Slash

Slash with Foxy Shazam & The Lovehammers

This month I have been lucky enough to have covered some amazing guitar players of all genres and it was capped off with one of my personal favorite guitarists, Slash. As most people my age, Guns N Roses were the soundtrack to their youth, with their videos playing non-stop on MTV. Yes, MTV used to play videos all the time. Flash forward to now and Slash is still giving the fans what they want, with no over-hyped show going late into the night but just straight up, kick-ass Rock & Roll.

As the crowd worked its way inside the Riviera, hometown band, The Lovehammers, opened the show with a quick 20 minute set to warm up the crowd. The Riviera has been around since the 1920’s and has been transformed from a movie house to a concert venue
for the last 20+ years.

Foxy Shazam came on next to a packed house. Never seeing them before, I had heard about their wild live act and they did not disappoint. They opened with, Welcome to the Church of Rock and Roll and were non-stop energy till the end, sounding like a mix of
Meatloaf and The Darkness, along with several genres mixed together. Singer, Eric Sean Nally sounds like the YouTube character, Fred when he speaks; brings for a very interesting night. To try and wrap everything going on during a Foxy Shazam set
cannot be done. While it may not be your thing to listen to, you will be entertained with songs, Holy Touch, Yes! Yes! Yes! and the infectious hit, I Like It. They ended the night with The Temple, off their latest album, The Church of Rock and Roll.

With a brief intermission, it was time for Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators to blow the roof off the Riv. Myles Kennedy has joined Slash again on this new album, Apocalyptic Love, full-time and is one of the hardest working singers in rock. Kennedy’s voice is like a well-oiled machine that needs to be running full speed. Joining them on stage is Frank Sidoris, rhythm guitar, on bass, Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz on drums as they opened with Halo, off their new album. Kennedy was all smiles as he squinted looking into the crowd and later came to the front to shake hands with all in front. With
Slash, Kennedy has been able to go all-out with his vocals vs. when he is with Alter Bridge, where it’s more in-tune with one band while with Slash, he is singing songs from three bands.

Having seen Guns N Roses last year and hearing Nightrain, tonight made many say, “Axl who?” Seeing Slash go off on this song was for sure one of the highlights of the night. Ghost, Standing in the Sun, Back from Cali followed. Singing, Civil War, which Kennedy asked the crowd to do the whistle part and sing along and Rocket Queen, one of my favorite songs, played to perfection, Slash was spot on with all the guitar breaks before ending with a sweet solo. Kerns took over vocals for two songs, Doctor Alibi and Out Ta Get Me. Kerns for sure plays with a lot of passion and is a great addition to Slash’s band.

It’s rare for bands now to play over an hour but Slash played for little over 2 hours and if he could, I am sure would play easy for 3 hours (Slash you listening).

After an amazing version of Starlight, Slash launched into a dirty, gritty blues solo that reminded me of Led Zeppelin (Since I Been Loving you). This transitioned into Anastasia,
which has some of the best guitar playing on it that I have heard in years. Slash introduced the band and as his voice cracked due to an illness both him and Kennedy were dealing with, the night ended with Sweet Child O’ Mine and the Velvet Revolver hit, Slither. They came out for an encore of Fall to Pieces and Paradise City, which had the whole place moving and when the confetti cannon went off, it looked like a New Year’s Eve party. By far, one of the best fall tours out there.

You can check out the website for more tour dates as well as purchase the new album at http://www.amazon.com/Apocalyptic-Love-Slash/dp/B007N0REX6/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_1

Review and Photos by Peter Lizano