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It was a hot and sweaty paradise

By: Rob Williams

Posted: 07/22/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Slash performs at the Burton Cummings Theatre on Saturday night with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators. The massively popular guitarist, of Guns N' Roses and Velvet Revolver fame, stopped in Winnipeg on his solo tour. Saturday, July 21, 2012 (MELISSA TAIT / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

Concert review

Slash

July 21, 2012

Burton Cummings Theatre

Attendance: 1,600

4 out of 5 stars

Slash took his fans on a trip to Paradise City Saturday night.

The guitar hero was at the Burton Cummings Theatre with his band, the Conspirators, for a show filled with hits from his former band Guns N' Roses along with highlights from his two solo albums. The sold-out gig was as hot and sweaty as they come, but that didn't seem to faze the beer-guzzling crowd, who were with the band for every note from opening number One Last Thrill to the classic anthem Paradise City two hours later.

In that time Slash and the Conspirators -- vocalist Myles Kennedy, Winnipeg-born drummer Brent Fitz, guitarist Frank Sidoris and bassist Todd Kerns -- put on an old-fashioned rock SSRqn' roll show that harkened back to the Sunset Strip days of the 1980s, where the young Saul Hudson (Slash's birth name) cut his chops and where he was recently awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Following One Last Thrill off the group's new album Apocalyptic Love, the band got the crowd completely into it with the Guns N' Roses track Nightrain, an ode to drinking wine that cranked up the energy level in the building.

In fact, the place went off exactly like it did when the band last played the venue in 2010, much to the delight of the smiling Kennedy.

"Thank you very much. Wow! They're making all this noise for you," he said, pointing to Fitz -- decked out in a Winnipeg Jets T-shirt -- who has been a member of Slash's band since 2010 and whose resumé includes stints with Alice Cooper and Vince Neil.

Slash was equally impressed with the wild crowd of 1,600.

"I knew it would be like this. Every time I've ever been here, you guys have always kicked ass, ever since 1980-something," he said as an introduction to Not for Me, a mid-tempo song that wouldn't have sounded out of place on either of the Use Your Illusion albums.

The set was paced perfectly, veering back and forth between material from Slash's two solo albums -- highlighted by the groove-oriented Standing in the Sun, the hard-hitting Back to Cali and punkish Dr. Alibi with Kern on vocals in place of original vocalist, Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister -- along with GNR favourites like Mr. Brownstone, Rocket Queen, You're Crazy and Sweet Child O' Mine.

They even threw in the Velvet Revolver hit Slither for good measure during the final stretch.

Slash, who turns 47 on Monday, was decked out in his signature top hat, a black tank top, jeans and sunglasses looking every bit the rock star he is. He led the musical assault by giving his fret board a workout with at least one solo per song on his Gibson Les Paul that earned roars of approval. He took the stage alone for five minutes and put on a clinic with some flat-out shredding before slowing things down and offering up some bluesy licks. He ended with the theme song from the movie The Godfather and was joined by the full band, which helped turn the cinematic piece into a full-blown metal onslaught.

Kennedy held up his end of the bargain with a piercing wail perfectly suited to the material, a contemporary take on the sleazy hard rock of days gone by. He is best known as frontman of post-Creed outfit Alter Bridge but can sound a hell of a lot like Axl Rose at times.

Before Slash ripped it up, Hamilton boogie-rockers Monster Truck opened the show with a great 40-minute set of '70s-inspired riff rock and sludgy psychedelia inspired by bands like Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

Based on the two times I've seen the band, if the Sheepdogs can become famous and get radio play, there's no reason Monster Truck shouldn't reach the same heights.

rob.williams@freepress.mb.ca

Slash performs at the Burton Cummings Theatre with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 22, 2012 A7

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