Slash heats up House of Blues

Saturday night was a busy night in Dallas for concerts. There was the Neverset benefit show out at Trees. There was Kings of Rock out at Pizza Hut Park. But that didn’t stop House of Blues from being completely sold out and a line wrapping not just around the building but through it. And who were all these people there to see? Why SLASH of course!

Originally there was set to be three bands, one being local boys Midnight Empire who had won a contest to open for SLASH. Sadly they figured out later that one of their band members was a Guitar Center employee and it disqualified them. A major sham, because Midnight Empire is great. Go see them if you get a chance.

Instead we got Foxy Shazam. I’ll admit I never have quite gotten this band. I’ve only really heard the one song on the radio and wasn’t a fan of it. I’m still not really a fan – it’s just not my type of music. But there’s no question that they put on an interesting show. Between a vocalist that can’t seem to stay still to save his life and a keyboard player that seems to think his full size keyboard is really a keytar there’s so much going on onstage that you’re not sure where to look. Until the vocalist asks for a few cigarettes and has the lights turned down, lights up, and then eats them. Though I think the highlight for me was watching the keyboard player crowd surf – with his keyboard! Whatever my opinion the crowd loved them and I met at least one group of fans that had driven down from Oklahoma just for Foxy Shazam.

But in reality most everyone was there for Slash. Along for the ride was Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators – and what a ride it was. Between songs from his own album with various guest vocalists, to a few Velvet Revolver numbers like “Slither” and “Fall to Pieces”, to Guns N’ Roses hits such as “Nighttrain” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine” it was a rocking set and the crowd was singing and cheering along. “Paradise City” wrapped up the night to huge applause. Slash is amazingly talented and still fantastic to watch and well worth the traveling and hours spent in line that was the story for many fans that night.

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators

Foxy Shazam