Slash Puts On Guitar Clinic With Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators On Stage In Chicago

While he may not have stepped up to the microphone and actually spoken Wednesday night in Chicago, the guitar playing of Slash spoke volumes over the course of two hours on stage at the Riviera Theatre.

Following the success of the “Not in This Lifetime” tour, which ran between spring of 2016 and winter of 2019 and now stands as the third highest grossing concert tour of all time, the guitarist is, for the most part, avoiding Guns N’ Roses material on this outing. And it doesn’t matter.

Drawing from his 2010 solo record, four albums worth of material now in collaboration with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators as well as deep cuts from his mid to late 90s group Slash’s Snakepit, Slash has more than enough strong material to fill out a set, performing all of it at a level that’s virtually unparalleled.

Content to hide in the shadows when backed by vocalist Myles Kennedy and three piece hard rock group The Conspirators, Slash is putting on a clinic in rock guitar playing that’s at times bluesy, flashy or outright blinding on stage, while easily supporting the widely held claim he’s one of the best rock guitarists of his generation.

Dueling solos between Slash and Conspirators guitarist Frank Sidoris drove “My Antidote” early Wednesday in Chicago and “Shots Fired” followed, with Slash, in his trademark pose – leaning back and to the right while pulling his guitar straight up into the air – the epitome of rock cool.

“Good evening, Chicago!” said Kennedy on stage at the Riviera. “It’s been too f—ing long!” the singer said, referencing a pandemic-induced layoff of about two years.

An arena-ready light show powered a performance set within a fairly intimate venue, Chicago’s Riv boasting a capacity of 2,500.

Slash stood at center stage with Kennedy for “Serve You Right,” moving out of the shadows to fire off one of the evening’s bluesier moments. Kennedy, perched atop the drum riser of Brent Fitz, led the crowd, who waved their arms over their heads as the song’s ending unfurled in a jam-like ramble. “Thank you so much!” said the singer.

From his star-studded 2010, self-titled solo effort, “Back From Cali” got an immediate reaction from the Chicago crowd Wednesday night, Kennedy managing to work a reference to the Windy City into an improvised lyric while Slash crouched to strum at about his knees, bending notes in his singularly inimitable style.

Slash’s playing has become immediately recognizable regardless of the musical outlet delivering it. From his latest album with Kennedy and The Conspirators, February’s aptly-titled 4, the new record’s opening track “The River is Rising” was an early highlight Wednesday too. Perched on a riser, Slash turned to face Fitz as he tore through a speedy solo, the song chugging along like a freight train.

Following the raucous number, Kennedy slowed things down, jokingly putting forth a solo of his own – on the triangle. “This is the most badass instrument in rock and roll,” he joked. “I’ve studied it for many years to perfect this.”

While it wasn’t his longest solo of the evening – that was yet to come – perhaps the evening’s most inventive one took place within a cover of Lenny Kravitz’s “Always on the Run.”

The 1991 studio version of the song, from the funk rock-infused album Mama Said, was co-written by Slash and features his playing on it. Bassist Todd Kerns took the lead vocal Wednesday as Slash stretched out in his delivery of the track, taking things back up as Kennedy took a rare break. Kerns pointed left at Slash as he delivered Kravitz’s memorable lyrical intro during the performance, the cover acting as a centerpiece for one of the guitarist’s more soulful drawn out moments.

“Alright, we’re gonna get in a time machine and go way back before any of us were involved with this man,” said Kennedy, setting the stage for one of the evening’s finest moments. “This is Slash’s Snakepit!”

From the group’s sophomore effort in 2000, “Speed Parade” hit upon everything that’s great about Slash’s playing and songwriting. Live cowbell intro immediately conjured up images of GNR’s “Night Train,” as Slash and company commanded a song that was dirty, gritty and filthy, perfectly encapsulating the type of unpredictable rock and roll that made the group’s first album Appetite for Destruction the best selling debut in history.

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Picking up an 18 string, double neck guitar, Slash put forth one of his more heartfelt solos of the night during the ballad “The One You Loved is Gone,” focusing on the upper 12 strings during the song before moving to the bottom six for a long solo – but not the longest.

That was saved for “World on Fire,” the group closing the main set with the title track from their second album together in 2014. While Wednesday was at no shortage for lengthy but thrilling solos, nothing could really compare to the performance Slash put forth as the group headed for home.

The crowd started clapping in an extended solo just after 10 PM central time, one which ultimately unfolded over the course of about the next 10 minutes. “Thank you for coming out tonight,” said Kennedy as Slash began noodling in the background. Slash and Fitz went back and forth as Kennedy led an introduction of The Conspirators, the guitarist beginning to come to a simmer. “Chicago!” said the singer. “I’d like to introduce to you, on the electric guitar, the one, the only – give it up for Slash!”

While it seemed like Slash was boiling over about five minutes in, he was only about halfway through, Kennedy playfully stepping up onto the drum riser to watch, playing along with Fitz as Slash hit cruise control, slowing down and bringing things to a bluesy roll about eight minutes in. Kennedy jumped back in on lead vocal as the band took off toward encore.

“You guys were amazing. Thank you so much,” said Kennedy. Slash held his guitar triumphantly in the air, capping a two hour experience with the flamenco-fueled notes of “Anastasia.”