It's virtually impossible to wipe the smile off Steven Adler's face these days, and not just because he's turning his life around. San Antonians got a chance to see why when the new and improved original drummer of Guns N' Roses brought Adler's Appetite to Clicks Billiards on Saturday night.
Playing two-thirds of 1987 smash album Appetite For Destruction -- that's 8 out of 12 songs, for you non-math majors -- and a couple of original singles, Adler's Appetite rocked, entertained, and schmoozed with a dedicated crowd of roughly 350-400 fans at the pool hall and bar.
Every concert is a victory for Adler, who was fired from Guns N' Roses in 1990 for his persistent drug use. His constant battles are being chronicled again on the brand-new season of "Celebrity Rehab." But Adler is clearly at his happiest when he's behind the drum kit, as he was 24 years ago for the debut full-length album that has been certified, at 18x-platinum, as the highest-selling debut album of all-time in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Small wonder Adler named the two-month-plus club tour "Good To Be Alive." The slogan even adorns the band's tour bus. Before the show, I had the pleasure of interviewing Adler and bassist Chip Z'Nuff on board. That came on the heels of a phone interview with Adler the previous week (see "suggested" links below).
The band was clicking (pardon the pun) throughout their 65-minute set that included Appetite favorites Mr. Brownstone, Rocket Queen and the oft-forgotten Anything Goes (see videos, left). But the crowd was just as enthusiastic for a pair of originals, including the straight-out rocker Alive, which was released last year and figures to be a highlight of the band's album that's expected late this year.
Adler's infectious smile accompanied his drumming. He stood after nearly every song and interacted with the crowd, particularly with females up front. Vocalist Patrick Stone, who along with rhythm guitarist Lonny Paul joined the band in April, did a fine job of singing the GNR songs (complete with Axl Rose-type swaying) without attempting to be a complete carbon-copy of him.
Lead guitarist Michael Thomas, who played Backstage Live's grand opening on March 18, 2010, as a member of Faster Pussycat (which will be at Clicks this Sunday), not only played flawlessly throughout but also pumped up the crowd before Sweet Child O' Mine (see videos, left). Z'Nuff, the veteran co-leader of Enuff Z'Nuff, was his usual stellar bass-playing, tie-wearing, backup singing self. During our video interview, he spoke of the "challenge" of playing Guns N' Roses songs every night. It showed at the end of Sweet Child O' Mine when he yelled, "I've got blisters on my fingers!"
One of the local opening acts backed out, so Adler's Appetite's set was moved up from midnight to 11:30 p.m. They took the stage at 11:40 and should have had ample time to play their entire scheduled set (see slideshow, left). However, they left off several songs including opener Reckless Life from 1986's Live Like A Suicide. Instead, they opened with Nightrain -- a solid and popular choice in its own right.
Other scheduled tunes omitted were My Michelle and You're Crazy from Appetite For Destruction, while other album classics It's So Easy and Think About You were not planned on being played at all. Another deviation was the band ending its regular set with Welcome To The Jungle, then coming back for an encore of Paradise City, rather than vice versa. During our interview on the bus, Adler said they had been playing the last song he recorded with Guns N' Roses -- Civil War off Use Your Illusion II. But that was absent on this night as well.
Adler's Appetite ended an hour before closing time presumably so that they could meet with fans and hang out. But they never told the crowd their plans for doing so. Consequently, a majority of people left after the encore. The ones who stuck around went home a little extra happily, including the 20-something male who had traveled all the way from Monterrey, Mexico.
As you can see at the video interview link, Adler's Appetite is in favor of returning for the Oct. 7-8 South Texas Rock Fest at Sunken Garden Theater. So if you missed Saturday's intimate performance, or simply want more, cross your fingers. Sway like a snake charmer while playing Adler's Appetite's originals and Guns N' Roses tunes.
Then wish really hard. It might just happen.
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