A little bit of the old Sunset Strip came to Perth on Friday night as the legend and original drummer of Guns N’ Roses, Steven Adler brought his Adler’s Appetite band to the sunny west coast of Australia for the first time in celebration of more than 30 years of Appetite For Destruction, the iconic rock album that brought his former band to new fame and glory. There was more to the night though than just your standard rock show as Steve and his Mother Deanna Adler gave the fans some insight into the early days of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll and the life of being in GNR, and the turbulent battle with drugs that Deanna saw Steve play out.
There were old school rock fans everywhere as you walked through the doors of the dank Capitol venue, t-shirts displaying Guns N’ Roses everywhere gave the impression of an actual GNR show but what we have here is the next best thing in the form of Steven Adler who played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of the Gunners back in the 80’s. The anticipation seemed high but there was an air of casualness that made it seem like just another local gig at the corner pub, the only difference was we were about to see something a little more than your bottom feeder rock acts.
As AC/DC blasted loud on the PA signalling the start of the show, we finally saw the two main people of the night, Steve and Deanna come out on stage to talk to the audience. Steve looked good considering the hell he has been through, even Deanna looked a little young to be a Mother of a 50-something rock star. But the experience they had showed in their battled voices as they spoke about the turmoils of life back in the day detailed in Deanna’s new book including the time Steve first met Slash in school and the formation of GNR. The awkward and interesting stories behind the whole reunion shows recently also gave his side of the story and why Steve was never truly included in the tour which came through Perth only last year, it was a sad telling of the relationships that came and went in Steve’s life with his former bandmates but he never seemed to hold a particular bitterness about it, just a matter of fact and that’s how it is state of mind.
Only a few questions popped up from the audience as the crowd shouted praises and GNR song titles out to Steve in the hopes of getting his attention. Steve certainly loved the adoration and gave back at every opportunity and the fans ate it up in appreciation. The talk was great and gave everyone the opportunity to kind of get to know the veteran sticksman after all these years but that grin we saw at The Roxy all those years ago was still there and a highlight to see in person.
Steven Adler came back out a bit later after the Q&A session along with his band that he put together for these special events which consisted of some familiar names if you know your rock stuff. Featuring American Idol contestant Constantine Maroulis on vocal duty, the backing band consisted of Carl Restivo who has worked with numerous artists including Extreme, Billy Idol and Joe Satriani to name a few, plus on bass Sean McNabb, a Sons Of Anarchy actor and former bass player for acts such as Quiet Riot and Dokken (and is now with Lynch Mob) and last but not least and the guy who almost stole the show tonight, Michael Thomas who has previously worked with Faster Pussycat and Bang Tango. Some formidable names for sure and that wealth of experience translated into a fairly tight performance although it must be said, singer Constantine Maroulis struggled through most of the show due to what appeared to be an oncoming illness much to the disappointment of Constantine himself who did his absolute best to give it his all. Those high notes are no easy task and while he gave the crowd the mic on those parts to help out, even Axl Rose himself doesn’t always hit them either so we can forgive him!
The set was a little surprising to be honest in that after our conversation with Steve himself recently talking about the tour, we were expecting a few tracks from the Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide like “Reckless Life” but they never eventuated. Instead we got a few gems in the form of “Civil War” and “You Could Be Mine” in which Steve was a part of in their original incarnations despite those tracks not appearing on record until “Use Your Illusion II”. It was great to hear the live versions with Steve’s own magical groove touch but of course the main set was what people came to see, the “Appetite For Destruction” album.
There’s little to be said about this iconic album that hasn’t been reiterated a hundred thousand times before but there is something to be said about the way Steve played drums on these songs compared to how they were performed with various other drummers over the years. Steve may not be the most technical drummer in the world but groove and simplicity is his signature sound and that came through immensely tonight. For those of us not lucky enough to have seen the original lineup from back in the day, it was enlightening to see the stark contrast between his drums and those that came after him, the songs had a little more backbone to them and the groove connected in the pocket with the bass perfectly as Steve eyeballed bassist Sean through out the show to keep that intact. Any drummer worth their salt knows that’s the key to good drumming, the two instruments go hand in hand.
The show started off with the classic “It’s So Easy”, a staple opener in GNR’s own set and from there it was a play by play of the entire album except for only two tracks that for some reason didn’t make the cut – “You’re Crazy” which to be honest is not quite as good as the original acoustic version found on the Lies EP anyway and the raucious “Out Ta Get Me”. One particular highlight that has to be mentioned that became apparent during the show was lead guitarist Michael Thomas and his dazzling take on Slash’s parts, it was a showcase of blistering solos one after another that either remained true to the originals or included a healthy injection of his own style. Either way he put on one hell of a show and almost stole the show away from Steven Adler himself.
All in all it was a good night minus a couple of notable flaws here and there. But rock n’ roll was never meant to be perfect and it’s that honest realness of a good rock show that makes you want to come back to it time and time again. Sure tonight was about nostalgia and that era of GNR in history and Steve’s place in all of that but ultimately as with anything around this world, it’s always about the music and that’s what we got and then some.
PHOTO GALLERY
THE EXPERIENCE PRESENTS
STEVEN ADLER
Touring May 2018
Wednesday 16th May – Discovery, DARWIN – https://goo.gl/4U8Su5
Thursday 17th May – The Gov, ADELAIDE – https://goo.gl/BhJA7S
Friday 18th May – Capitol, PERTH – https://goo.gl/mHrWz5
Saturday 19th May – The Backroom, BRISBANE – https://goo.gl/pT8JFw
Friday 25th May – 170 Russell, MELBOURNE – https://goo.gl/pGVfwm
Saturday 26th May – Max Watts, SYDNEY – https://goo.gl/NoGESb
Tickets on Sale – 9am Monday 26th March
GA & VIP Tickets Available
