Velvet Revolver Guitarist Dave Kushner Explains One-Off Show with Scott Weiland

As previously reported, Velvet Revolver will be reuniting with singer Scott Weiland for a one-off performance at an upcoming charity gig in honor of late songwriter John O'Brien. The concert, titled Love You Madly: A Concert for John O’Brien, will take place January 12 at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

There's been a lot of speculation as to why the group would decide to reunite with Weiland, if only briefly, and now Dave Kushner has explained the band's decision.

"I found out he passed away on August 20, and it was like out of nowhere," Kushner told Rolling Stone. "Next day I was in shock and my wife said to me, 'You gotta have a benefit concert for his wife and you have to get Velvet Revolver back together.' That's how it started."

He continued. "We did a benefit show for this thing called Road Recovery — me, Duff [McKagan], Slash and Matt [Sorum] — in New York, and that's when I asked those guys individually if they would agree to do it. Once they said so then I got in touch with Scott, and he agreed."

VR have been searching for a new lead singer since Weiland's dismissal from the band back in 2008, leading many to believe this may be the beginning of a full-blown reunion. While Kushner didn't rule the possibility out, he was careful to note that the band are taking it one step at a time.

"We haven't played together in four years, and so we're really just like, 'Let's see how this goes,'" he said. "I know everyone's got other commitments, but I think everyone's like, 'Let's get this thing done and get through this and then we'll see.'"

Drummer Matt Sorum recently confirmed that the band planned to audition Ours singer Jimmy Gnecco for Velvet Revolver last month.