The Velvet Revolver show (did not) suck!

Happy New Year everybody (but not for T-bone, he's getting ready to complain). I guess it's time I get back to updating this "blog" thing more often. And what a topic to start with. Alright, so it's December 30th, my birthday begins at midnight (happy b-day tommy!), so I'm ready to get fired up at a quality rock show (you could have, you're just too old to realize it). I get to Borgata with some time to spare so I sit down at a slot machine. Literally 2 SPINS LATER I'm up 40 bucks (call the accountant, honey we're rich!). Sweet...my beers are now paid for. Cash Out!!!! The old guy next to me must have been pissed. Win and gone...that's how I roll (roll? alright t-dogbone from the westside... are you packing too?)!!!So then I head up to the show. It's all been established ahead of time. NO OPENING ACT AND SHOWTIME IS 8 PM. Being that this is a concert it's a given that 8:15 or so is when the show will start. 8:15 comes and goes.....8:30 comes and goes.....8:45 comes and goes 9:00....9:10.....9:15.....9:20..... (though they were playing some great tunes... ac/dc, alice in chains, metallica, etc.) you've got to be f'n kidding me........9:30.....9:45 the lights go down. An hour and 45 minutes from the advertised showtim (okay, i can't argue with this point, it was ridiculous)!!!!! I half expected AXL ROSE to show up (so did I).So VR starts to play and it's just loud (t-bone... welcome to a rock show... LOUD... just like it's supposed to be). Scott Weiland's voice is getting lost in the mix(not to mention he's dressed like the gay biker grom the village people (sorry he doesn't ROLL with a hawaiian shirt, a parrot on his shoulder, and a corona... this is rock and roll, not a gay beach party)), Slash just appears to be noodling away (that's called amazing guitar playing you old fart), overall a very shaky start.Here's the real problem. Velvet Revolver was a great band on paper (and live... 2 million records sold, 3 top ten rock hits, and a year and a half on the road... they must be doing something right?). Take one part S.T.P. and three parts GNR put them together and it's rock and roll heaven, right???WRONG (sorry they don't sing songs about cheeseburgers)!!! While "Fall to Pieces" and "Slither" are good (great!)songs the rest of the CONTRABAND album is filled with songs that may "rock" but are not catchy in any way (sucker train blues?, you have no right?, dirty little thing?... come on now) That does not translate well in a live setting (bullsh#t). All you had to do was look around at the crowd. All the band was getting was the courtesy clap at the beginning and end of the song with blank stares in the middle (flat out lies... the crowd, though small for a VR show, was totally into the show... a few mosh pits started, people pushing their way up front, wanna be rock stars belting out every word to every song). The only time the level got above tepid was when they broke out a GNR or STP song."It's So Easy""MR. Brownstone""Sex Type Thing" all got a bit of a frenzy going (no shit? GnR only sold about 50 million records and STP about 30 million... no kidding they got huge responses?) but then it's back to a CONTRABAND song and the energy would take a nosedive (we were at the same show right?).So, and hour and 15 minutes go by and guess what .....it's over (funny... the show started at 9:40 and I walked directly to my car after the show and it was 11:40... more like 1 hour and 40 minutes, but who's counting)!!!(not that I was all that upset). But I didn't pay for my ticket (but still manages to bitch and complain)!!! At $100 a pop (the wife would have never approved it)I would have wanted more....lots more (what? a cheeseburger in paradise with a talking parrot and a corona? would that have made you happy?)!!!!So overall on a scale of 1 to 10......it's only a 1 (though i will admit it wasn't a 10... i would totally give it an 8 easily)...I really was that dissapointed (you got out of the house, gambled, drank some beer, and saw a kick ass show... and you're disappointed?).Ohwell, here's to better concerts in 2006!!!Rock On!!and remember:THE BEATINGS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL MORALE IMPROVES (what exactly is this supposed to mean anyway?)!!!! Anyway, as you can see, T-bone and me disagree on the Velvet Revolver show. The only thing is... I'm right and he's wrong. Clearly, another birthday has made him deaf (the show rocked), blind (the crowd was totally into the show), and over the hill before his time ($40 and cash out.... no real man does that!) Not only was the show good, CONTRABAND was one of the best rock records of 2005 and I look forward to VR's follow-up. Rock on T-bone? For some, but not you!