[Live Review] SLASH

Slash IMG_2167

Sydney Entertainment Centre
Saturday August 25, 2012: 

Angry Anderson saunters on stage, bottle in hand, and sets the scene with a scream of, “Welcome to rock ’n’ roll”. The elder statesmen of Oz pub rock, Rose Tattoo’s slot as set openers highlights the wide influence their dirty blues licks have had on a generation of rockers, including the act to follow.

Is there a more enduring image in rock than Slash and his trusty Les Paul? He embodies rock ’n’ roll – all hair, attitude and noise. It also looks like he has finally found another band that can execute his melodic, bluesy vision. Vocalist Myles Kennedy shines – the confident, dynamic foil to Slash’s more laidback onstage persona. He and his Conspirators stalked the stage, urging the crowd into a frenzy suited to the vicious attack of the music. While the night’s setlist was a snapshot of the many phases of Slash’s career, it was the Guns ’n’ Roses classics that got the crowd going. It’s been 25 years since Appetite for Destruction was unleashed, and the power of ‘My Michelle’, ‘Sweet Child O‘ Mine’ and ‘Paradise City’ are unrivalled, a point made clear by the energy generated on and off the stage. ‘You’re A Lie’ and ‘Anastasia’ from current release Apocalyptic Love showed promise as future sing-along anthems, while Slash cemented his reputation as one of the modern guitar gods (who else is fighting for that mantle?)

Reviewer: Paul Frost
Photographer: Ashlee Kellehear

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