Slash Blows The Roof Off Of The Fillmore Charlotte with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
There are some musicians that are so iconic that only one name is needed to describe them. Think about Elvis, Bono, Cher, and Prince. Everyone knows exactly who you are referring to. Such is the case with Slash, the quintessential rock and roll guitarist who mastered his craft during the 80s heyday on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, the musical mecca where many careers have famously begun and infamously ended. Slash was the guitarist for a little band known as Guns N’ Roses that forever changed the rock world with its 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction. The record would go on to become one of the biggest selling albums of all time spawning well-known hits like “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine” and the rest as they say is history. When he isn’t busy with Guns N’ Roses, Slash has been involved in numerous bands over the years including Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, and most recently Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. Their latest album 4 was released this past February and Slash is currently on the road in support of the new record on The River Is Rising Tour. Last week, Slash and company made a highly anticipated stop here in the Queen City at The Fillmore and amazing does not even begin to describe it.
When I arrived at the venue, both the VIP and general admission lines were snaked around the block and fans had been lined up since about noon in order to get their chance at a coveted spot on the rail. Things were moving in an orderly fashion and before I knew it I was inside and it was almost showtime. Opening up for Slash was the highly talented Tash Neal, a bad-ass guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Harlem, NYC. Tash is probably best known as one half of the duo known as The London Souls and has made a recent return to music after recovering from a bad accident. His latest foray has him with a new solo album Charge It To The Game and he has never sounded better. Tash is an incredible performer who puts his heart and soul into each and every note. He is backed by a group of talented musicians in their own right and soon he had the audience vibing to the beat. If you’re a fan of the guitar, do yourself a favor and check out Tash today because he may just be the next big thing in music.
After a short break, it was time to throw down and when the venue lights went down, the screams began and the lights of cellphones could be seen far and wide. With a bevy of blinding lights, The Conspirators took the stage followed by Myles and last but certainly not least, Slash. “Driving Rain” would begin their set and oh what a set it was. Once the lights calmed down a bit, all eyes were on the legendary guitarist who was clad in his usual black hat and mirrored sunglasses sporting a black Cathouse tee-shirt, which may or may not have been due to the fact that Riki Rachtman, host of the 90s hit show Headbanger’s Ball on MTV and owner of the infamous Cathouse nightclub in Hollywood, was seated in the VIP section.
Fans were treated to a set that covered songs from all four albums from Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators as well as some of Slash’s prior solo stuff and a few covers as well. There has never been any doubt that Slash is one of a kind and tonight his guitar skills were a force to be reckoned with. Pair that with one of the best voices in rock with Myles Kennedy and the top-notch musicianship of the Conspirators and we had a rock show for the ages. Slash was content for the most part to be low-key, allowing the songs to be the centerpiece but when he went wild, man it was a thing of beauty. Myles, being the consummate frontman, took time to acknowledge the fans and gave a shout-out to a lucky fan up front, named Andrew who was celebrating a birthday, and even sang a few bars of “Happy Birthday” to him. ‘Back From Cali’ was one of my favorites and we even got the live premiere of “The Path Less Followed” from their latest album. In a sweet gesture, Myles dedicated an amazing cover of Elton John’s “Rocketman” to a couple down front that had just gotten married. For me, the piece de resistance was the final song of the set “World on Fire,” which featured band introductions and a superbly done extended solo that showed exactly why we love Slash.
Following that, Slash announced that they were being told it was almost time to quit, so they wouldn’t be doing the usual leaving the stage thing and jumped right into the encore, a brilliant live version of “Anastasia” during which Myles’s voice resonated across the Fillmore and Slash gave fans one final bit of magic. Once the lights came up and the band took their final bow, nobody moved. The applause was deafening and the band gave high-fives to fans at the barricade and even signed a shoe, yes a shoe, for one lucky soul.
A show of this caliber is exactly why Slash is an icon in the world of rock and roll and I’m thankful that I got to experience it. Next up for the band is a global streaming event on April 15th live from Boston before Slash heads out again with Guns N’ Roses.
