Slash Ft Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators
Brisbane Convention Centre
30.01.2019
Few things warm the heart as much on a Wednesday night as walking into a venue and seeing a stage lined with a wall of Marshall amplifiers. After a run of January shows that have seen them play Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, China and New Zealand, Slash Ft Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators have landed in Australia, white hot and ready to rumble.
The venue isn’t purpose built for rock and roll, but by the time you squeeze in six thousands fans, predominantly decked out in black, and drape a huge skull wearing a top hat at the back of the room – we’re ready to go.
The band draw heavily on their most recent outing, Living The Dream as well as their previous collaborations Apocalyptic Love (2012) and World On Fire (2014).
Once the house lights drop, the five piece hit the stage and tear through ‘The Call Of The Wild’. With Slash occupying stage left, Kennedy is front and centre. Brent Fitz hammers the drum kit all night with Todd Kerns on bass/vocals and new-boy Frank Sidoris supplying rhythm guitar.
There’s no stage patter as the band roll into ‘Halo’, ‘Standing In The Sun’ and Slash’s own ‘Ghost’. The band rock hard, the volume could peel paint and at the heart of it all is Slash doing what he does best. Permanently saddled with a Les Paul, there’s no querying why he remains one of the great riff-meisters of the last thirty years.
‘Back From Cali’ is a standout, as is ‘Bent To Fly’. Kennedy wastes no time getting on the foldback speakers to hit some astonishing high notes. The band rumble behind him – always supporting the interplay between Slash and Kennedy.
Kudos to bassist Kerns who lends stellar harmonies all night and then hits it out the park as he takes the lead singing ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ (a Slash/Iggy Pop collaboration) and ‘Doctor Alibi’ (which was sung on record by Lemmy).
‘The One You Love Is Gone’ sees Kennedy return to the stage and gives Slash a chance to break out his twin-neck. The ballad-like opening is a welcome shift. ‘Wicked Edge’, with its jagged tempo pricks up the ears and features what is, arguably, Slash’s best solo of the night.
Showing no sign of slowing down, Slash sprints across the stage on ‘Mind Your Manners’. The harmonies shine on the single ‘Driving Rain’, while ‘By The Sword’ is underpinned by the most low-down and dirtiest riff of the night.
Guns N Roses’ fans have waited all evening for a track or two … but tonight all they’ll get is a sterling take on ‘Night Train’.
‘World On Fire’ comes with a classic rock breakdown, before Kennedy is back on the wedges urging the crowd into a robust sing-a-long. The band are given their introductions, with the biggest cheer reserved for the man in the hat.
The encore doesn’t overstay its welcome and the band kick into ‘Shadow Land’. By the time they close with ‘Anastasia’, Slash himself has a foot on the wedge and is shredding like a demon. If you own any of Slash’s albums, this is a show not to be missed.
Sean Sennett
