Jane's to Slash

When someone shoots a "brick" in basketball, it's not a good thing.  The shot goes up, ricochets off the backboard without a prayer of falling in and all-in-all just isn't pretty.  I can't help but make the comparison to Minneapolis' own The Brick.  It seems like the owners were wide open when they took this shot--they had a great location, booked huge acts on a small stage, and opened with great fanfare--yet they were so far off the mark in the execution, that we're left to wonder if they were simply an overrated player in the downtown club game.

As a gesture of goodwill, the Brick "refunded" my Jane's Addiction experience with two comp tickets to the Slash show, and although hesitant to spend more time at a place that seemed to suck the soul out of music itself, I dealt with it to see Slash.  (Furthermore, I had seen Meshuggah at First Ave the night before, and I felt as though I needed musical balance in a way that only a Guitar God could deliver.)

Myles Kennedy has a good gig.  The man left Creed Sans Stapp and found a musical home with Slash.  (Talk about rags to riches!)  Is he the best singer there ever was?  No.  But three truths remain:
1.  He can hit the notes needed to cover the biggies in Slash's hit-ridden catalog.
2.  He is a decent enough front man and vocalist.
3.  Most importantly, he is never going to leave Slash.  For literally decades now, Slash has been the object of Steven Tyler's ridicule with Tyler asking him every time they meet, "Dude, where's your singer?"  For once, Slash doesn't have to reply "Off the deep end" or "In rehab".  Kennedy, to his credit, appears to be smart enough and sober enough to keep it that way.

Of course "Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators" were touring to gain support for their soon-to-be-released "Apocolyptic Love", so it was to be expected that solo work was going to be showcased.  "Starlight" got the crowd going, but I found it sub par and, quite frankly, a boring song to simply smile politely to.  When bassist Todd Kerns got up to rock the mic, however, the crowd went NUTS!  Kerns' voice was less tinny than Kennedy's, and he had what it took to tear the crowd away from their cell phones and back to the stage.  Well done, Todd Kerns.  Impressive!  When do we get to hear you again?

To keep fans happy, of course Slash & Co. had to play some classic GnR.  (Is it technically a cover if you're covering a band you were in???)  "Night Train" had everyone singing along but seemed a bit lackluster, and "Mr. Brownstone" picked things up in a way that only a heroin-fueled song can.  My personal favorite was "Sweet Child O' Mine", with the classic intro that Total Guitar named the #1 Greatest Guitar Riff, and though "Paradise City" rocked hard, it was upstaged by Slash's intensely ripped bare chest.....I didn't exactly mind.

No doubt fewer in number than GnR fans, there were undoubtedly Velvet Revolver devotees in attendance at the Brick as well.  "Slither" was one of the best songs of the night with Slash, Myles and the Conspirators actually reaching the level of true raw rock that VR gave to that track.  Conversely, if you're going to play something as blatently Weiland as "Fall To Pieces", why not just go ahead and cover "Mary Mary" off Libertad?  Or, better yet, let's put Kennedy in front of a grand piano with a Liberace-esque candelabra on it and make him belt out "November Rain"?  To whomever wrote the final set list:  "Fall To Pieces" was a poor choice.  "Do It For The Kids" would've been better.

While it's true that Slash's current line-up can't compete with his past bands, I think it's fair to say that Slash doesn't give a fuck....nor should we.  Watching Slash play reminds me of a line from With Honors:  "Winners forget they're in a race; they just love to run."  Slash clearly has no concept of being in a hit-making race--he just loves to play guitar.  The guy seems to want to surround himself with people with whom he can write songs, take risks, make music, tour and play guitar....and that's enough for him.  He can walk to the front of the stage, rest his propped up Gibson on his knee and showcase his skills with a "take it or leave it, but I'm just gonna play" attitude.  He doesn't create attention-seeking scenes at the mic, nor does he gyrate his body and contort his face in full theatrical rock god style.  The man just plays, hitting every note with equal parts force and grace.  This is not a problem--this is a gift.

All in all, it wasn't the overweight and under-attractive couple making out next to me the whole time nor was it the unspoken discontent in the crowd that Slash is no longer making sweet sweet musical love with Axl Rose that bothered me Monday night....it was the $3 that the Brick charges for water.