Slash Rocks the Hampton Beach Casino

By Max Sullivan

Slash, the former lead guitarist of Guns N Roses, rocked the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom Sunday night, top hat and all, accompanied by his touring band, Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.

Supporting his second solo album, Apocalyptic Love, the long haired, aviator-adorned rock legend from Los Angeles drew a crowd ranging from kids in their twenties to relative people in their fifties and up. The people gathered to see the Slash they've always known and loved, particularly while tearing up the end of "Paradise City" on his signature Gibson Les Paul.

He did not disappoint.

While Slash's solo songs went over quite well, with many fans even singing along to them, songs like "Night Train," "Sweet Child of Mine" and the final song of the encore, "Paradise City", left the Casino crowd begging for more Guns N Roses hits. Every time the memorable notes to a Guns N Roses song started through the speakers above, the audience's excitement level was cranked up a notch. "Civil War," "You're Crazy" and "Rocket Queen" rounded out the rest of the Guns N Roses catalogue, as well as Velvet Revolver hits "Slither" and "Fall to Pieces." Guitar geeks undoubtedly got their fix.

Myles Kennedy, known for his work with the band Alter Bridge, held his own, a real task when sharing the stage with the 47-year-old Slash. Kennedy never totally stole the show, but he had enough presence to draw the eye. He was a fairly tame master of ceremonies, politely thanking the crowd in between songs, calmly introducing songs and band members.

Kennedy sounds little like Axl Rose or Scott Weiland (Velvet Revolver), and so he worked the set list with his own spin. Of course, growls specific to the G N Roses tracks came out here and there. Beyond these minor replications, though, he stayed in his own skin, and it worked.

Slash has been bringing a third gem on tour with him since 2010, bassist Todd Kerns, a fiery show stealer who regularly hops on lead vocals for a couple songs to give Kennedy a mid-set break.

Kerns killed it Sunday, playing the wild hellion rocker to Slash's and Kennedy's mature elder statesmen of rock. He tore through the Guns N Roses song "You're Crazy", nailing the Axl Rose sound. Overall, Kerns is a home run for Slash's band, begging the question, "Why does this guy only sing two songs a night?"

Apocalyptic Love is the record Slash is pushing on this tour, but its not what brought the fans out. Whether they were young twenty-somethings who've grown up hearing the classic Guns N Roses songs on the radio or those who bought their first copy of Appetite for Destruction in 1987, the well mixed Casino crowd was all about Slash's Guns N Roses showcase on Sunday night.