Slash; Kills The Commodore

Friday night was electrified by the exceptional performance of Slash at the famed Commodore Ballroom. With Myles Kennedy, of Alter Bridge fame, proving his vocals had range and powerful delivery, they blew the audience away. Opening the show was Chicago native five piece Bad City, who were both visual dramatic and musical polished. The dedication to workmanship and exhaustively intense spectacle had the entire venue bouncing off the walls. It was a true master at the helm, and he steered the night into infamy.

The masses poured into the dark stairwell of the venue, grins plastered across their faces. Like swarming bees the horde spread into the club, alcohol began flowing and the excitement level grew. The crowd was quite diverse in age and style; hipsters and punks with gray hairs and recently of age. As the lights started to drop, the maniacal roars rumbles the room. The stage filled with mist and it the night was ready to take off, it was time to rock hard.

Bad City attacked the stage with a poisonous presence. The lead signer, Josh Caddy, with his golden main, swayed around like a crazed rattle snake. His dramatic movements, artistically intertwining with the dirty licks being spewed forth his lips. The dual guitarists had balls behind their style and gave a soul saturated display. The entirety of the set was reminiscent of LA strip groups like Motley Crue and Guns’N Roses. Even though this group has just released their first album, Welcome to the Wasteland, the quintet was very mature. Bad City is the crude cool, they are the venomous vermin you crave on the stage.

During the interlude between the two acts, the rush for washroom relief and drink replenishment was aggressive. Droves of consumers flooded the merchandise booth and bought up all the Slash wear they could find. The night was about over indulgence and mass consumption. Without warning the shades on the windows began to draw closed, the lights swallowed by darkness, the masses erupted.

Slash and his crew sauntered to the platform and took position before their flock. The energy level was contagious. Without too much of a warning the set had begun. The god-like axe man was on the ball from song number one. His accompanying vocalist, in Kennedy, was passionate and definitely soulful, with a stellar range. Their couldn’t have been a better touring singer chosen, he is truly the Ying to the guitarists Yang. The rest of the group was solid, and excited. They poured every bit of themselves through each note, it was an inspiring presentation.

The former G’N R associate was playing with fire. Sweat poured off down his body, as he let his digits dance along the fret board. A heartfelt blues sang from his fingers. This man truly put everything he had to give into his performance. His dedication to music and to his fans is inspiring, he is the best representation of the industry you can find. Grinning from ear to ear, he swaggered around the stage and absorbed the fanatical reaction. It was perfection.

The intensity of the crowd swallowed the venue. Fighting and pushing to gain inches to their mentor, while still abiding by the laws of the mosh pit, a pure amicable experience. Watching as each fan fed off the fuel being projected forth by Mr.Hudson, feeling his work ethic and finding ways to express their dedication to his being. The pit was extremely tight, with nearly no room to even reach for a finicky itch. But at various moments pockets would loosen up and the real slamming would ensue. Like revved up particles the audience smashed off one another, with toothy smiles and glazed over eyes. It was a powerful audience, rarely seen these days.

Throughout the show a number of favorite were covered. The set was a smattering of the guitar gods career, with many numbers from Gun’N Roses, Slash’s Snake Pit and the new self titled solo album. The fretboard king himself jumped into several solos during the night. Among the memorable were a reliving of his Godfather solo and a little Hendrix tribute. This man knows exactly what to play to keep his fans happy. The entire display ran just over two hours, which is ambitious in a time when bands play 90 minutes and bitch about it later. Slash is still the dark lord of the night.

In conclusion of the entire night it was near perfection, the set had all the songs you wanted to hear. Included in the lineup was the groups first attempt to play Welcome To The Jungle during the tour, which was accepted with open arms. This was one of the best live shows of the year, and those in attendance were blessed with a real rock show. Slash with Myles Kennedy is a glimpse into what true rock can be. Here hoping to a second tour.

Tagged as: Commodore Ballroom, jamie taylor, myles kennedy, photographs, review, slash

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Jamie Taylor – who has contributed 3308 posts for Concert Addicts.

"With a love for live music, way too much to say and inability to put down his camera , photojournalism was a logical step in his journey. Concert Addicts was born from a desire to express his opinion, share his photography, and share knowledge. Now the community is no longer his, it is ours."

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