Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators
Live At The Roxy 25.9.14
Eagle Rock/Shock Records
Release Date: Out Now
Matthew Clewley
Slash has been quite busy straight after the release of his World On Fire album, taking down crowds across the world with some of the greatest rock songs that we have ever heard. He is of course with the great Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators as they record this gig live in West Hollywood at the infamous Roxy Theatre. This is a gig that’s up-close and personal with the crowd as it is quite a small venue. This disc will feature some of your favourite songs by Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and Slash’s solo stuff, so this already sounds like the perfect gift to yourself when payday arrives.
The opening song to the DVD is Ghost (originally featuring Ian Astbury) maybe a great song, but it didn’t get off to the best start. I could barely hear the crowd sing along to it, which left an awkward silence. It was brilliantly performed, but that didn’t shine as well as Back From Cali or You Could Be Mine. Kennedy proves that he is more than just a Guns N’ Roses tribute act. He’s become a household name is rock music and his vocal performances prove that perfectly. After a third of the way through, the World On Fire songs kick in starting with the brilliant Bent To Fly as it shows that band as they are rather than Slash being the main focus. It shows a powerful performance that brings them all together and nailing the songs perfectly, along with Starlight from Slash’s first post-Velvet Revolver album.
More World On Fire songs include the title track and You’re A Lie; all of them sound excellent along with Anastasia from their first album, once again showing that Kennedy and The Conspirators are more than just an addition. They have created their own sound, only to rectify it near enough perfectly live. The most memorable classics now arrive with Sweet Child O’ Mine, which is a brilliant cover with Kennedy sounding fantastic, especially compared to a present day Axl Rose (sorry, not sorry). After the introductions of the members we Slither through the last part of the album and end it on Paradise City. The bonus tracks are all but one of songs written by the band, with You’re Crazy being the highlight of the bonus tracks that I felt personally should have been in the main mix as it’s such a f*cking good cover.
This live album is a brilliantly produced album that captures that studio work with the band incredibly. The performances were seemed quite personal if anything. As I previously mentioned this is a band performance and doesn’t require full attention to Slash. They perfectly gel together and that what makes this DVD, and performing songs from Slash’s classic era that show that this band can use their sound to make these songs sound beautifully solid and fresh when it comes to hearing it live. There may have been production tweaks so that the crowd were practically silent (which is sometimes awkward during sing- along tracks), and the music was the main focus, but it’s still all natural when it comes to playing. Live At The Roxy is something for every Slash, Alter Bridge and the majority of rock fans to fully enjoy with its sharp vocals, sweet licks and strong sound.
