Scott Weiland belts out a tune at the ACC last night. (Craig Robertson, SUN)

TORONTO -- The fact that there was even a Velvet Revolver show last night at the Air Canada Centre is somewhat of a miracle.

Never mind that the hard rocking supergroup -- made up of members of Stone Temple Pilots (singer Scott Weiland), Guns N' Roses (guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, drummer Matt Sorum) and Wasted Youth (guitarist David Kushner) started a full hour later than scheduled.

Their trucks had only rolled up to the venue at 6:30 p.m. -- that typically happens first thing in the morning -- so the band's road crew scrambled to get the production in place and 11,500 fans good-naturedly cooled their heels.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we would like to apologize for being late," explained a free-wheeling and chatty Weiland about five songs into the group's hour-and-25-minute show.

"The U.S. customs held up our equipment at the fu--ing border because of who we are and what we are about! That is f--ing persecution! That doesn't have anything to do with the Canadians, that has everything to do with America today!"

Naturally, Weiland's ranting was wildy cheered for his pro-Canada, anti-U.S. stance.

Apologies aside, Velvet Revolver wisely decided not to waste any time on the music front.

The fivesome stormed the stage -- with McKagan the last to make an entrance -- amidst strobe lights and a trio of monstrously loud, pounding rockers -- Sucker Train Blues, Do It For The Kids and Headspace -- from their debut album Contraband.

Glammy Weiland and guitar god Slash, not surprisingly, proved to be the ones to watch, although McKagan, Kushner and Sorum were hardly restrained.

Weiland, who was initially decked out in a black leather jacket, a tweed poor boy hat and sunglasses -- all three of which he quickly discarded until he was shirtless -- was a constant man in motion. Either he was twirling around the stage showing off his head-bobbing, slithering dance moves or picking up a bull-horn to get his point across.

"Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll, we have them right here in front of us," declared Weiland, a recovering addict whose frequent brushes with the law and rehab have often overshadowed his music.

The bushy-haired, black leather-pants-clad Slash, meanwhile, tucked into some mighty guitar solos during such Contraband highlights as Illegal i Song, Fall To Pieces -- perhaps the crowd's favourite of the night -- Big Machine, Set Me Free, Slither and GNR's It's So Easy, I Used To Love Her and Mr. Brownstone.

When Velvet Revolver returned for the first of two encores -- by this time both a top-hat wearing Slash and McKagan were also shirtless -- the name of the band was finally writ large in red neon lights high above Sorum's drum kit.

But, by that time, they hardly required an introduction.

Certainly, Velvet Revolver's return to Toronto -- they first played back in May at Kool Haus -- succeeded on its own dramatic and musical merits.

Better late than never, as they say.