Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators brought the house down so to speak at Soundwave Festival last weekend and there was no doubt they would do it again at their headlining show in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
Opening up the night was glam comedy group Steel Panther who I had not had the pleasure of experiencing before despite several opportunities including previous Soundwave appearances. My doubts about a parody glam rock band were put to rest as they put on a very entertaining show despite the music being fairly generic rock, which I guess is the whole point on some level. The best parts were easily the comedic banter in between songs where not only do they rip on the audience and people from other cities but playfully poke fun at themselves.
As far as the glam part is concerned, they seemed more serious on that part, not really glamming it up so much but emphasizing the whole sex, drugs and rock n roll. Sex being the operative word here as the whole set was unadulterated fun with the focus on females and what the band members would do in those well known 80’s style lifestyles. Participation with audience members could of been cringeworthy had it not been so damn funny. It was a great set by a band that has really taken the comedic concept to a massive level so kudos to them.
Onto the more serious stuff, Slash and co. hit the stage and belted out a string of hits that really gives testament to the music that the guitar hero has been part of over the years. Whether it was classic Guns N Roses stuff like “Night Train” or “Rocket Queen” to later stuff like “Anastasia” and “You’re A Lie”, Slash makes it sound like Slash, his trademark guitar sound unmistakable. “Out Ta Get Me” was a real highlight mostly because bass player Todd Kerns who did vocals on this one absolutely did a fantastic job, even pulling a little Axl Rose style which made just that little bit more exciting.
I would even go as far as saying he almost stole the show as he really pulled all the punches with his energetic performance and interaction with the crowd. The only disappointing aspect of the show was there was not much tracks from Snakepit and Velvet Revolver but with 3 solo albums under the belt, 2 with Myles Kennedy, there doesn’t seem to be need to go there much and with a lot of GNR songs in the set, there’s not a lot of room left for the more obscure stuff. Still, it was a great night and hope to see more of it soon.
