Slash, Myles and the Conspirators Slay the West Coast

Photos and Review by Ilya Mirman
Show photo HERE

Slash’s Living The Dream 2019 tour has come back to the U.S., starting with two shows on the West Coast.  I caught both – one at San Francisco’s Warfield, and the other at Seattle’s Paramount.

In a word, EPIC.

This band really is more than the sum of its parts – and they’re great parts.  Obviously, there’s Slash – rock guitar icon for over three decades. On vocals we’ve got Alter Bridge’s Myles Kennedy, easy-going and eminently comfortable next to Slash, with a seemingly effortless ability to hit both the high and low notes.  Rounding out the band is arguably the best rhythm section in rock today – the Conspirators: Todd “Dammit” Kerns on bass, Frank Sidoris on guitar, and Brent Fitz on drums. A decade together, this band has great chemistry, and exudes joy.

With several records together under their belt, the band has enough songs to do virtually all original material (barring the occasional GNR cover, and a song or two from Slash’s solo albums).  And so as great as it is to hear the familiar classics, this is a band that pushes forward with new material, and delivers it with amazing energy.

Throughout the set and particularly on display for the extended solo on Wicked Stone, Slash’s guitar work is a constant – delivering riffs both familiar, and invented in the moment. And in what has become a welcome staple of these shows, the friendly/hyper giant Todd belts out two great songs, “We’re All Gonna Die” and “Doctor Alibi” from Slash’s solo record.

For good reason, the band has broad appeal.  In the audience you see a range of ages and a mix of t-shirts – obviously Guns N’ Roses, though collectively even more of Alter Bridge, Slash, and Dammitwear (Kerns’ clothing line).

With Guns N’ Roses, Slash and company still sell out stadiums.  So to see him with this fantastic collective, in intimate venues such as the Paramount and the Warfield, is a thrill for rock fans young and old.  And from the first note of the anthemic Call of the Wild, to the last note of the epic Anastasia, the audience is mesmerized by the musicianship and showmanship of Slash, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, the entire set executed with the alacrity of a band at their peak.

You’ve got two months to catch the tour. Drive or fly – it’s worth it: http://www.slashonline.com/livingthedreamtour/

Set List:

1. The Call of the Wild
2. Halo
3. Standing in the Sun
4. Apocalyptic Love
5. Back From Cali
6. My Antidote
7. Serve You Right
8. Boulevard of Broken Hearts
9. Shadow Life
10. We’re All Gonna Die (Todd Kerns in vocals)
11. Doctor Alibi (Todd Kerns in vocals)
12. The One You Loved Is Gone
13. Wicked Stone (with extended Slash’s guitar solo)
14. Mind Your Manners
15. Driving Rain
16. By the Sword
17. Nightrain (Guns N’ Roses cover)
18. Starlight
19. You’re a Lie
20. World on Fire
21. Avalon
22. Anastasia