It was a beautiful night in Nashville, Tennessee on March 16, 2022. I have lived here for two and a half years and I have never been to the Grand Ole Opry House to see or photograph a show. This is an amazing venue with a really wide stage, great lighting and great sound. I was excited to be in this famous venue and to see such an iconic guitarist. I have photographed Myles Kennedy with Alter Bridge and his solo tour but not with Slash as purely a singer before. I knew he would be spot-on with his vocals and he sure was!
The night started with a lessor know guitarist Tash Neal. A very energetic band with some great bluesy playing and a really fun stage presence. This whole band was full of very talented musicians and if you get to see them on one of the tour dates you definitely want to get there early and not miss this performance! Tash is originally know for being the founding members of the duo, The London Souls, which was established in 2008. Tash Neal has opened on tours in support of The Who, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, The Black Crowes, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Lenny Kravitz, Gary Clark JR, to name a few.
Tash Neal with MJT Band:
Tash Neal – Lead vocals/guitar
David Godfrey – Vocals/guitar/bass
Matt Godfrey – Keyboards
Jordan Godfrey – Drums
I have never photographed Slash before and I really wanted to get that “iconic” shot and Slash surely did not disappoint. What I was really excited to see was how each of the band members were equally featured in this show. A lot of times you get the main one or two band members in the spotlight and the rest are sort of kept in the back and not really highlighted. This was not the case with the Conspirators! Frank, Todd and Brent got the recognition they all deserved! This was a “band” and not just a couple of individuals. You could see it the whole show with the interaction and performances from each. Such a great ROCK show and such a talented bunch of guys simply having fun. That was really the theme to this show and that was… FUN! Solid playing, great songs and great interaction. Of course, when Slash was taking a solo he posed in his iconic way and made for some great photographs. The crowd went crazy and wanted to see the man and hear him blaze through his rock-solid solos like you would expect. All the way to the show I listened to the new album “4” and they played a great selection from that awesome album.
I’m a guitar player and I really wanted to get some great images of Slash. I am pleased with what I got. But we can’t overlook some outstanding vocals from Myles Kennedy. He is such a flexible and adaptable singer and he really is spot-on with his performance every time I see him. It’s still hard to believe I am watching the singer from the end of the movie, “Rock Star”. Those vocals are real. As a bonus we got some incredible lead vocals from bass player, Todd Kerns. With his addition of taking over lead vocals for a couple of songs he really showcased what a talented musician he is. Besides the awesome hair flips and great facial expressions, he has a really solid rock voice that is very different from Myles. This brings me back to the point of this being a band of equals. Simply a fun rock band both on albums and live and they photograph really well.
From a photography stand point, this was a “soundboard shoot” so the amount of angles and different views of the band was limited to standing in one place and using one particular long zoom lens. I understand since it was a theater with no photo pit but it does limit what you can bring to a review such as this. But, I’m always up for a challenge and although I would have loved to have been up close for more variety I’m happy with what I got. I hope you are, too! Cheers!
Band:
Slash – guitar
Myles Kennedy – vocals
Frank Sidioris – guitar/vocals
Todd Kerns – bass/vocals
Brent Fitz – drums
https://youtu.be/CXmo00yheAQ
Set List:
1.) Driving Rain
2.) My Antidote
3.) Shots Fired
4.) Halo
5.) Back From Cali (Slash song)
6.) Spirit Love
7.) The River Is Rising
8.) Whatever Gets You By
9.) Always on the Run (Lenny Kravitz cover)
10.) Standing in the Sun
11.) Fall Back to Earth
12.) Speed Parade (Slash’s Snakepit cover)
13.) C’est La Vie
14.) Fill My World
15.) April Fool (Live Premiere)
16.) Doctor Alibi (Slash song)
17.) Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (Elton John cover)
18.) Nothing to Say (Slash song)
19.) You’re a Lie
20.) World on Fire
Encore:
21.) Anastasia
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Scott Diussa is a photographer, guitarist, bassist, videographer and audio engineer based in the Nashville, Tennessee area. Scott has been photographing concerts since 1994 and has a degree in commercial photography. You can follow Scott on Instagram at @sdiussa. www.scottdiussa.com
