Review: Slash, Capital FM Arena

Thousands across Nottinghamshire woke up this morning with an extra spring in their step. Today was the day that the Cat in the Hat came to town, and Bolero Square buzzed with anticipation. The visit of Slash, one of the true icons of rock n'roll, does that to a place.

Before him, however, was the matter of The Treatment. Decked out in denim, leather and hairspray, they took to the stage in front of an already bustling arena and turned in an excellent performance. While it was easy to spot their influences, they channelled youthful energy with ease, winning over many in the process.

They were, however, quickly forgotten when the house lights fell, heralding the arrival of tonight's headliners, the roar engulfed the cavernous arena.

Halo's opening notes brought a sea of hands to the air and Slash's first solo saw jaws drop. The next fifteen minutes passed breathlessly, led by the fantastic Myles Kennedy, one of the finest voices in rock. His rendition of Nightrain afforded new life to a classic, and when Back From Cali began, their on-stage chemistry was clear to see.

This isn't to say that this was even a two-man show. Quite the opposite, bassist Todd Kerns given his turn in the spotlight, taking over the microphone and belting out both Dr Alibi and You're Crazy. The band oozed star quality, deserving far more than the endless comparisons to Guns N'Roses in their heyday.

An extended solo saw Rocket Queen elevated from classic Guns N'Roses to a sprawling fifteen-minute epic, seeing Slash take the spotlight for five minutes of the very finest fretwork. Overindulgent? Maybe. Does anyone care? Not in the slightest.

Another dip into Slash's solo material followed, the extraordinary Anastasia the pick of them. His trademark Godfather Theme solo saw the evening take a turn for the eerie, only for the timeless Sweet Child O'Mine to bring the set home. The main set ended with Slither, a furious four minutes, again bringing the best from Kennedy.

The encore started with Welcome To The Jungle, Kerns taking over vocal duties once more and after that, the band could have finished with anything. Instead, the timeless intro to Paradise City rang out and the entire venue stood, bellowing every word. It has been ten-year wait for Slash's return to the city and on the strength of tonight, it was worth every minute.

Setlist:

Halo

Mean Bone

Nightrain

Ghost

Standing In The Sun

Back From Cali

Serial Killer

Civil War (w Hendrix outro)

Jizz Da Pit

Dr Alibi

You're Crazy

Gotten

Rocket Queen

No More Heroes

Starlight

Anastasia

You're A Lie

Godfather Theme Solo

Sweet Child O'Mine

Slither

Welcome To The Jungle

Paradise City