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REVIEW: Slash at Sands Center comes up smelling like Roses -- or even better

Randy Lahey

By Randy Lahey
in 2013

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Randy Lahey LEGEND

Randy Lahey

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http://articles.mcall.com/2013-07-17/entertainment/mc-homepage-0713-7-20130717_1_nightrain-apocalyptic-love-slash

Former Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash's concert Tuesday at Sands Bethlehem Event Center was undeniably good.

Slash not only is an exceptional talent at guitar, but has a keen ability to surround himself with other talented performers, as he did at the event center with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators. And then he plays with a cool workmanlike vibe that lets the music take center stage.

But just how good the show was depends on what you measure it against: Guns 'N Roses at its late 1980s peak, or the Guns 'N Roses that the band's other key member, singer Axl Rose, has built around himself these days.

If you think it's not fair to compare Slash's show with Guns 'N Roses – consider that a third of the show's 21 songs in a 110-minute set were that band's biggest hits – including a 16-minute centerpiece "Rocket Queen," the main set's penultimate song "Sweet Child O'Mine" and the closing "Paradise City."

Let's say it right out: Slash's show is better that the current G'NR. Myles Kennedy as a frontman is closer in talent to Rose than whatever faceless guitarist Rose now has wearing Slash's top hat on stage these days is to the guitarist.

Slash's show isn't as good as classic Guns 'N Roses, though Tuesday's show occasionally came interestingly close -- with the caveat that Slash sort of presents his band as G'NR in reverse, with him, rather than the singer, as star.

The band starting with "Halo" from Slash's newest solo album, 2012's "Apocalyptic Love," the guitarist looking much like he did in G'NR, with his top hat, hunched over his guitar, long curls falling in his face, his riffs powerful. Kennedy wailed, often Axl-like, on vocals as he stalked the stage.

It never sounded like Kennedy was imitating Rose, but he clearly carried his vibe on many of the songs, and on the song "Mean Bone" from the post-G'NR band Slash's Snakepit, even stood with his leg bent up on the monitor as Rose does.

On the first Guns song the band played, "Nightrain," Kennedy was not as shrill as Rose – and for the better. And on the song "Ghost" from Slash's self-titled 2010 solo debut, both moved beyond G'NR, especially Slash, whose riffs sparkled without unnecessary showmanship.

In fact, Slash for much of the night let Kennedy be out front, such as on the new album's "Standing in the Sun." But on a full-barrel version of Velvet Revolver's "Let It Roll," Slash seized the spotlight, running around stage.

The first big test of how Slash's new band measures up to Guns 'N Roses was on the classic "Civil War," which Rose also made a centerpiece of G'NR's show at Philadelphia's Electric Factory last year.

Introducing the song to the crowd – which appeared something more than 2,000 -- as "something we haven't done in awhile, just for you," Slash played the nine-minute song on a double-neck guitar as Kennedy sang very Axl-ish. The song may not have been as intense without Rose, but it was very good, and better than the new G'NR's version.

Totally opposite, but also very good, was "Far and Away" from "Apocalyptic Love," with Kennedy's voice very unlike Rose's – richer. Also very good was "Starlight," from Slash's solo debut, which he introduced as the first song he and Kennedy wrote together. It held up well against the night's other material.

It was a disappointment that bassist Todd Kearns sang the G'NR classic "Welcome to the Jungle." While it is a great song, Kearns' voice fell far short of Roses – it was karaoke, really – and it seemed more suited to Kennedy. Kearns also sang the Slash solo song "Doctor Alibi."

Kennedy, though, took the mic for the show's true centerpiece, G'NR's "Rocket Queen," which gave Slash his longest solo -- nearly nine minutes. But playing in a zone, Slash made it flow – intricate but not unnecessarily flashy, even bringing out some slide guitar.

The main set closed with "Sweet Child O'Mine," which was very good, indeed – with Kennedy again singing with an Axl Rose vibe, especially his phrasing, but not an imitation. And then Velvet Revolver's "Slither," Kennedy sounding more like Rose than like that band's singer, Scott Weiland, Slash again running back and forth on stage.

The encore was a surprisingly good – and booming -- version of Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song," which Kennedy performed as if it was Rose singing it, and then out with a very good, nine-minute version of Guns 'N Roses' "Paradise City," confetti shooting and Slash doing a duck-walk while playing.

It wasn't classic Guns 'N Roses, but these days, it was as close as you'll get. And that means it was very good, indeed.

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username LEGEND

username

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You can like or dislike Myles all you want. And you can like or dislike Slash all you want. But the fact is this band fucking delivers every single time. Something Axl and his current-day GnR can only dream of these days. And as a frontman Axl might still surpass Myles. But that really doesn't matter when he sounds like a group of Japanese people being turned inside out every other show. Myles sings great every night. And he's a good frontman too. So yeah, which is better these days, isn't even a question.

Oh, and they actually put out music too!

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Amir FRONTMAN

Amir

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Slash > Axl? In 2010, no fucking away. Saw Slash in July that year, was a great gig, but when I saw Axl in September it was just a whole other thing.

The better 2012 gigs were prob on par with Slash's show in 2012, which for me was even better than his 2010 gig.

2013, Slash > Axl.

Dream scenario: Axl gets back in 2006 or 2010 shape and does a show with Slash.

There are songs which each band does better than the other. Preferred Slash's Civil War in 2010, his Nightrain guitar playing is awesome, but 2010 Axl vocals on that song are just killer.

tl;dr: they're both awesome, but are out of this world when playing together.

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username LEGEND

username

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you could find bad video of many artists... they are nothing near perfect you know... including slash at a lot of moments in

carreer

Yeah, but I'm not going to see an artist in 1991. I'm going to see them today. And today, Axl blows massive monkey balls on a regular basis. Slash & Myles don't.

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riot Senior

riot

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you could find bad video of many artists... they are nothing near perfect you know... including slash at a lot of moments in

carreer

Yeah, but I'm not going to see an artist in 1991. I'm going to see them today. And today, Axl blows massive monkey balls on a regular basis. Slash & Myles don't.

bah I just saw axl at mtl and he did a god damn good show. would've just like a couple surprises instead of some covers.

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Nosaj Thing LEGEND

Nosaj Thing

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you could find bad video of many artists... they are nothing near perfect you know... including slash at a lot of moments in

carreer

Yeah, but I'm not going to see an artist in 1991. I'm going to see them today. And today, Axl blows massive monkey balls on a regular basis. Slash & Myles don't.

bah I just saw axl at mtl and he did a god damn good show.

:rofl-lol:

Dude, he sounds like utter shit.

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