Steven Adler’s Appetite – The Gov Thursday 17 May 2018.
Review – Geoff Jenke
It’s just over 30 years (July 1987 release) since the album Appetite for Destruction took Guns N Roses on a slow ride to the top of the charts. It was to be August 1988 before the album reached number one on the US Billboard chart after extensive touring and airplay. The band went on to become known as “the most dangerous band alive” and it is a wonder any of them are still alive after the exploits they have been through.
With no news on the Gunners front in relation to touring the album, Steven Adler has decided to tour it with his own band, Adler’s Appetite. Steven has bought his mum Deanna along for the tour, in fact giving her the support slot at the gig. Deanna Adler has written a book about the journey of raising her son and living through the hell of his addictions, heart attacks and suicide attempts. So, the first part of the evening is a Q&A with Deanna and Steven. Must admit, Deanna found it hard to get a word in with Steven hogging the microphone. But it was a rare personal and emotive journey with the two of them sharing stories. Steven says he holds no grudges against the former band members who sacked him from the band in 1990, at the height of their fame and they both openly talked about his addictions and spiral out of control, losing all his money on the way down. Questions were also taken from the audience.
However, it was the songs we came to listen to and the band didn’t disappoint. Looking every bit a late 1980’s L.A. sleaze band, they hit the stage to an extremely AC/DC’s Let There Be Rock (he also claimed earlier that he was asked to join AC/DC in 1990, but they pulled out of the deal). It was all go from the onset. Reckless Life from 1986’s Live *@ Like a Suicide E.P. opened the night with singer Constantine Maroulis (“You can call me Greek”) owning the stage from the start. He trawled every inch of that stage and had everyone’s attention before the first song was over. Constantine came to fame through 2005 American Idol and has been in the music and film business ever since.
The rest of the band were at the top of their game as well. Michael Thomas on guitar, Carl Restivo on rhythm guitar and Sean McNabb (Dokken, Quiet Riot, Lymch Mobb) on bass all menacingly roamed the stage, but all obviously having a great time.
We didn’t get all of Appetite for Destruction but we did get a fair chunk. It’s so Easy and Nightrain came out early and the band provided some funk during Mr Brownstone. The audience sang along with My Michelle and when the opening riff to Sweet Child O’ Mine started, the audience raised the roof. There was to be no respite as each song registered 11 on the amp.
Whilst staying relatively loyal to the original songs, the band did on occasions add their stamp to the classic tunes. On one occasion, Constantine jumped into the crowd and moshed along with them.
Steven Adler may have been to hell and back, but it has not affected his drumming in any way. Naturally we got a drum solo, but he kept it short enough to keep people’s attention and stop them from wandering over to the bar for more beer.
Civil War and You Could be Mine were the only choices from Use Your Illusion albums, Civil War originally recorded with Adler on drums, but You Could Be Mine with Matt Sorum, so an interesting inclusion. A fiery Rocket Queen closed the set out with the band shaking hands while leaving the stage.
Encores were heavy version of Welcome to the Jungle and Paradise City before once again giving hi-5’s on the way off stage.
The cynical amongst us may say that Steven Adler is just cashing in on the name of Guns N Roses but he has as much right to be playing these songs as Axl, who has been performing under the name Guns N Roses with just hired musicians for years. At least Adler has supported the album in this its 30th year.
Hard Rock Heaven.
Of course, you could always buy the big deluxe 30th anniversary release of the album at around $2,000.
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