It would be easy for Slash to rest on his laurels and cash in. As one of the greatest guitarists of all time, the ex Gun's n Roses and Velvet Revolver player could simply play that back catalogue and tour and make money. Instead he's released three pretty damn good albums since 2010. The latest, World On Fire brought Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators to a sold out Grey Eagle Casino on October 9th for an evening of classics and new.
This was my second time seeing Slash live with his current band, which includes Canadians Brent Fitz on drums and Todd Kerns on bass – and that intangible magic is still there. You cannot help but be in awe watching him play guitar, something that was highlighted on the casino's big screens multiple times for those at the back. Kicking off with You're a Lie from 2012's Apocalyptic Love and directly into GnR's Nighttrain. It was a blistering 2 hours of rock music with no time to breathe. The epic power ballads of the past were left out in favour of rockers Halo, You Could Be Mine and Kerns taking over the vocals for a stellar version of Welcome to the Jungle.
It is in this mix that the Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators portion of the band shine. They aren't a GNR cover band by any means, Kennedy takes the classics and makes them his own but the man's vocal range is incredible. He is a captivating front man who plays off Slash well and it is evident whether singing the tracks that he co-wrote with Slash or the classic songs.
As for the man himself, he remains timeless. Although he no longer has a cigarette dangling from his mouth, the big black hair, the top hat, and the magic he makes on the guitar are all just as we remember it. He's hardly aged and weaves a captivating spell over an enthusiastic audience who very clearly love him. A lengthy guitar solo during Rocket Queen left the audience breathless.
An evening that was the perfect blend of solo songs and covers wrapped up spectacularly with Sweet Child O' Mine and a cover of the Velvet Revolver track Slither and the spectacular set ender Paradise City. Some of the most famous guitar riffs of all time, still being presented. It's amazing.
Kennedy pointed out a kid in the audience who was 9. There were quite a few kids in the audience along with those that grew up listening to Slash and his former bands play. Whether you were there for the older covers or love the current music, there was something for everyone.
