Who needs Axl Rose? Evidently, not Slash!
Returning to Donington Download Festival yet again, this year marked the fourth band that the iconic guitarist has appeared with (Guns ‘n’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver and now his solo project Slash). The top-hat-wearing rock star was joined by a group of touring musicians, including Myles Kennedy who is best known for his role as the Alter Bridge frontman. The pairing of Slash and Kennedy was particularly outstanding, with both musicians sharing an incredible musical bond.
Although the curly-haired guitarist had a new self-titled album to promote, he was not oblivious to the fact that the audience would be yearning for the products of his previous bands. Although opening with ‘Ghost’ and ‘Back From Cali’, two songs from his new album, the band’s set grew in stature with the superb performances of Guns ‘n’ Roses songs ‘Nightrain’ and ‘Rocket Queen’, substantially enlivening the audience.
Seeing Slash perform ‘Sweet Child o' Mine’ at Donington is an unforgettable moment and with Kennedy on vocals, it seemed even better. If there is one person that could fill Axl Rose’s shoes, it is Myles Kennedy. When returning to the performance of new songs, Slash invited Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister to join him on stage for ‘Doctor Alibi’, much to the delight of the Download audience. With vocalist Scott Weiland set to appear later that today with Stone Temple Pilots, one could have hoped for a reunion for ‘Slither’. However, Kennedy once again did an excellent job and it did not matter in the slightest. The focus may have been on Slash at the beginning of the set, but he was sharing his limelight with Kennedy by the end.
Slash (and his accompanying band members) finished their performance with the Guns ‘n’ Roses favourite ‘Paradise City’, concluding a well-balanced set played by a group of excellent musicians.