Review by Rock Over America
When I was deciding how to start my New Year’s weekend there were certainly a plethora of options. With bands and parties all over the Las Vegas valley I had to think a bit before deciding. When I found out that Adler’s Appetite was playing at Vamp’d my decision was made. I had missed this band the last few times they played here because of other commitments, but for once the stars were all aligned and it was off to start my long weekend with Steven Adler.
A lot has been made of Steven’s past, but on this night I put all of that out of my mind as I parked and made my way inside. I was a little surprised at how many people were already at the club hours before Adler’s Appetite would take the stage. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one looking forward to the show.
Starting the evening was local favorite Heavy Honey. Hitting the stage around 10 you could tell that they were more than excited to be the opening act. For those of you not in Las Vegas, Heavy Honey is London Mace, David Ivy, and Jack White. As they say think GNR + U2. It’s actually a pretty accurate description. They played a high energy set and definitely got the crowd primed and ready. They played a set of mostly original songs with one or two covers thrown in the mix, most notably “Feel Like Making Love”. The crowd was into it, the band was into it, and that always makes for a fun night.
After a bit of a wait Adler’s Appetite took the stage to the roar of the crowd. People that had been sitting got up and as close as they could, while the people that had been patiently waiting since the curtain closed were finally rewarded with that big smile that Steven bestows on all around him. We all know Steven as the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses, and without a doubt that’s what this crowd wanted to hear. Steven is joined by Patrick Stone (vocals), Michael Thomas and Lonnie Johnson (guitar), and Aaron Samson (bass). Is it GNR? No. Did anyone in that room care? No.
Starting with “Reckless Life” the tempo of the night was set. This was going to be a night of rock and you could either come along or get run over. The set was in fact a walk down memory lane with all the GNR songs that I played over and over again as an angry kid that now remind me of a time when GNR was THE band. “Night Train”, “Out To Get Me” and Mr. Brownstone followed in quick succession, with Steven throwing some sticks out to lucky fans.
“Knocking On Heavens Door” followed, and Adler’s Appetite got a little help on that one from London Mace and The Snakemann, as well as the crowd. How can you say no to Adler? After that the night went back to kicking ass with “Rocket Queen”, “Anything Goes”‘ and “Sweet Child O Mine”. For the encore the songs that were always Adler driven; “Welcome To The Jungle” and “Paradise City”. The set may have been short, but in this case it was quality not quantity. I was pretty damn impressed by the band that Steven has put together. Patrick may have some of the qualities of Axl, but none of the attitude. Michael and Lonnie were definitely playing their asses off, and the bass line laid down by Aaron was the perfect compliment to Steven’s beats.
Not to disappoint his fans, Steven spent quite a lot of time afterwards taking pictures, signing autographs, and giving kisses to the ladies. I don’t know who was happier; Steven for playing a tight set, or the fans for being so close to a musician that we all admired in spite of his flaws, or perhaps because of them. I was glad that I decided to see the show, and happier when I realized that all I had heard was true. This is a tight band that has fun, and Steven is one of the nicest guys in the business. I don’t know what time he finally left, but at 2 am I called it a night and he was still surrounded by people.
Thank you Korie, Danny, and all the wonderful people at Vamp’d! Your hard work and dedication to the music scene is really appreciated.