Slash feat. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators

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author IM date 28/02/13 venue Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, UK

You could say Saul Hudson hasn’t done badly for a lad from Stoke. Slash, as he is better known and Myles Kennedy are without doubt, an unrivalled combination of rock royalty. A CV no other guitarist can quite rival; featuring Guns ‘n’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and Slash’s Snakepit, combined with the celebrated vocals of Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy is a sure winner.

With a release like "Apocalyptic Love", arguably one of the best albums of 2012, the Apocalyptic Love World Tour spanning 2012 to 2013 could not have been more highly anticipated. The tour, which has had six legs to date comprising 163 shows, has been going since March 2012. The hectic schedule, with show after sold out show, evidences the abundant popularity of the famed duo. Slash and Myles initially wowed UK fans at Download Festival back in June, followed by their captivating Brixton Academy London gig in October 2012, yet even returned to please the sell out crowds once more at two UK venues; Nottingham and Blackpool in February 2013.

As the lights went down, the roar of the crowd was mesmerising. Opening with “Halo” Slash and Myles instantly wowed their eager audience. “Night Train” received a huge response, but not comparable with the reaction to “Back From Cali.” Watching their rendition of the ever-popular “Civil War” from Guns ‘n’ Roses “Use Your Illusion II” was nothing short of incredible. One of the most powerful performances was that of “Rocket Queen,” at which point the cavernous arena became a sea of surging people. Slash’s lengthy guitar solo, which followed, would be branded pure self-indulgence for any lesser musician, but even this musical intermission prompted only a limited amount of movement for toilet/bar visits. The reaction to “Rocket Queen” was, however, diluted by the overwhelming response to the opening notes of “Anastasia.” The buzz amongst the crowd was like a surge of electricity passing through the entire arena. The duo’s popular anthem “You’re a Lie” also went down like a house on fire, as one would expect. The guitar solo which followed was arguably self-indulgent, but the top hat loving crowd were more than happy to keep applauding. As one would expect for the ultimate crowd pleaser, before Slash had even played the first three notes of “Sweet Child of Mine” the arena was on its feet. Concluding on a Velvet Revolver track, “Slither” might have been Slash’s way of saying where his loyalties lie, but the encore of “Welcome to the Jungle” (with Todd Kerns on vocals) and “Paradise City” (voiced by Myles once more) left absolutely no doubt as to Slash’s pride in his Guns ‘n’ Roses roots.

Slash wielding his Gibson Les Paul, coupled with Myles’ powerful vocals, throwing out rendition after rendition of Slash’s own, Velvet Revolver’s and Guns ‘n’ Roses’ epics was a recipe for two hours of unforgettable musical excellence. The duo captivated the entire crowd without seemingly any effort. The thing about the top hat wearing, guitar toting Slash and every rock fan’s favourite nice guy Myles, which gives them that ‘epic’ quality, is the pure energy and enthusiasm with which they bounce around the stage and interact enthusiastically with their audience.

The only real criticism is that the duo were possibly not quite as good at Nottingham as at last year’s Brixton Academy appearance, which was more down to the acoustics of the venues than the band themselves. Slash and Myles at the Nottingham Arena have easily earned their place as the gig to beat this year. In light of this, the burning question which logically follows would be; ‘where would Slash be, without the hat?’ But perhaps the more important question would be; ‘will Slash and Myles be back for one last thrill?’ Rock fans around the globe will certainly be hoping so.

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Setlist:

  • 1. Halo
  • 2. Mean Bone
  • 3. Nightrain
  • 4. Ghost
  • 5. Standing in the Sun
  • 6. Back from Cali
  • 7. Shots Fired
  • 8. Serial Killer
  • 9. Civil War
  • 10. Jizz Da Pit
  • 11. Doctor Alibi
  • 12. You're Crazy
  • 13. Gotten
  • 14. Rocket Queen
  • 15. No More Heroes
  • 16. Starlight
  • 17. Anastasia
  • 18. You're a Lie
  • 19. Guitar Solo/Godfather Theme
  • 20.Sweet Child O' Mine
  • 21. Slither

- Encore

  • 22. Welcome to the Jungle
  • 23. Paradise City

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