Critic's evaluation
It was Saturday, May 25, 2018. The clock was ticking at 9:28 p.m. when the lights went out and the theme song from the Halloween horror feature Ray's Goodbye was heard on playback. The wide-open eyes of the people present crossed in a mixture of euphoria and happiness. The stage was rekindled and little by little the stars of the night were welcomed. First came Brent Fitz and Frank Sidoris. Then it was Todd Kerns and Myles Kennedy's turn. Last him, Slash.
When everyone dominated their posts, the opening riffs of The Call Of The Wind were heard. The audience, already crazy, clapped their hands to the rhythm of the growing instrumental introduction of the song. The moment of the sound explosion was the same instant in which the audience became a single mass that jumped and screamed with its arms outstretched to the top and its hands clenched with the symbol of rock. The curious thing was to notice that not even the musicians expected to receive such a lively participation from the fans in an equally early way.
It seemed as if the people there were coming out of an abstinence of so much euphoria, which was intensely continued in Halo, the next track. The sound of the guitar gained an echo formed by the voices of the more than seven thousand individuals present in the Espaço das Américas. Just like in the previous song, the audience jumped during the entire performance of the chorus. And speaking of singing, because they were employing their maximum sound skills, some mouths were already beginning to show signs of hoarseness.
In Standing in the Sun there was already a pause in the body agitation, but the heads of the audience were shaking intensely in the rhythm of the music. Myles Kennedy, now without the green leather jacket with which she started the performance, launched sincere smiles and looks of admiration to the audience.
The next highlight of the show was Back From Cali, the single that gave rise to the so successful partnership between the legendary Guns n' Roses guitarist and the then Alter Bridge vocalist and guitarist. Even released in mid 2010, the song was decorated in the minds of the fans. He published all the lyrics without even forgetting Kennedy's vocal improvisations in some parts.
In the sequence came the introduction of one of the main singles of Living The Dream, My Antidote. A new stir was started in the audience. Jumps, shouts and hands to all sides. Slash by this time was already flexing its legs in a movement allusive to that typical one made by Angus Young and a rotation of positions between the musicians, with Todd Kerns going to the left side and Frank Sidoris to the right side.
From then on the temperature of the audience only grew. The participation continued intense and the musicians followed with gas and disposition until the arrival of We're All Gonna Die, when there was the first change of vocalists. Composed by Slash and Iggy Pop, the song was sung at the time by bassist Kerns, who was also responsible for starting a short tribute to the late Lemmy Kilmister during the performance of Dr. Alibi.
On Myles Kennedy's return to the post of lead singer was the performance of the first ballad. The One You Loved Is Gone is a song with lyrics so intense and melody so nostalgic that, when it was performed, tears flowed from countless glances. "It's very good to know that there are people who feel touched by deep lyrics. This is beautiful," Kennedy said at the end of the song when he saw that, near the stage, he had a deeply moved fan.
From then on there were several epic moments in the performance. In Wicked Stone, for example, Kennedy assumed the position of third guitarist during the solos and Slash built an epic solo that lasted nearly three minutes. In the double created by Mind Your Manners and Driving Rain, two powerful singles from the recently released Living The Dream, besides the audience witnessing Slash's long and iconic hat making circular movements, she was also responsible for building a singing so intense that had, in some points, the formation of a punk wheel.
For those who expected the group to execute several covers of Guns n' Roses, came the disappointment. The only song played was Nightrain. In it, Kennedy anticipated the audience's acts and stimulated the clapping and shouts of "hey, hey". As the song grew, so did the audience's choir.
While the audience was still breathing and trying to catch more and more breath so as not to soften, Myles and Slash sat next to each other at the end of the stage and started the intimate introduction of Starlight.
The other great moments happened in two other songs. World on Fire, of the whole show, may have been the song that collected the most memorable moments. After all, in it the guitarist of the hat produced an extra solo of more than five minutes, Kennedy played drums with Brent Fitz and there was also a statement to the public of São Paulo. "You guys are really amazing. I didn't expect all of this, but the public in São Paulo exceeded our expectations. You guys are fucking great," exclaimed Slash.
Anastasia, the song of the encore, was the last great moment of Living The Dream Brazil Tour's show in São Paulo. After all, it had more epic solos, the audience continued to be present and sometimes more alive than ever, besides Kennedy instigating an even bigger delivery from the audience. "I want them to scream!", he ordered during the chorus.
At the end of the performance, the musicians united in front of the stage and, as an act of praxis, revered the audience of São Paulo. And after playing reeds and drumsticks, guitarists Slash and Frank Sidoris, bassist and backup vocalist Todd Kerns, drummer and backup vocalist Brent Fitz and vocalist and backup guitarist Myles Kennedy left the stage of the Espaço das Américas.
The message left by Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators was one of an even heavier sound of its own. The harmony and synchrony of the musicians were also different from those witnessed in previous presentations of the group. Now, the band is visibly more mature and independent. Proof of this was the assembly of a repertoire based mostly on the group's own songs. Among the 21 songs played, only six included previous moments of Slash ft. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators.
Another interesting point that demonstrates the maturity of the group was the declared independence of the group that launched Slash in the phonographic scene. After all, from Guns n' Roses the repertoire sheltered only the song Nightrain. Regarding the technical aspects, the sound was equalized and the musicians tuned. This also contributed for the show to be memorable.
The blood still boils for feeling the remnant of the adrenaline effect created by a great repertoire. The eyes still keep the glow of watching an admirable performance and the lips still mumble the lyrics of the songs that, no doubt, will become classics.
