Slash = Epic time
by BigCountry on 2012-08-09Jube - CalgaryRating: 5 out of 5Slash concert was one of my all time favorite concerts i have been to over 53 concerts in the past 4 years and this is one of my top 3!

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SLASH featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators
“I think it’s time to set this world on fire/I think it’s time to push it to the edge/I’m so f---in’ bored so trip the wire/It may never be this good again”
--From the opening power chords of the single and title track of WORLD ON FIRE
WORLD ON FIRE is the new album from SLASH featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators, and it comes on full throttle and in-your-face, a hunk of burning rock ‘n’ roll that takes no prisoners. Intensifying the band’s sound and vision, it marks the follow-up to their succesful and acclaimed 2012 debut, Apocalyptic Love, also released on SLASH’s own indie Dik Hayd International label distributed through Caroline.
“We’ve been playing together for awhile and I think it’s gotten to the point where everybody’s comfortable in our own skins,” says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist SLASH, who has amassed album sales of over 100 million copies, with seven GRAMMY nominations, a GRAMMY award and countless accolades. “It turned out to be a very easy process. We definitely had chemistry from the very first time we entered a room together. It was instantaneous magic.”
WORLD ON FIRE represents that chemistry, as SLASH, vocalist MYLES KENNEDY, bassist TODD KERNS and drummer BRENT FITZ blaze through 17 songs that run the gamut of topics, some derived from tour bus conversations between the singer and guitarist. These range from the pointed sexual politics of “Battleground,” “Dirty Girl” and “Stone Blind,” the anti-war sentiments of “Dissident” and the coming-of-age saga “Bent to Fly,” to such charged issues as elephant poaching (“Beneath the Savage Sun”), child abuse in the Catholic Church (“The Unholy”), addiction (“Wicked Stone”) and the perils faced by females of a certain age in show business (“Withered Delilah”). There’s also a song inspired by Mad Men’s Don Draper (“Shadow Life”) and a rockin’ instrumental (“Safari Inn”).
“There are lots of different stories and themes on this album,” says KENNEDY, the vocalist for Alter Bridge who first played on SLASH’s self-titled 2010 debut solo release, and became an instant fit. “When SLASH sends me a chord progression or a riff, it’s like hearing music to a film. Ultimately, I am writing the script for the composition with lyrics and melodies inspired by what he sends me musically. I do my best to keep the story congruent with the mood of the track."
Unlike Apocalyptic Love, which was essentially recorded live in the studio, WORLD ON FIRE began with jamming by SLASH, KERNS and FITZ, who sent the results to KENNEDY. Produced by Mike “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Falling in Reverse, Incubus, Iggy Pop, Chevelle) in his Orlando-based Studio Barbarossa and at L.A.’s NRG Studios, WORLD ON FIRE finds SLASH playing all the guitars this time around.
Make no mistake about it, though. This is no solo project, but a rock ‘n’ roll band, with all four members contributing their strengths to the whole.
“I was influenced by the group ethic as a kid coming up,” admits SLASH. “I would buy live records because that was the energy I craved. As soon as I picked up a guitar in junior high school, I started a band. That’s the vibe I’m looking for, the interaction between musicians. Having a singer whom I know where he’s at, and writing with him in mind, my songwriting skills have gotten a lot better.”
Those arrangements range from the acoustic strumming and “la la la” chorus of “Battleground” and the epic build of “Bent to Fly” to the distinctive SLASH guitar riff which opens “Iris of the Storm,” the wide-screen scope of “The Unholy,” with its sounds of children in the playground, and the jungle boogie instrumental of “Safari Inn.”
“I’ve learned a great deal through the whole process,” says KENNEDY, who splits his time between The Conspirators and Alter Bridge. ““Everybody’s on the same page and we’re all very proud of what we’ve done as a band on this record. There's a great chemistry between the 4 of us that continues to evolve with each recording.”
WORLD ON FIRE comes on the heels of the success of Apocalyptic Love, which debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and produced SLASH’s first-ever No. 1 U.S. Rock radio solo hits in “You’re a Lie” and “Standing in the Sun.” With the release of Nothing Left to Fear last year--SLASH’s initial foray into horror pictures, co-produced by his Slasher Films--he began to broaden his horizons, a development which could be heard on WORLD ON FIRE, particularly on the very cinematic set-piece, “The Unholy.”
“That comes from an entirely different side of my brain,” SLASH admits. “I never usually write like that for a band, but I thought it would be pretty cool.”
KENNEDY, who comes from a Christian Scientist and Methodist background, based the song on what he was hearing from Catholic friends. “It’s not as silent as it once was,” he says of the institutionalized child abuse he tackles in the lyrics. “It’s really sad and heartbreaking because these are people you look up to, clergymen, who betray that trust.”
The lyrics of “Shadow Life” come from Kennedy’s fascination with the TV show “Mad Men” and the duplicity of its main character Don Draper. “That character fascinates me because the dark secrets he keeps, as well as the double life he leads, ultimately make his existence more complex and difficult."
“The Dissident” is about a soldier who comes to the realization that he no longer believes in what he is fighting for, while “Withered Delilah” gets inside how the entertainment industry can chew up and spit out women when they no longer have a use for them.
“This is basically a happy record with some dark subject matter,” acknowledges SLASH. “It ends up in a positive place, but it also leaves you with the idea not to get too comfortable.”
For SLASH featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, there is no time for that, as the band will intersperse their own headlining dates by appearing with Aerosmith on the celebrated “Let Rock Rule” tour in North America this summer, a jaunt they previewed with a surprise performance at the Whisky a Go Go earlier this spring.
“I’m really excited about it,” says SLASH. “There are not really too many bands I can feel comfortable partnering up with. When I first picked up the guitar, they were a huge influence my favorite band at the time, bar none. The Rocks album was a catalyst for me to pursue what it is I do now. Guns N’ Roses toured with them in the ‘80s. They always represented a certain kind of attitude, brashness and realism in rock ‘n’ roll I still to this day subscribe to. We fit together really well.”
Encore
Encore
Slash concert was one of my all time favorite concerts i have been to over 53 concerts in the past 4 years and this is one of my top 3!
First time seeing a concert in a smaller venue and it was frickin awesome. While I knew it would be more intimate, it was better than my expectationd going in. Slash really brings it for his shows. He was the only member who did not leave the stage for the entire concert. And while i knew he was an unbeleivable guitar player/musician beforehand, the show just confirmed that tenfold.
Good concert - essentially a Guns and Roses songlist - Plus the new material with Myles Kennedy - Vocals are great with Myles Kennedy and the second singer doing the older GnR material - Myles Kennedy has a sweet voice rather than Axl's grainy song. Lighting could have been much better - sucks to have Slash do half his solos with the lighting from the back of the stage - so you litterally could only see his silouette and not his fingers doing his stuff. Good overall show. Burton Cummings Theatre was a decent venue - 1st balcony (front half) are good seats.
I think everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to catch Slash anytime he plays near you. This is my second show, (the first was at the Edmonton Event Centre, which means each time I drive 4 hours to experience the awesomeness). The Auditorium is FANTASIC - acoustically perfect for a show as layered and crisp as Slash and the Conspirators. As for Myles - he's a better Axl than Axl ever will be!
SLASH with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, I’m Lost for Words, It was That Incredible of A Show! Slash, Myles Kennedy and Conspirators performed one of the greatest LIVE Concert events I had ever been to. I keep saying I wish I had seen Slash back in the early days of Guns and Roses. I feel I just experienced that and much more. Myles Kennedy is an amazing artist, Frontman, singer and Guitar player. Todd Kerns, another astounding Bass guitarist and singer. Brent Fitz, is an incredible Drummer, percussionist and also plays the electric piano. Both Todd and Brent are from Canada. On Guitar and backing vocals also is Frank Sidoris who does an excellent accompaniment with Slash! When Myles, Slash and Frank all play guitar together the powerful sound was, as I said, “ I was lost for words”. The show was just that, I was speechless. I had been BLOWN AWAY! From the time Slash, Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators hit the stage We were Rocked to a musical history of Slashes past and present achievements. Every time Slash worked with or formed a band the music that was created was and are destined to be long time Rock Classics. Guns and Roses, Slash’s Snake Pit, Velvet Revolver and his solo achievements which now is with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. All have been super successful. Their new compilation, Apocalyptic Love is fantastic. Every Song has great riffs, great heavy Rock anthem like presence and all members of the group are an intricate part to the CD’s successful sound. I love this CD. The concert kicked off with ‘One Last Thrill’ from their new CD, great opening song, then right into a GnR favorite ‘Night Train‘. ‘Ghost’ was next, originally from Slash’s self titled solo album. The songs were well mixed, the next one ‘Standing in The Sun’ being from the Apocalyptic Love album. I was very pleased of the variety of songs spanning Slash’s very long and successful career. Myles Kennedy is a great singer. Every song, whether he was singing from a Velvet Revolver or a GnR Album or any other song that was sung by Axl Rose, Ian Astbury or Scott Weiland he was great. The band played so tight and you really could tell they were having a great night. The sold out Queen Elizabeth Theatre was the best venue to see this great group play. Intimate and great sound. Can't wait , Come back Soon! You have to SEE this LIVE!
Great show! On time. Myles Kennedy sounds soooooo much better than as hol rose who?
This show was totally AWESOME. We suffered through temperatures that were unrecorded in the balcony of the Burton Cummings Theater - it's old, no air conditioning. I would do it again in a heartbeat if it was for this show. SLASH, in my world, is the BEST ROCK GUITAR TALENT I have ever had the privilege to see live. I attend ALL rock shows in Winnipeg so I have heard a lot but none as good as SLASH
A great slice of 25 years of RnR. Off I go to London Ont. to catch them again in a festival setting.
if you are looking for an awesome rock n roll show you have to see Slash.
A+++++++++++++ would love to see them again.... One of the best in a long time!!!!!!!¡
I've been to a lot of shows...including old GNR and VR and New GNR....This show was one of those that u see on tv and think, man imagine how exciting it would be to be in that crowd....and WOW I was in that crowd! Everyone wanted to be there....everyone wanted to Rock n' Roll...and Wow the music was incredible!
Absolutely awesome! Slash put on a great performance as well as the rest of the band! Myles Kennedy sounds amazing live! Lots of energy on stage! Loved the confetti at the end too!
The smaller venue was amazing not a bad seat in the house. The sound was unbelievable! Cannot wait to see next tourand if you haven't seen you will not believe what an awesome show this truly is...words cannot describe this event enough!!!
If you think there isn't enough thrash metal in your world then Slash's newest group is for you! Eschewing the lyrical blues figures and complex multi-dimensional solos that he is capable of Slash goes straight for the heart of speed shredding. A few GnR songs, a few brand new cuts and a wealth of awesome were flung at the rafters to see what would stick. Myles Kennedy has a great set of pipes. He can rock. He can wail. He can reproduce Axl's tourtured wails. He can swagger. But unlike Axl, who lives the lyrics and shows us his pain long after the lyrics have ended, Myles often ends an angst-drenched song with a grin and a "look-at-me-I-nailed-it" forefinger-thrust at the audience, like a participant in an Axl sound-alike contest. The rest of the Conspirators were good soldiers. They knew their job was to provide backing fire for a legend and they did well. Take your earplugs. They bring large-venue amps to smaller venues on this tour. And confetti cannons. So much confetti!
The show was good. They played all the songs I wanted to hear. All the instruments sounded good from where I was sitting but the audio for Myles vocals was horrible. For me the biggest reason for attending this show was to hear Myles. My seat was on the main level and maybe the sound was better on the upper levels of the auditorium. This was the first show I've attended at the Jubilee and I may not attend another show there again.
I had never seen Slash live before so I knew I just had to take this concert in. To make it even better I decided to go for the VIP package (yes the one with the signed guitar)! Meeting Slash before the show was a great experience. We had two items signed when we met him in the room and had a chance to exchange some questions with him. My wife had her 'top hat' signed by him so I know she'll treasure that for sometime..LOL. The opening group did a decent job of playing loud rock 'n roll so I just might have to look for their upcoming full release later this year. As far as Slash goes though they basically blasted through the roof of the Jube! A great mixture of material from his days with Guns 'n Roses and beyond. Being up front you just have to stand in awe of his guitar playing. The only unfortunate thing about the show was actually being in the front row if you can believe it. We couldn't hear the vocals much at all. It was such a shame as Myles as a super voice and we were looking forward to hearing him in person. There is a great double CD of a show that they did in Stoke, England and the sound and vocals are awesome but we didn't get to hear his vocals at the Jube so that was the only 'downer' for us. I'd definitely see them again but I'd probably forgo the front and get a seat futher back to take in the vocals. Maybe someone else can tell me if the vocals were clearer further back?
First, the opening band were excellent and would like to have a cd of them, but when Slash came out and untill he and the band left was action packed with old and new songs, all the favorites. Five stars all the way, I would see his show anytime possible.
This was one of the all time best concerts I have ever been to!!! Watching Slash hammer it out and listening to Myles Kennedy sing - the BEST combination ever!!!!! Excellent choice of Venue - hope they continue to play there - sound was amazing!!!!
Amazing. Great show as always slash. Myles Kennedy is superb.
Slash was an unforgettable concert to say the least! He did an amazing job, and seemed to be having a very good time. Myles Kennedy was also very impressive; his vocals were killer! The concert was overall fantastic and I would definitely go if he came back.