Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators' new album, 4, is set to drop tomorrow (February 11.)
To promote the album – the first-ever release on Gibson's new record label – the band have embarked on an extensive American tour, the first couple dates of which have seen some killer onstage moments.
At the tour opener – on February 8 at the Roseland Theater in Portland, Oregon – the band launched into a rendition of Elton John's timeless hit, Rocket Man, which you can check out below.
Though the band contributed a cover of the song to the soundtrack of the film Stuntman, it was the first time they had ever performed it for an audience. Slash – who told the crowd that the band had been "dying" to play the song live – took the cover by the horns, deploying some beautifully mournful slide cries in the sing-along chorus, before returning to his Stones-y comfort zone for a piercing and evocative closing solo.
The tour then moved on to the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, where last night (February 9), Slash, Kennedy, and the Conspirators were joined for their encore by Guns N' Roses bass guitar player Duff McKagan.
Though they hadn't played a Guns N' Roses song the entire night up to that point, the occasion certainly called for one, and the band dutifully launched into Nightrain.
You can see that performance – which features Conspirators bassist Todd Kerns taking up vocal duty – below as well.
The release of 4 has been preceded by the singles The River Is Rising, Fill My World and Call Off the Dogs.
To preorder the album, visit Slash's website.
Aside from 4, Slash is also reportedly working with Guns N’ Roses on new material, recently telling Classic Rock, "There’s new Guns material coming out as we speak – we’ll probably keep putting it out until the entire record’s worth of stuff is done and then put it out solid.
“It’s cool,” he added. “I’m enjoying working on the stuff and having a good time doing it.”
