Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators, Auckland NZ, 2019

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators

26th January 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Matt Henry Mendonca.

Rock and roll made its way into town last night on the back of a band with one hell of long name; Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators guaranteed to bring the goods in every shape and form.

Opening for the legendary guitar hero and his crew were none other than Waikato heroes Devilskin who brought their own brand of rock fringed with metal overtones to the stage. The ten-song set was a well-balanced mix of fan favourites with some new music to whet the appetite for what the four piece had to come in the future, both ‘All Fall Down’ and the very personal track ‘Endo’ each offering something quite different.

Father and son team Paul and Nic Martin on bass and drums respectively held down the heavier element of the music, Nic a fine talent behind the kit for one so young. With a small collection of side projects between the two of them – Nic Martin’s second band Seas of Conflict – who just released the razor-sharp single ‘Monachopsis’ – are worth checking out if your taste leans more towards the metal genre.

As Devilskin moved through their blistering set Jennie Skulander impressed especially on the intro of ‘Pray’ where her acapella vocals rang out throughout the room; ‘Never See The Light’ still enthralling with it’s chugging bass laden outro. A solid set that was worthy of the enthusiastic applause it received.

Soon it was time for the headliners to strut their stuff; arriving on stage bang on time – no egos here thanks – the five piece got straight down to business. Taking up his usual position of stage right, Slash was impossible to miss, the iconic aviators and top hat firmly in place, black bandana hanging from the back of his jeans. While he is undoubtedly the biggest drawcard – his history with not only his solo work but one of the most ferocious bands of the 80’s and 90’s (Guns n Roses) is one to be respected – you would be foolish to write off the rest of the artists who make up the rest of the band. With not only one of the most versatile rock voices in the business in the form of Myles Kennedy holding down the role of front man along with the magnetism of Todd Kerns on bass, the band is a well-oiled machine who quite evidently love what they do.

Early standout ‘Ghost’ from Slash’s 2010 self titled album had the intimate but passionate crowd eating from the palms of their hands, Kennedy handling the vocals originally performed by The Cult‘s Ian Astbury with ease.

But it was bass player Kerns stint on vocal duties for a two-song combo that really brought a whole new shine to the already outstanding set. Looking like a young Pete Steele from Type O Negative Kerns brought the punk vibes with ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ before delivering a rip snort version of the Slash and Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead collaboration ‘Dr. Alibi’. While no Velvet Revolver tracks made it into the set list, there was plenty to keep fans happy; ‘The One You Loved Is Gone’ seeing Slash bring out a delicious double neck guitar, while ‘Wicked Stone’ saw him flex his muscles with a jaw dropping solo that displayed his absolute dexterity with a set of strings all the while making it look like one of the easiest things to do in the world.

Tracks from their latest album Living The Dream intertwined throughout, ‘Mind Your Manners’ seeing the fans sing along with Kennedy. Of course there had to be a gunners track in there, ‘Nightrain’ receiving howls of delight from the crowd as it followed on the heels on a particularly tasty version of ‘By The Sword’, the extended outro appreciated by all. A hotly demanded two song encore saw Kennedy join in on guitar for ‘Anastasia’, the band taking their time to hand out much sought-after guitar pics, drum sticks and set lists to those down front. Here is band who not only enjoy what they do, but who truly value their fans.

Long live rock n roll.

Were you there at Spark Arena for this epic rock gig? Or have you seen Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators Setlist:

1. Call Of The Wild
2. Halo
3. Standing In The Sun
4. Ghost
5. Back From Cali
6. Bent To Fly
7. My Antidote
8. Serve You Right
9. Read Between The Lines
10. We’re All Gonna Die
11. Dr. Alibi
12. The One You Loved Is Gone
13. Wicked Stone
14. Mind Your Manners
15. Driving Rain
16. By The Sword
17. Nightrain
18. Starlight
19. You’re A Lie
20. World On Fire
21. Shadow Life [encore]
22. Anastasia [encore]

Devilskin Setlist:

1. Vessel
2. Start A Revolution
3. All Fall Down
4. Pray
5. Elvis Presley Circle Pit
6. Never See The Light
7. Limbs
8. Endo
9. Little Pills
10. Violation

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