Here Today... Gone To Hell!

I would like to start off by saying that I am a fan of Velvet Revolver.  In fact, that is precisely why I am writing this letter ? so that the band can change for the better.  I know a lot of fans have been dying to hear about the New Year?s show.  I attended that show and bought a meet and greet as well.  First let me talk about just the show.  Yes, the band rocked.  They definitely had their shit together which is more than I can say for them at the show in Concord, CA on 9/14/07.  The sound wasn?t the best.  I thought at first that the reason for this was because there was no soundcheck (more on this later).  According to the AT&T blueroom thing, there was.  Maybe the sound guy was off that night.  I am not the first person to think so for this show.  Anyways, it wasn?t horrific or anything.  I can?t recall the setlist exactly.  I do know they played (this is not the order by the way) Get Out The Door, Let It Roll, She Mine, She Builds Quick Machines, American Man, Last Fight, Sucker Train Blues, Set Me Free, Slither, Fall to Pieces, Do It For The Kids, Vasoline, Interstate Love Song, Sex Type Thing, Patience, It?s So easy, Mr. Brownstone, Auld Lang Syne (New Year?s Song).  There may have been other songs ? I just can?t remember.  I would almost bet there was another GNR and/or STP song which, in my opinion, is bullshit.  No offense, but the band has more than enough songs now for a 2 hour show.  If they would play for 3 hours (which would be great right?) then I could see playing more GNR/STP songs.  But I am coming to see Velvet Revolver.  Pick one song from each band (or 2 from each at the most) that you do really well and that?s it.  Would much rather have heard Pills, Spay, Dirty Little Thing, Gas and a Laugh, Messages (fuck yeah), etc.  And by the way the sound has nothing to do with that venue or their speakers ? I have seen other bands perform there with no problems.  Other than that it did suck to see all these people having an awesome time right by the stage.  Why was I not right next to the stage (especially with a meet and greet) you ask?  Let?s shift gears now and talk about the meet and greet.

The M&G was supposed to happen at 7pm which would have left plenty of time to meet the band and then go to the floor allowing us first choice of where we would have preferred to stand.  But it got pushed back to 9:15pm due to scheduling conflicts.  Um, what?  Sounds like someone fucked up real bad here ? either the M&G was never supposed to happen at 7, or someone scheduled things for the band even though they had a M&G scheduled.  I have to hope for the first one otherwise it implies that the band chose to fuck the fans and push the M&G back.  How does this fuck the fans?  I?ll get to that shortly.  We go inside and are lined up to get the ?goodies? that come with the M&G.  For this show that included a New Years Eve concert shirt, a VIP laminate, and 8X10 photo of the band, and a set of guitar picks.  First, no one gives a shit about the laminate.  Secondly, the photo was just a generic pic of the band (i.e., nothing new or special) and the T-shirt was the same one available to everyone else at the stand.  Not only that, but the sizes weren?t even arranged ahead of time ? you had to go to the stand and exchange it.  And the guitar picks were these cheap plastic pieces of shit that you popped out of their plastic holder (kind of like toys if you know what I?m talking about here).  All this for $300?  By the way, that price DID NOT include a ticket to the concert ? that was extra.  Then we went downstairs into a room where they were selling drinks and waiting for the band to arrive.  Finally the band came (late) and no Scott Weiland, natch.  We were told before the band came in that we could get the photo signed and another item too.  Then all of a sudden we were told only one item.  And you couldn?t really even talk with the band because you were being whisked along.  I even saw this one guy push this girl to get her to move along.  Completely disgraceful.  Now don?t get me wrong here.  The band was totally cool.  That being said I do have one question for the band ? are you guys a band?  Are you a team?  If so than either you?re all in it or you?re all out.  Meaning, everyone does the M&G or no one does.  I can understand if one night someone doesn?t show because they?re sick.  But Weiland has never been at one.  That?s not a team member to me.

Now usually I don?t agree with the concept of paying for M&G.  I don?t even really agree with the concept of paying for a fan club (a shitty run one at that).  Look at Metallica (who I know a lot of you hate).  True, you have to pay to join the fan club.  But it?s well run.  And you don?t pay for M&G.  You just end up being lucky enough to get one.  Note I am not of member of their fan club.  So why did I go for a M&G this time?  I decided to treat myself and I did not want to wait hours and hours in the cold to be next to the stage (kudos to the fans that did ? believe me I have for many other shows).  I am not rich ? I had to make a conscious decision to spend this money, and I would say that the majority of the people who were there were not rich either.  All for nothing.  Now let me say this ? if you are in the band, working for/with the band, etc. and you know that you fucked up and the M&G has to be pushed back.  You know this means that these fans are going to be screwed ? not just for a place on the floor, but also less time with the band.  Wouldn?t you even try to make up for it?  Get Scott Weiland?s ass to be there or just give out free drinks.  Something, anything.  But nope ? nothing.

What really drives me up a wall about all of this is the fact that a few years ago, VR played at the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Fran, CA.  I was at this concert and at the time I decided pay for something called I Love All Access.  It?s a company that some bands use to sort of run a kind of M&G thing.  A little different though.  Will explain in a moment.  At the time VR was using this company (iloveallaccess.com) and I highly recommend that they go back to using them.  I can?t remember how much it cost, but I?d say $225 at the most and no, that did not include a ticket to the show.  What did you get for all that money?  Another laminate.  A tour program.  An exclusive (i.e., not available to people at the T-shirt stand - can post pics) shirt and the size was arranged ahead of time.  A pre-party with free food.  In everyone?s bag there were two tickets for free drinks.  After that you had to pay but it still wasn?t near the prices of the drinks at the NYE show.  Then someone came in the room and led everyone out to the sound check where you could easily interact with band members (off course, Weiland wasn?t there).  When that was done we (not the band) went back into the party room.  In everyone?s bag was also a raffle ticket.  They raffled all kinds of cool shit ? signed drumheads, shirts, etc. and ten spots to go meet the band (again no Weiland).  When those people came back we then went to the floor before everyone else where we could pick whatever spot we wanted to stand in.  A hundred times better run and executed than the current M&Gs. 

Why does VR do the $300 M&G (which I notice now include a ticket to the show ? there?s that at least)?  I?m guessing partly it has something to do with them being sick of signing shit and someone selling it on eBay.  Which I get.  However, two issues there.  One, kind of hard to do without Weiland?s signature, and two, who the fuck do they think is selling/buying?  Not very many people buy because they?re weary of authenticity and two, got news for the guys in VR, but your signatures on an 8X10 are not worth $300 on eBay, no offense.  Maybe with Weiland?s.  Maybe.  And if they?re going to do the M&G, why then the lack of giving a shit?  Like I said, the band was cool, but the management, publicist, person who?s in charge of the M&G sure aren?t.  And I?d imagine the band has control overt that.  And if you guys don?t then you really should renegotiate your contract.  With your star power you really should have more control over the things you and/or the record company does.  Go back to your roots.  End all this corporate bullshit.  What the fuck was with the Libertad coin that came with some cds?  Whatever happened to the days of playing the El Rey theatre and stating that you were going to put a record out and that you weren?t going to need anyone?s help to do it?

Bottom line time.  To the fans ? avoid the meet and greets for now anyway.  To the band/management/record company/whoever runs the fan club ? get your fuckin? act together.  :rant:

This is a really well thought out letter.  I am sorry to read that you had such a bad experience with the meet and greet.  I would tend to agree that it's not worth the money unless the whole band shows up.  I'm not a huge fan of VR but I would imagine that anyone who wants to meet them would want to meet the lead singer.  Maybe you should send this to their management or something?

I know they taped jimmy kimmel that day/night, so that was probably why they were late for meet and greet...How many people were there for the m & g?  This all makes sense now...I got to hammerstein around 10, and there was a huge line because they had just started letting people in...anyway, sorry you had a shitty experience...for some reason the sound is always bad at the hammerstein.

I kind of agree about the M&G anyways.? ?I don't want to pay $250 bucks unless I can get a pickguard or something signed by Duff, Slash etc.? Scott not being there also made me hesitant.? I think a lot has to do with management too.

As for the band live, they are as good as ever.? ?I saw them twice on the last tour.? The first time Santa Barbara on 9-11 and at The Gibson in Dec.? Looking back, it was great that they played so many songs off of Libertad.? Those were the new songs and I wanted to see the band play them live as opposed to the same covers and Contraband songs.? I was lucky enough to hear Gravedancer and Just Sixteen which seem to have been removed from the second show I saw.? The STP GNR covers are the aces up their sleeves.??I agree at this point they could play less of their covers.?

They should continue to play GNR and STP tunes cause the fact is GNR are much better then VR and Id rather here its so easy by the people who wrote it.

I thought about going to do a Meet & Greet with the band up in Scranton this summer when they were in the area. Decided against it though due to other people's past experiences where they said it's been shit, much similar to yours troccoli.

sorry about your experience man, really sucks.

I think the whole experience can be good or bad - it's how you choose to look at it and what you choose to make of it.  Face it, band M&G's can be a rip-off.  They're not run by the bands, but by a corporation which really doesn't give a shit.  And security & management is going to hurry you along - that's their job!  Look at it this way - you got to meet the band & talk to them.  Sure you could do that in many other ways, but, if you're like me, I have no desire to hang out around buses & back stage doors.  Plus, anyone that goes to these things, expecting to meet Weiland, is kidding themselves.             

the whole idea of spending that much money to "meet" the band doesnt appeal to me at all. I say if you happen to meet them somewhere, get something signed after a show, get a photo with them, that's all cool, but paying $300 to exchange a few words and get an "exclusive" shirt seems crazy. That being said, I feel bad that they ran that M&G so unprofessionally and screwed you over. That sucks

Hell! I piss $300 after a good drunk, But the the way that was handled does suck.

I guess what I was trying to say was that it's cool to meet the band members after a show or whatever, but paying to meet them seems weird.

I have posted it twice on the VR forums.  I could send it to Joya (deals with the M&G fans the day of the show).


I guess I kind of consider myslef someone trying to stand up for consumer's rights.  Seems like everything in this country/the world used to be made better/run better.  Inlcuding this (iloveallaccess vs. the current M&Gs).  And yes, you are completely right, it's because of corporations.  And if you read my whole original post I address this in the 2nd to last paragraph.  Lastly, I did not expect to meet Weiland. Read the post again.  I did say that having him show up would have been a good of way of making up for fucking up the M&G schedule.


I am not saying that VR is better than GNR or STP.  I am simply saying the could play less of those songs and more VR songs.  They use them as too much of a crutch although who knows, maybe some corporate lackey is forcing their hand.


I'd say there was a tleast 50 people for the M&G if not 75.  100 at the most.  Glad I'm not the only person commenting on the sound. 

Anyways, don't get me wrong, I had a good time but as consumers, and, more importantly as fans, we have to demand (at least slightly) better.

Sorry to hear about your disappointment with the M&G.? No offense here, but one main reason I shy away from this sort of thing is because it is ALOT of money (for me anyway and I suspect for others as well) and it seems like it would be just too easy to be disappointed cuz after shelling out that kind of money, your expectations are so high, the anticipation, the excitement builds and truly it would be almost impossible to live up to my expectations.? And there's just too much room for error.? I believe they state up front that it is members of VR not necessarily the entire band so people know that going in.? I also was aware that there was no guarantee about getting in to the concert area in time for a good spot.? Again no offense, but alot of the things you mention didn't come as a surprise to me.? That doesn't mean its ok that it went down that way it just means I asked alot of questions before I made my decision to buy a M&G or not.? Believe me I've been burned as a consumer enough in the past that I've finally wised up to making an effort to be an informed buyer after learning some hard lessons.? When I heard that Slash was doing a book signing in my area I made a beeline to that and it was so awesome!? I got a moment to speak with him, and I got an item signed (his book), and I got to shake his hand - all for free!?
From what I've read, etc about that night it was just a scheduling disaster waiting to happen.? They had one of their biggest groups for the M&G and they were doing a thing in Times Square as well as the Hammerstein show.? Its no excuse, I know.? I also think in all honesty the band is not all that in the loop with all the Fanfire shit and I agree that Fanfire does suck big time as well as VR's management.? Ignorance on the band's part isn't much of an excuse either, but how do you let them know how their fans are being treated?? A few of us have complained to the Admins on their "official" website, but get no response.?
I'm glad the guys you got meet were at least cool.? Hopefully that made up for somethings.? I don't think they like all the interference from their "handlers" and such, but in all reality someone has to be the bad guy or they would never get a moment's peace, they would never get anywhere on time, and they would probably get walked all over because I think the bottom line is that they are all great guys who do enjoy their fans and have a hard time saying "no" to them.

This could easily be the MOST retarded post I've ever read.  Heres a hint: don't pay to meet grown men. :no: :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(  Boo fuckin hoo

No, yours is the most retarded.  I thought the guy made valid points and potentially prevented others from getting ripped off.

If they wanted to do GN'R songs, they should have stayed with GN'R, not form a new band and neglect their own material in favour of songs over 20 years old, especially when the current album needs all the promotion it can get right now.....

GNR covered Mama Kin, Nice Boys, Knocking on Heaven's Door, Live and Let Die and others. These songs were played in favour of their own material. Is that terrible too, or is it only VR who aren't allowed to play covers?

I'm confused as to what is retarded about his post?  He is dissapointed with something he paid for and his letter serves as good warning to anyone else who is interested in the meet and greets. 

What's wrong with playing 20 year old songs? - I know another band that plays material that's mostly 20 years old.

Personally I would prefer to hear VR playing mainly VR stuff as I don't think Weilands voice can do the GN'R stuff justice from what I have heard.

GNR should play less covers as well.  Would rather hear Don't Damn Me, Locomotive, Civil War, Coma, etc.  Although admittedly I would be floored if they played Nice Boys at a concert I went to.  Don't get me wrong here - I think both bands perform the covers well - it's just that PERSONALLY I would rather hear more VR songs for VR and more GNR songs when I see GNR.

Me likey when they play Gn'R songs.  : ok:

I disagree...I was going to do the Meet and Greet in Jersey last summer and I looked into seeing if I could pay extra to NOT have Scott Weiland there...apparently couldnt be done so needless to say I skipped the Meet and Greet....

 :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

That is hilarious dude

It all obviously is about money. And that is sad. Back in the day (2004) one could go to the show early, stand in back of the (small) venue, and meet the band. No extra money, no high prices, no bullshit. Just the band hanging out with fans and being cool. It just goes to show that as soon as a band has some success, everything changes.

I believe Duff admitted it in that TV interview he did with his wife....




/jarmo

It is all about the money but fans keep taking and taking and giving less i.e. illegal downloading, bootlegs and such, while i'm no saint and these things are rediculously over priced including t-shirts and such they need to make some money somehow, but again they don't need THAT much money considering they should all have millions allready except Dave so lets blame it all on Dave not having that much money before VR haha (alot of my post is just one big contradiction  :-[)