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Rock legend Slash so wowed his fans with heavy riff guitar action at his recent concert that it left
PETRINA JO FERNANDEZ with chills down her spine

͞MALAYSIA was awesome! Awesome people, awesome country,͟ Slash tweeted at midnight last
Thursday, two hours after his debut concert ended.

And awesome it was.

It was the concert of all concerts, an epic music adventure with insane electric guitar action. No one can
make that baby wail the way Slash does.

I doubt anyone even remembers the opening acts, though local rocker Amy Search͛s Isabella got the
crowd in the mood to party. But the night was definitely all about Slash and his guitar.

As it began to drizzle, the crowd͛s chanting grew louder and more insistent: ͞We want Slash! We want
Slash!͟ It wasn͛t long before rock͛s arguably second-greatest legend (after Jimi Hendrix) took his place
on the stage to the mad delight of the crowd (this was also one of the most punctual concerts ever held
Ͷ no dramatic late entrance by this star). The buzz was infectious and the first song could barely be
heard over the excited screams and the occasional ͞I love you, Slash!͟ declarations.

Slash was backed by Myles Kennedy (vocalist), Bobby Schneck (guitarist), Todd Kerns (bassist) and Brent
Fitz (drummer). The band played a few hits from Slash͛s recently-released debut album, including Ghost
and Beggars And Hangers-On.

When Guns N͛ Roses͛ Nightrain (a tribute to an infamous brand of Californian wine, Night Train Express,
which ranked eighth on Guitar World͛s Top Ten Drinking Songs list) came on, the concert took on a
whole new level. Myles could barely be heard as the band went all out, increasing tempo and volume to
match that of the frenzied crowd.
Myles had been doing all the talking until Slash took the mike about a half hour into the show.

͞You know, I͛ve never been here before,͟ he said, his deep voice resonating at the Surf Beach at Sunway
Lagoon. ͞I͛ve never been blown away by so many beautiful women in my life. I wish I could move here.͟
The crowd cheered as he launched into the intro of Nothing To Say, an upbeat number from his
eponymous album that got hands waving and feet tapping. Again, Myles could barely be heard but
Slash͛s guitar came across loud and clear, and that was all everyone wanted then. A mad riff between
verses had the crowd cheering as they watched the legend in top-notch action. At one point, he held up
his guitar for the audience to see him shredding, his fingers working so furiously over the instrument
that it should have started smoking. Myles held the vocals steady as the guitar genius drew the crowd
deeper and deeper into the song.

Starlight showed off Myles͛s husky, rich voice. He could wail too, his voice a wonderful instrument. He
adeptly took control of the stage, wowing the crowd with a range you have to hear to believe. His voice
rang clear at the bridge and Slash took over, with heart-stopping double stops and bends, before
surrendering the end to Myles who definitely owned the song.

The band was a solid work of music, and they managed to involve the audience. It wasn͛t musicians
performing for a crowd, it was a band and its fans celebrating music together. Myles told the audience,
͞Anyone who can whistle or hum a melody, please join in when Slash starts playing. You͛ll recognize it
(the song) immediately.͟ The intro to Civil War came on, and the crowd hummed along to another Guns
N͛ Roses favourite.

It was then Slash͛s turn in the spotlight. Sweet Child O͛ Mine has always been one of Gun N͛ Roses͛
bests, but hearing it live was simply mind-blowing. The audience sang (more like shouted) along and
Slash͛s legendary solo sent shivers down spines. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, like seeing this
classic performed live.

The night was drawing to a close as the band launched into Slither, yet another hit with the crowd. The
set list was brilliantly arranged, mixing tracks on the Slash album with Velvet Revolver hits and all-time
Guns N͛ Roses favourites, building the night to a climax that ended with an encore of Paradise City.
When Slash took the stage, the rest of the world simply faded away. Intense guitar shredding, tingling
trilling and haunting wailing were all everyone was focused on. No one gave the lighting or the set
another look. Who cared if it was uncomfortably hot and humid and we were all packed in like sardines
in a can? All that mattered was a musician on stage working his magic.

Slash͛s found his sound WITH fans that span generations, guitar legend Slash has been revamping rock
since his founding group Guns N͛ Roses͛ heyday. After putting together two other bands, Snakepit and
Velvet Revolver, Slash is now touring to promote his debut solo self-titled album.
At Sunway Hotel Resort and Spa, Saul ͞Slash͟ Hudson took fifteen minutes before rehearsals to talk
about his music.

So you͛re playing with a new amp at the concert at Sunway Lagoon? Yeah, I͛m really excited about it.
When I was putting out the new record, I wanted to do something for my fans. I saw online that many
people were trying to build an amp like the one I used for Appetite. I had no idea that they were so
interested Ͷ they even had blueprints and everything. So I thought of having a new amp and what
better way than to go straight to the source: I went to Marshall (equipment company) and we designed
the AFD100 Signature Amplifier to recreate that very unique sound (in Appetite). It͛s going into
production now, and we͛re using it at our concerts. It sounded great in Singapore! Are you into tweaking
around with equipment? Nah, I͛m an old school guy. I don͛t mess with stuff much. Technical details
don͛t interest me. If it sounds good, then I͛ll stick with it. I͛m a very basic guitarist: two amps and I͛m
good. I don͛t go crazy over pedalboards and all that.

Any chance of a Slashfest, with the huge following you have? That would be sort of cool. Ozzy
(Osbourne) has his Ozzfest and I always thought it was cool. It would be nice to put together a festival
with a talented group. I haven͛t seen the best lineup though. The one͛s I͛ve worked with are good but
they could be better.

What͛s it like having complete control over your tour for a change? I like taking the simplest approach. I
travel with a skeleton crew: a sound guy and a couple of techs. In a band you always have someone
complicating things Ͷ I don͛t know why they find it so hard to get things together. If you could play one
last song, what would it be? That͛s depressing. If I should die of electrocution on stage, I want to go out
playing Paradise City. Any advice to guitar players? What I do is basically what turned me on as a kid Ͷ
blues-driven rock ͚n͛ roll. I don͛t know how I got away with doing this for so long. The thing is a lot of
guys don͛t get a sound together, a sound that really represents them. I know so many guitar players who
haven͛t figured out what their sound is. If you don͛t have a sound, you don͛t have a voice. Find a sound.