SLASH - BIRMINGHAM RESORTS WORLD ARENA, 30.03.24

BY SHARI BLACK VELVET

It’s no surprise that 2024 is shaping up to be a busy year for Slash. Even though Guns N’ Roses are not currently on tour, Slash’s schedule is packed. With a blues solo album, ‘Orgy Of The Damned’, set for release on May 17th, his time preceding that sees him hitting the road with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators for ‘The River Is Rising – Rest Of The World Tour ‘24’. Mexico, Brazil, and Japan were just a couple of countries the band visited before arriving in the UK and Ireland at the end of March.

The opening band for the European tour is Mammoth WVH, featuring the multi-talented Wolfgang Van Halen, the son of late, legendary guitar god Eddie Van Halen.  On his two albums released so far, Wolf plays every single instrument himself, so has to have four very accomplished band members backing him up – these are guitarists Frank Sidoris and Jon Jourdan, bassist Ronnie Ficarro and drummer Garrett Whitlock. Opening with the fast and furious 'Another Celebration At The End Of The World', the band immediately show that they are a force to be reckoned with and an ideal fit for the tour, with Wolf showing off his impressive guitar soloing skills during the instrumental part of the song. Their songs also have a strong sense of melody as well as heavy riffing, as shown in 'You're To Blame' and 'I'm Alright'. The short 30-minute set concludes all too quickly with the awesome, dark and heavy 'Don't Back Down' from the first album. Thanking Slash for the opportunity to showcase their band twice during the show, you can tell that Wolf is genuinely grateful to be out there playing to thousands of real rock fans, and his father would definitely be proud of what his son has accomplished so far, with hopefully much more yet to come.

If one song stands out in Slash’s setlist above all others tonight it would be ‘Wicked Stone’. Slash’s solo in it is like none other. It is quick to see why he has become a living legend. As he takes over the spotlight midway through the song, his bandmates step back, standing near the drum riser, as Slash mesmerises the crowd. The extended solo becomes more and more intense as it progresses. It is its own entity. The audience is fixated on the guitarist, who is standing at the corner of the stage. Two large screens either side of the stage help rock fans that are sat, or standing, further away, with two alternative angles captured by videographers so no action is missed. Impressive is an understatement, as Slash’s solo unwinds, twisting and turning, growing, glowing and blooming, his nimble fingers moving faster and more intricately, the blues rock tones showing Slash’s own influences. An award-winning performance that shines a light on the many years of hard work crafted by the musician. 

While ‘Wicked Stone’ may be a highlight, the whole show, of course, is top quality. The band, featuring Myles Kennedy on vocals, Todd ‘Dammit’ Kerns on bass, Frank Sidoris on rhythm guitar and Brent Fitz on drums, are all world-renowned musicians, and when they come together, they gel perfectly. Myles’ top-notch vocals show no signs of waning during the two-hour show, although he takes a break occasionally for ‘the man, the myth, the legend’ (as Myles introduces him), bassist Todd ‘Dammit’ Kerns to also unleash his vocal talents. Todd’s notes run even higher than Myles’ during the funky delights of ‘Always On The Run’, the hit single that Slash wrote with Lenny Kravitz. These are guys of many talents, who are not afraid of hard work – especially in the case of rhythm guitarist Frank Sidoris, who plays not one, but two, sets a night, as he performs in Mammoth WVH as well as Slash Ft. Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. 

Brent Fitz on drums keeps the beat throughout each and every track, from opening song ‘The River Is Rising’ all the way to the final number ‘Anastasia’. ‘Driving Rain’ gets a fantastic reaction as the second song, while ‘Halo’ is another rapturous cut. It’s hard to know where to look on occasion as each member commands attention in their own right.  

We’re taken back to 1991 for a Guns N’ Roses tune, ‘Bad Apples’, from ‘Use Your Illusion I’, another track sung with gutsy, sleaze punk vocals by Todd Kerns, while 2010’s softer ‘Starlight’ single, which Myles smoothly orchestrates, prompts mobile phone lights in the air and swaying arms from side to side. Myles tells the crowd it’s amazing seeing the lights, and that “this is why we do it.”

The encore takes a softer turn with Slash sitting down at a pedal steel, while Brent Fitz moves to a Yamaha keyboard, to perform Elton John’s ‘Rocket Man’, before the silky guitar tones of Slash introduce final song, ‘Anastasia’, which includes theatrical finger-picking, another immense guitar solo and a chorus that sees Myles sing, ‘This may be our last goodbye’. It Is definitely goodbye from the band tonight, but hopefully we will get to see them again soon.

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