Velvet Revolver: Live in Houston 2005

When you stop and consider all the supergroups that popped up out of the woodwork in the mid-'00s, Velvet Revolver were easily the most bankable of them all. Merging refugees from the Guns N' Roses camp with the larger-than-life presence of Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland, Velvet Revolver had a formula that was destined for glory. Their debut album, Contraband, quickly topped the charts, earning the band a successful string of radio hits and a live show that likely made Axl Rose ooze with jealousy, thus setting the release of Chinese Democracy back a number of years. So it's easy to understand why their first live DVD, "Velvet Revolver: Live in Houston," is seeing a release even over half a decade after its filming and nearly three years after the band went belly up and Weiland retreated back to his old job.

Presented by Eagle Rock, who is more or less the DVD equivalent of VH1, "Live in Houston" finds Velvet Revolver in its prime. Allegedly clean and sober, the boys rock out like they are having the time of their lives with the sort of camaraderie that makes one wonder why they could only eek out two albums before farting out (but then you remember that Weiland is a basketcase nowadays and it sort of makes sense). The band -- consisting of ex-Gunners Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum along with hanger-on Dave Kushner -- rip through a set that is heavy on the band's debut, as well as classics from both the GNR and STP catalogues. Frontman Scott Weiland hits the stage looking like a Village People outcast, but brings all of the bold flavor and intensity audiences have come to expect of the performer. Say what you will about the guy's personal issues, but he sure knows how to handle a crowd like the best of them and sounds nearly flawless to boot. Likewise for the band, who pulls off each number professionally and precisely while giving way to a lengthy jam here and there (see: "Illegal I"). The guys seem to enjoy Scott's presence and are likely grateful to have a more emotionally stable singer to latch onto. At the very least, this set solidifies the notion that Duff and Slash belong together and without one or both, any post-GNR endeavor is doomed to fail.

The set is unfortunately interrupted all too often by an overzealous editor who seems to be experimenting with Avid for the very first time. Never mind the pointless cutaway scenes of a young female in uniform which go unexplained, the visual trickery that is so blatantly overused nearly undermines the enjoyability of the band's performance. Whoever started this trend in music videos of cutting every two seconds needs to be brought before a jury already. Like most Eagle Rock releases, the DVD is without special features; however, there are snippets of interviews between songs that cover the beginnings of the band. Although none of this information may be new to those who followed the band from its inception, it's still a nice inclusion and thankfully doesn't interrupt the songs themselves.

Overall, it's a good concert and the band sounds excellent. If you can forgive some stale visuals and poor-editing, Velvet Revolver's first (and last?) live DVD dishes up a more than satisfying chunk of good old rock n' roll from a group of tried and true professionals. Even if you're merely up for some '00s nostalgia already, "Live in Houston" will more than suffice. Just don't expect the announcement of a new singer to come up anytime soon.

I was at this show, it was great. Got the DVD, it is great. BUT WHY OH WHY ISN'T THE ENTIRE SHOW ON HERE??? WHY LEAVE OFF TRACKS LIKE MR. BROWNSTONE, SUPERHUMAN, YOU GOT NO RIGHT, AND, FROM WHAT I REMEMBER, AN EARDRUM-SHATTERING COVER OF NIRVANA'S NEGATIVE CREEP??? Same with the STP Live in Chicago 2010 performance (downloaded through ticketmaster), why can't we have the ENTIRE show??? WE BUY THE MUSIC AND PAY FOR THE SHOWS, GIVE US WHAT WE WANT!!!

First and foremost, this is a great concert by a great band. I wish it was a bit longer, especially since we won't likely see these five together again. The playing is great, and they are a charismatic bunch. Which makes the editing so very disappointing. There are a couple bits with a blonde woman in an SS cap, which are strange, but didn't really affect my viewing. The interview parts were interesting, although I wish they were not part of the show itself (but if you read Duff's book, some are really interesting). The worst part is that the editors couldn't just show the concert, and whatever they did got overdone. It started with the cameras jumping from shot to shot, and I wondered how much of that I could take. Well, it got worse. During "Headspace", the song is shown in various size boxes appearing on the screen, with Matt drumming at one point with the same scene of him in six little boxes under the main one. There was also the vertical split down the middle of the screen, with mirror images on each side (think "The Song Remains the Same"). Then vertical "blinds" which transformed in different shot. There was even a liquid type effect used to change scenes. It reminded me of a high school project where the editor had to use all of the effects available, rather than show a really fine concert.