Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Ill. on March 2, 2022.
Review by Lance Manion.
With top hat and Les Paul in tow, Slash wastes no time in front of the exuberant crowd at Chicago’s famous Riviera Theatre. The tour, dubbed “The River is Rising Tour” in support of the new album “4” rolled into the Windy City this past Wednesday night, marking the first time Slash’s solo tour has visited Chicago in over 2 years. Slash ripped into “Driving Rain” accompanied by drummer Brent Fitz. Vocal superstar, Myles Kennedy, along his band of Conspirators featuring guitarist Frank Sidoris, and bassist Todd Kerns capped out this incredible super-group.
While they included material from their new studio album “4” and solo work, such as Slash’s Snake Pit, Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver songs were omitted from the set but, the new material did a great job of making up for that and truly provided the audience with a bombastic musical experience. The new songs showcased Guns N’ Roses style riffs to Slash’s tasteful licks that tug at your heart string as featured on “Fill My World” off of the new CD. Kennedy’s voice can only be described as pure ear candy and I think It might be safe to say that he is the finest rock singer in the game today. His vocals have always been strong when he’s with Alter Bridge or his solo endeavors but, the raw emotion and perfect tone are at a new level. While some of his peers voices may have faultered over time, Kennedy’s has gotten stronger and aged like a fine wine. Kennedy even switched off on vocal duties for a few songs and had Todd Kerns take center stage singing “Doctor Alibi”, which was originally sung by Lemmy Kilmister on the album, and a fantastic cover of Lenny Kravitz’s “Always on the Run.”
Towards the end of the set, Slash and crew covered Elton John’s “Rocket Man”. Elton John himself would have had to pick up his jaw from the floor with how emotional the vocals were and the tasteful licks added by Slash. While Slash is known as one of the greatest Rock guitarists, he has a softer side and can bring his edgy style to songs like adding tinsel to a Christmas tree. Another song where tasteful bluesy licks and strong vocals make it a treat to see performed live is the ballad, “The One You Love Is Gone.” Slash takes the live performance of this song to another level as he melted the crowd with a solo at the end capping the song out in the 10 minute range. It was truly an awe-inspiring moment that won’t be forgotten any time soon.
I don’t know if any musician can say they love performing music as much as Slash does. He plays stadiums with G N’ R and plays these smaller venues with the same vigor and emotion. Perhaps the late Tom Petty could be mentioned in the same conversation as he played Heartbreakers songs in stadiums and did his Mudcrutch band at this very same venue roughly 7 years prior. While Petty may have flashed his smile a bit more, it is undeniable that Slash is having the same amount of fun.
Do yourself a favor and dive into Slash’s back catalog and see how much he has evolved with his latest “4” album. If given the opportunity to see this legendary band play live in your town, don’t walk, run to the box office and grab yourself some tickets. Trust me your best girl/guy or your best friend will thank you as they talk about the experience and show for years to come. I certainly know this Chicago crowd certainly enjoyed this musical onslaught and will be sharing the joy of this show for a long, long time.
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