With some bands, all it takes is to see them live just the once to fall in love with them. Regardless of whether or not you are their fan, from that moment onwards, you become one. For life. That’s how it felt at Slash’s gig on Saturday at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham. That’s also how it felt back in July 2018 at the London Palladium during Myles Kennedy‘s UK leg of his Year of the Tiger tour. He has since been back to the UK with Alter Bridge (highlight being headlining Download last year), so it’s now time to hit the UK again with Slash and the Conspirators.
Since some things never change, I could easily summarise the gig as I did Slash’s latest album ‘4’ a couple of years ago: Slash + Myles = Perfection. They are still a match made in heaven; this time showcasing the live version of that album and delivering a tribute to Slash’s career to date. The chemistry between them and the band is immaculate and contagious, making the concert an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. No wonder the arena was at capacity.
It is an interesting choice to tour with old material (latest album released two years ago), provided Slash is preparing for a new launch next month. This is probably the better way to appreciate his talent, though, not having to focus on promoting one particular product, but, instead, showcasing a mix of his best work to present.
As always, it is the interaction with the audience that made the gig feel special. The crowd was already filling up the venue nicely during the support act performance, buzzing with excitement and happy anticipation. I’ve never witnessed such a massive reaction from the crowd requesting an encore: happy cheering, stamping their feet and asking for more. Needless to say, Slash and the Conspirators did not disappoint. This comes down not just to the great music, but also to the chemistry of the band, their immense never-ending energy, and, in equal measure, to the charisma radiated by Myles. Admittedly, there were moments when it became evident that the sound engineers could have done a better job (particularly in the last 30 minutes or so), but, luckily, that wasn’t enough to spoil the euphoria of the gig.
The guys delivered a two-hour stellar set which included some of Slash’s older classical pieces (“Starlight”, “Anastasia”), tracks from their latest album, and an intriguing selection of cover versions: Lenny Kravitz’s “Always On The Run”, “Bad Apples” by Guns N’Roses, and the particularly emotional delivery of Elton John’s “Rocket Man”. Right from the word go, it felt like a hurricane hit the stage, and it didn’t stop, keeping it fast and loud throughout. They did vary things a bit by changing singers a couple of times when bassist Todd Kerns took over on lead vocals, giving things a bit of a different vibe. His voice is much more suitable for a song of Lenny Kravitz, anyway, so that was a very good call indeed.
Last but not least, let’s not forget the support act which was also a perfect match to Slash: Mammoth WVH. Wolfgang does have shared history with Myles (going back to his Tremonti era), so the collaboration can’t have been accidental and felt like the best preamble to what was about to come. Eddie Van Halen’s offspring was a personal discovery for me, and one to definitely keep an eye on from now on. His style and energy matched Slash’s, so was a great choice for a support act for sure.
Overall, a great gig, and a fantastic way of warming us up in anticipation of Slash’s upcoming album, ‘Orgy Of The Damned’. Let’s hope they will tour again with that, too, in the near future!
Setlist:
The River Is Rising
Driving Rain
Halo
Too Far Gone
Back From Cali
Whatever Gets You By
C’est la vie
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Always on the Run
Bent to Fly
Avalon
Spirit Love
Bad Apples
Starlight
Wicked Stone
April Fool
Fill My World
Doctor Alibi
You’re a Lie
World on Fire
Encore:
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time)
Anastasia
