Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

August 13, 2019

Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL

The Band:

Slash – Lead Guitar

Myles Kennedy – Vocals/Guitar

Todd Kerns – Bass/Vocals

Frank Sidoris – Guitars

Shane Gaalaas – Drums

The Set List

– The Call of the Wild

– Halo

– Standing in the Sun

– Apocalyptic Love

– Back From Cali

– My Antidote

– Serve You Right

– Boulevard of Broken Hearts

– Shadow Life

– We’re All Gonna Die

– Dr. Alibi

– The One You Loved is Gone

– Wicked Stone

– Mind Your Manners

– Driving Rain

– By the Sword

– Night Train (G n’R)

– Starlight

– You’re a Lie

– World On Fire

Encore:

– Anastasia

Our Thoughts:

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators closed out their Life is Beautiful tour this past Tuesday night at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL. They say that Orlando is the happiest place on earth, and the sold out crowd at Hard Rock Live sure seemed to agree. Of course, everyone knows Slash from his other band, Guns n’ Roses. But this night was all about the top-hatted guitarist’s band featuring vocalist Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. And why not? This is a band that has proven themselves by producing three outstanding studio records over the course of six years. The members of the band have created a tight sound through their work in the studio and subsequent touring that has made their live show a must-see.

It is true there were a few more G n’ R songs in the set during the band’s sets in the earlier days, but this time around there was just one. And judging from the reaction of the Orlando rock n’ roll faithful, that was okay by them. From the first song to the last, the crowd sang along with lead singer, Myles Kennedy and played air guitar along with Slash during his solos. Yes, this band is the real deal. While Slash does get top billing and a lot of well deserved attention, this is a band that is made up of five, strong individuals.

Front and center is perhaps the best vocalist in rock n’ roll today (and the busiest) Myles Kennedy. Kennedy has created quite a name for himself by fronting another amazing band, Alter Bridge. He also released a stellar solo record in 2018 titled, Year of the Tiger. When it comes to lead singers, Myles Kennedy is the real deal. He has played with the biggest names in rock n’ roll, but has made a name for himself without needing to ride any coattails along the way. Then you have Todd Kerns on bass. You can see Kerns in Las Vegas on select shows with Raiding the Rock Vault when he is not playing with The Conspirators. While Todd plays bass with The Conspirators, he is also no slouch on a six string guitar and on a mic as well. We heard that during this show when Kennedy turned over the mic to Todd for a couple of tunes. The band’s sound is rounded out by the playing of Frank Sidoris on rhythm guitar. No doubt that when it comes to guitar playing, Slash casts a mighty large shadow. But Sidoris does not get lost in that shadow. He is a solid player that completes the sound of the band. Take him out of the mix and you would know it.

The one thing missing from the show at Hard Rock Live was the band’s drummer, Brent Fitz. Fitz was sidelined by an eye injury and was unable to complete the tour with his band mates. I’ve been a fan of Fitz playing since his days in the band Union with John Corabi and Bruce Kulick from Kiss. While Brent was missed, the drum throne was filled by the very capable Shane Gaalaas. Given Gaalaas’s performance, you would think he has been playing with the band much longer than less than a month. He did a tremendous job and didn’t miss a beat.

I wish I could tell you to check out the band’s tour schedule to see how good they are for yourself. But as it was the last show of the tour, you will have to wait a bit for that. However, you are in luck. Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators will be releasing a live album/concert DVD, Living the Dream Tour on September 20th. The release will be offered on various formats including bluray/CD and vinyl. The show will feature songs from the band’s impressive catalog. It is a release not to be missed. It will either remind you of the time you saw the band live for yourself, or will hold you over until you are able to get the chance to do so in the future. Don’t worry, I have no doubt there is still a lot of great music to come from Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators.