Slash ft. Myles Kennedy and the conspirators in India: Press-con Mumbai

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Guest reporter for Metalbase: Himanish Bhattacharjee

“If metal doesn’t give that overwhelming surge of power that makes the hair stand up at the back of your neck, you might never get it, and you know what? That’s okay, because judging by the 40,000 metalheads around me, we’re doing just fine without you.” – Sam Dunn, in the final scenes of his 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey.

Music genres like hard rock and metal are probably not as popular among the youth today as they used to be till a couple of decades ago. Even in a country like India, which was hit by that sound much after it became a rage in the Western world, local bands are aware of the diminishing marketability of their music.

But the small but well-knit family of loyal metalheads in the country have come together time and again to show the power of their music even in recent years, packing venues to their capacity every time legendary bands came down to play a show in India. The Scorpions, Aerosmith, Sepultura, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Metallica have all gone back with fond memories of playing here over the last decade, and left the fans mesmerised with their magic.

But the 90’s rock enthusiast always hoped, prayed and begged to watch Slash, the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist who has undoubtedly been among the most influential rock icons of all time, come and play in India. And after a series of false rumours and hoaxes over the years, the news of the legend’s two-city tour finally surfaced in the media in September, and social media was soon flooded with euphoric updates from his fans.

Slash, featuring Myles Kennedy and the conspirators, which include Todd Kerns, the bassist, Brent Fitz, the drummer, and Frank Sidoris, the rhythm guitarist, reached India on Thursday (November 5) night, and will play two shows – in Mumbai, on November 7, and in Bangalore, on November 14 – in an event organised by MTV Indies Xtreme.

Speaking to the media ahead of the first gig, Slash, sporting a sleeveless white tee, blue jeans, canvas shoes, a motorhead cap, and his signature aviator glasses, revealed that he has been looking forward to touring India for a long time now and was glad that it was finally happening.

“All things considered, we have been trying to get here for a while now,” he said. “But there were logistical issues that took us this long. We have always wanted to come to this place. As a kid, we heard great stories about India. The exotic traditions, cultures etc. And I have always been into these kind of stuff, you know.”

Though this will be the first official gig for the band in India, Slash had once played a surprise show with Indus Creed, the popular Indian rock band, back in 1996 in Bangalore. Indus Creed, as it turns out, will be one of the opening acts for the band in Bangalore.

“Oh, so it was 1996 then,” he mused after being reminded by one of the scribes. “I was always confused whether it was 1996 or 1997. But I didn’t even know they were playing (as an opening band in Bangalore). I did have a great time when I last played with them though. I came by myself, and it was a great experience.”

Slash, understandably, avoided letting out the setlist for the two shows, keeping the surprise element intact.

“We haven’t (prepared a setlist),” was his response, accompanied by a grin. “It will be a general mix. We will do some GNR stuff, maybe some (Slash’s) Snakepit. We have been on the road for more than a year now, so we keep changing things a bit here and there. But you will have to wait for tomorrow.”

The band is on a very tight schedule and, with media obligations and other commitments, have very little time to explore the country. But Slash insisted they were doing their bit, improvising with whatever options they had.

“It’s a very short tour and we have very limited free time,” he said. “This morning we went out to a couple of different local temples. No real plans to be honest, but we’d want to improvise with whatever we can.”

Apart from his affinity towards rock and roll, metal, punk rock and blues, Slash said that Indian music, too, has had a lasting impact on him.

“There was a lot of Indian influence in the 60s movement, and I was raised in the middle of that,” he said. “Pandit Ravi Shankar was one person who I remember listening to. Since then, I have heard quite a bit of Indian music, but no specific artist as such. So I don’t really know who is better than whom in the Indian music scene, but I am quite aware of the whole sound of the music around this region. Last time when I was here, I was given this beautiful sitar which I still have.”

Since his stint with Guns N’ Roses, Slash has influenced generations with his music, but even today, at the age of 50, he finds it difficult to believe the impact he has had on youngsters around the world.

“I am not very conscious of any of that,” he pointed out. “Till date, I have a hard time convincing myself that I influence others to play guitar. But it’s a very surreal feeling when I am told there are kids out there trying to play my guitar parts.”

But over the years, the rock and roll genre has evolved – musically and lyrically.

“I wouldn’t say ours was a better time or anything, but youngsters today have much lesser issues to rebel against,” he suggested. “So that is what probably sets our generation of rockers apart from this generation.”

But come Saturday and the Reliance Jio Gardens in Bandra Kurla Complex in western Mumbai will be buzzing with partisans old and young, and will finally get a shot at singing along with the Sweet Child o’ Mines and the Paradise Cities when the band takes stage.