Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators Live At The Roxy (Blu-ray) (2015)

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General		Extras
Category	Music	Main Menu Audio & Animation Booklet-8 page colour booklet Bonus Track-Stone Blind Bonus Track-You're Crazy Bonus Track-Wicked Stone Bonus Track-30 Years to Life
Rating
Year Of Production	2015
Running Time	104:46 (Case: 109)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Derek Manning Bart Peters
Studio Distributor	Sony Music	Starring	Slash Myles Kennedy Todd Kerns Frank Sidoris Brent Fitz
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	None Given

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Linear PCM 48/24 2.0 (1536Kb/s) English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (3254Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

“Sweet Child O’Mine”

     Slash (Saul Hudson) has been a hard rock identity since Guns N’ Roses burst onto the scene in the mid 1980’s. With his trademark leather top-hat and long curly hair, Slash is instantly recognisable as the owner of some of the best known guitar riffs in rock history. Artistic and personal disagreements with Axl Rose led to Slash departing Guns N’ Roses in 1996, however he was not yet ready to retire. Having earlier formed Slash’s Snakepit in 1994 as a side project, he now fully devoted his time to recording and touring until disbanding in 2002. Slash then put together a new band called Velvet Revolver with Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots as lead vocalist. They had notable success recording and touring until Weiland left in 2008 and the band unofficially came to an end. From there Slash commenced his solo career using collaborators as diverse as Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop. For his second and third solo albums Slash settled on touring band member Myles Kennedy, Todd Kerns, Frank Sidoris, and Brent Fitz to form Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators. Health problems due to drug and alcohol abuse have threatened his career over the years however clean living since 2005 seems to have aided his recovery.

     Slash remains one of the premier rock guitarists still working and is often included in greatest guitarist of all time lists. In this video concert release Slash with The Conspirators are in the intimate surrounds of the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California. Recorded in September 2014 after the release of the World On Fire album, Slash and his band get up close and personal with his fans with around ninety minutes of grungy rock’n’roll as only Slash can deliver.

     Being a small venue the Roxy Theatre does not lend itself to wide sweeping crowd shots and stage manoeuvres. In this case I think it is an advantage as the camera shots often place the viewer right in the middle of the mosh-pit and makes the experience much more personal. The days of stadium concerts for Slash are over, but that doesn’t mean the experience is lessened. If anything the close interaction between fans and musicians makes the experience much more memorable and satisfying. As Slash says “Coming full circle and playing at the Troubadour, Roxy and The Whisky, the clubs where I got my start, was a really great experience, The intimacy, energy and nostalgia was priceless. This recording from the Roxy show, hopefully captures some of that experience that I/we felt and conveys as much as possible what it was like to be there.” One trade-off with the close confines is that a lot of the stage shots are partly obscured by the fans. I don’t think it is a problem but some might find it irritating. The light show is basic but effective as is the staging. The band is on fire with lots of energy being thrown into the enthusiastic crowd. Slash however is as laidback as ever with his guitar doing the talking.

Video

     Video is presented in the original aspect of 1.78:1 and with AVC encoded 1080p. A lot of concert videos are shot in 1080i so this progressive presentation is welcomed. As a result what we see here is free from the artefacts that normally accompany interlaced video (e.g. banding and posterizing). In common with pretty much every concert video we have the usual issues of spotlight glare and backlights washing out the contrast. These are unavoidable and so not a criticism of the presentation itself. Black levels are very good in the dimly lit club, and the colours appear to be true and accurate. Detail is especially noticeable in close-up shots with every wrinkle and drop of sweat on Slash’s weathered face being clearly discernible.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Audio options are the default LPCM 2.0 at 1536 Kb/s and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 at around 2900 Kb/s. As is often the case in concert videos I found the 2.0 track more satisfying and focused although you do miss the crowd ambience that is conveyed in the 5.1 version. Both tracks are however pleasing with a mix that is very good in that voices and instruments are not competing with each other. The overall sound levels are lower than usual on my system and so the amplifier needed to be cranked up for suitable rock levels. The bass was also a lot less prominent than I'd have expected from such a performance with mid and highs frequencies dominating. The intimate surrounds did add to the impact of the audio presentation with concentrated sound that is often lost in stadium concerts. Overall this is a good audio presentation.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

     Looping concert footage and audio.

Booklet

     8 page colour booklet with concert photos, information and credits.

Bonus Tracks (17:55)

     1080p HD Video with LPCM 2.0 at 1536 Kb/s and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 at around 2900 Kb/s audio.

• Stone Blind
• You're Crazy
• Wicked Stone
• 30 Years to Life

    This appears identical to the Region A release.

.

     Slash: Live At The Roxy is a high energy concert from a rock guitar legend. While age has slowed Slash down somewhat his band lift the energy and make this event an experience. I like the close confines of the Roxy Theatre but the stage is often obscured by jumping fans. This places you right in the midst of the action but some might find it annoying. Overall however this concert is highly recommended.

     The video quality is excellent.

    The audio quality is good.

    Extras are good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall