buses nearby. Jerry was doing something outside, but I couldn't tell what. A few more photographers arrived, then we headed over to the amphitheater shortly before the show started.

Kill Hannah opened with a very brief twenty-five minute set. I was surprised that they played their long intro piece when faced with such a short set. The crowd gave them a warm reception, but many did not seem familiar with their material. In order to liven things up with a lively cover of Billy Idol's Rebel Yell. It was a decent cover, but was missing one thing... Billy Idol.

I was aware that Alice in Chains occasionally likes to torment their crew (check out The Baldy's posts) by shooting fireworks at them, or making them dress up in stupid outfits. So tonight, it gave me a good chuckle to see the crew adorning Mexican wrestling masks. It must have been fun having your head wrapped in vinyl while trying to work on a hot stage.

The Boston fans love Alice in Chains. The band muscled through some technical issues early in the set, and the crowd rewarded them with thunderous cheers and applause. At one point the band put on some Red Sox gear. Mike Inez wore a jersey and Jerry Cantrell put on a hat. It looked like they were having a good time.

Overall the Alice in Chains set was very good. It wasn't quite as good as their Halloween 2006 show in Providence, but few things are... that was something special. William DuVall appeared to be settled in with the material, and his role. This is the third Alice in Chains show I've seen in the course of a year, and my greatest take-away from this performance is that it's time for them to generate some new material. It would be infinitely disappointing if they were to become a nostalgia act.

Between sets, back in the press area, the half dozen-or-so photographers covering the show were exchanging war stories about bad lighting, people pouring drinks on their equipment, being hosed down with various liquids during a show, and the occasional blood splattering from moshing fans.

Prior to the Velvet Revolver set, the stage was shrouded with a black curtain. NWA's Straight Outta Compton blasted through the PA, then the curtain dropped. They needed no time to warm up or get in the groove... they hit you with their power right away.

The set was a good mix of Velvet Revolver songs, with some Stone Temple Pilots songs, like Vasaline and Interstate Love Song, and Guns N' Roses covers, like It's So Easy, and Patience, mixed in. They saved their Velvet Revolver hits until the later half of the set. The covers were decent, some better than others. The crowd loved them.

Slash had a large arsenal of guitars at his disposal. It took me a while to get used to seeing him play a red B.C Rich in place of a Les Paul. He also broke out a blue acoustic/electric double-neck during the acoustic portion of the set.

Velvet Revolver's show should be video taped and distributed as a training guide for up-and-coming bands. This is how it's done folks. This is how to entertain a crowd. Scott Weiland is so good as a frontman, with bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Matt Sorum completing the sound with backing vocals. Dave Kushner's rhythm guitar efforts kept things grounded (though did whip out at least one solo), while Slash wailed away on the leads.

What a damn good night to see a show.

| 08.14.2007 | Review by J. Pierson |