Review by Greg Maki
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It takes some serious guts to take the stage alone when you’re used to having guitar gods like Slash or Mark Tremonti out there with you. But that’s exactly what Myles Kennedy is doing on his tour supporting his debut solo release, “Year of the Tiger,” including a stop at Baltimore Soundstage. Aside from bassist Tim Tournier accompanying him on a couple songs, the show was an hour and 45 minutes of nothing but Myles Kennedy.
And it was mesmerizing.
The mostly acoustic performance served as an overview of Kennedy’s entire career, featuring a half dozen songs from the folksy “Year of the Tiger,” a deeply personal record focusing on the death of his father; a handful of Alter Bridge selections, including a couple rarely, if ever, performed live before this tour; a few of Kennedy’s collaborations with Slash; and a pair of tunes from The Mayfield Four, Kennedy’s pre-Alter Bridge, late ‘90s/early 2000s band. There also were a couple covers—Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California” and the biggest surprise of the night, Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper.”
Stripping the songs down to this format showed how strong they truly are and put a giant, bold exclamation point on Kennedy’s status as one of his generation’s finest singer-songwriters
He seemed as happy to be there as the seated, sold-out crowd. Maybe the intimate atmosphere encouraged him to open up, as he told stories about the songs and espoused his love of MC Hammer. He even did the Hammer dance, and that’s certainly something you’re not going to see at an Alter Bridge or Slash concert.
This is the show I’ve wanted to see Kennedy to do since the last time I saw Alter Bridge headline in early 2017 and he performed two songs solo in the middle of the set. If you’re a fan of anything he’s done in the past, this is a can’t-miss tour.
SET LIST:
“Devil on the Wall”
“Standing in the Sun” (Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators)
“Eden” (The Mayfield Four)
“Addicted to Pain” (Alter Bridge)
“Starlight” (Slash)
“Haunted by Design”
“Going to California” (Led Zeppelin)
“Blind Faith”
“Losing Patience” (Alter Bridge)
“Songbird”
“White Flag” (The Mayfield Four)
“The Trooper” (Iron Maiden)
“All Ends Well” (Alter Bridge)
“Watch Over You” (Alter Bridge)
“World on Fire” (Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators)
Encore:
“Love Can Only Heal”
“Year of the Tiger”
LINKS:
www.myleskennedy.com
www.facebook.com/officialmyleskennedy
www.instagram.com/officialmyleskennedy
www.twitter.com/myleskennedy
www.youtube.com/myleskennedyofficial
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