I can't say I've experienced a gig like this before, almost a 50/50 split in audience meant that both acts were really only playing to half a crowd. It was weird definitely but both sides of the audience got a great show.
The reason for this split is that if you were to book a show then you wouldn't instantly put the soulful voice of Alter Bridge and Slash's go to singer of choice Myles Kennedy (8) alongside the king of all things musically diverse Devin Townsend (9), but that's exactly what this tour package promised.
I'd be interested to see how the ticket sales were before Devin was announced as support but I digress for me this was going to be and interesting experiment in culture clash and entertainment.
Now rather than Devy when he's hevy we got him when he has just and acoustic guitar, a case full of stuffies, a rubber face, foul language, terrible jokes, self deprecation and of course heaps of talent. Without the screens and the band Devin at first seemed a little listless and uncomfortable, though this is often the case when you see him perform.
Jokes about his age, his weight and his dead cat were all met with laughter from those who know what to expect from Townsend and bewilderment from anyone there for Kennedy. The set itself continued some stripped back versions of his tracks with SYL's Love? Hitting harder in this setting, screams and acoustic guitar just works somehow. But with the 'metal' section now complete it was a quick change of pace as a cover of Bring Him Home stunned the room to silence, Devin hitting every single operatic note of this musical classic, it was brilliant and shook some of those who had never seen him before into being fans.
The reason for this split is that if you were to book a show then you wouldn't instantly put the soulful voice of Alter Bridge and Slash's go to singer of choice Myles Kennedy (8) alongside the king of all things musically diverse Devin Townsend (9), but that's exactly what this tour package promised.
I'd be interested to see how the ticket sales were before Devin was announced as support but I digress for me this was going to be and interesting experiment in culture clash and entertainment.
Now rather than Devy when he's hevy we got him when he has just and acoustic guitar, a case full of stuffies, a rubber face, foul language, terrible jokes, self deprecation and of course heaps of talent. Without the screens and the band Devin at first seemed a little listless and uncomfortable, though this is often the case when you see him perform.
Jokes about his age, his weight and his dead cat were all met with laughter from those who know what to expect from Townsend and bewilderment from anyone there for Kennedy. The set itself continued some stripped back versions of his tracks with SYL's Love? Hitting harder in this setting, screams and acoustic guitar just works somehow. But with the 'metal' section now complete it was a quick change of pace as a cover of Bring Him Home stunned the room to silence, Devin hitting every single operatic note of this musical classic, it was brilliant and shook some of those who had never seen him before into being fans.
Moving into Ih-Ah! there was some crowd participation (reluctantly) as Hyperdrive got the biggest cheer (of course), more participation under some coercion from Townsend. While some were won over, many still shook their heads due to the Canadian humour and general nerdy weirdness Devin Townsend gives a show, personally it did a lot to rekindle my love of his music, so let's hope next time he's in this venue he returns with a full band again.
As the man himself put it "you've seen the genius, now it's time for the mediocre" it was time for Myles Kennedy to please those who wore his shirts and the shirts of his other bands so proudly. Now of course he was joking as Kennedy isn't mediocre at all. Slick and sophisticated for sure but not mediocre. Having spent decades in as the singer of Alter Bridge alongside his time in Slash's band how he found time to release three solo albums is beyond me, but here we are with tour on the back of his third, the excellent, The Art Of Letting Go and it's as if he's been playing in this band for 20 years.
A slimline power trio with Kennedy showing off his prowess as a guitarist as well as a singer, he's joined by Zia Uddin on drums and Tim Tournier on bass, the duo flanking Kennedy on either side to give the stage an intimate feel, though the huge banner belies this a little. As well as hearing the 7 tracks from The Art Of Letting Go live what interested me was listening to how songs from his previous solo records, The Ides Of March and Year Of The Tiger would translate into the 'electric' setting being as both these albums are much more acoustic.
The answer is of course well showcasing Myles song writing but track such as Wake Me When It's Over and Devil On The Wall proves to be just as effective in this format as they did on record. One of the standout moments though was Worried Mind, preceded by a bit of Jingle Bells, it saw Kennedy taking the acoustic guitar and just playing his heart out, he does a similar thing with Watching Over Me for Alter Bridge but on a smaller stage with a packed room, that voice and the simple acoustic hit different.
Two very different artists with a mostly split audience however both managed to win over the majority of the room in different ways. An interesting night but one filled with great music.
As the man himself put it "you've seen the genius, now it's time for the mediocre" it was time for Myles Kennedy to please those who wore his shirts and the shirts of his other bands so proudly. Now of course he was joking as Kennedy isn't mediocre at all. Slick and sophisticated for sure but not mediocre. Having spent decades in as the singer of Alter Bridge alongside his time in Slash's band how he found time to release three solo albums is beyond me, but here we are with tour on the back of his third, the excellent, The Art Of Letting Go and it's as if he's been playing in this band for 20 years.
A slimline power trio with Kennedy showing off his prowess as a guitarist as well as a singer, he's joined by Zia Uddin on drums and Tim Tournier on bass, the duo flanking Kennedy on either side to give the stage an intimate feel, though the huge banner belies this a little. As well as hearing the 7 tracks from The Art Of Letting Go live what interested me was listening to how songs from his previous solo records, The Ides Of March and Year Of The Tiger would translate into the 'electric' setting being as both these albums are much more acoustic.
The answer is of course well showcasing Myles song writing but track such as Wake Me When It's Over and Devil On The Wall proves to be just as effective in this format as they did on record. One of the standout moments though was Worried Mind, preceded by a bit of Jingle Bells, it saw Kennedy taking the acoustic guitar and just playing his heart out, he does a similar thing with Watching Over Me for Alter Bridge but on a smaller stage with a packed room, that voice and the simple acoustic hit different.
Two very different artists with a mostly split audience however both managed to win over the majority of the room in different ways. An interesting night but one filled with great music.
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