Myles Kennedy Brings His Ides Of March Tour To The Floridian Social Club

 September 9,2021 (St. Petersburg, FL)

 

When Myles Kennedy the incredible voice of Alter Bridge, as well as Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators released his latest solo effort The Ides Of March, thoughts immediately went to would there be a tour. Would the pandemic stop things? Would an Alter Bridge tour or recording session hold things up? Well, to everyone’s glee Myles has put together a seventeen stop tour. Coming along to get the crowd going would be Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown.

Kicking off this new tour, Myles and company came to beautiful St. Petersburg and were the first major performance at The Floridian Social Club. Formerly known as the State Theater, new ownership of this club had come in and closed down this venerable concert hotspot and did a full restoration.  Now in its full glory it was ready for Myles and all his ardent fans. This was surly a great choice of venues to kick this tour off as the size and atmosphere truly helped to define the atmosphere of the show; a truly Intimate, relaxed and joyous affair.

Getting the chance to warm things up on the tour is Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown. Well, not actually the whole band, just Tyler Bryant and fellow guitarist Graham Whitford. As Myles solo material tends towards the blues, this was an ideal choice to get the night started. With Tyler playing a kick drum while switching between acoustic and electric guitars and Graham playing his electric guitar, they filled the venue with their raucous and wildly entertaining music. It didn’t matter if he was playing a quiet acoustic number or slide drenched electric solo it is obvious that Tyler Bryant is as gifted a guitarist as anyone out there today, and the love that the audience showed at the end of their set can attest to that.

Now it was time for Myles Kennedy the man everyone had been waiting to see take stage. As he and his band mates bassist Tim Tournier and drummer Zia Uddin walked out on stage you just had a feeling that tonight was going to be special. The relaxed and clearly joyful look On Myles face was very much indicative that there was no other place he wanted to be more than on stage sharing his talent with everyone. He kicked the show off with “Wake Me When Its Over” from his latest album Ides Of March. Myles is just barely minutes into the song, and the air was soaked with his incredible guitar work, and you knew he was going to take things to a completely otherworldly level. With this being his first real tour since the pandemic began, when he sings the lyrics “You can wake me when it’s over
When the nightmare finally ends” it seems to hit home that indeed the nightmare is over, and we can all enjoy live music together.

Whether he was playing new material like “A Thousand Words” or “Haunted By Design”, there was this under current of sheer happiness that he brought to each song. It goes without saying that this may be the best that Myles has ever sounded. While he has incredible solo material that allows him to relax and show a truly authentic part of himself, He has risen to fame with Alter Bridge. He took a moment to tell everyone that one of his favorite songs of Alter Bridge is “It All Ends Well” as it is an expression his mother used to say to him. With that he launched into a beautiful rendition of it. As he is also the voice for Slash’s solo projects, it’s only fitting that he features one of those songs as well and what a choice “World On Fire” was. While Slash may be a world-renowned guitarist, Myles Kennedy is no slouch either and if Slash was there, he would be nodding his head in approval. One song that is quickly becoming a Myles Kennedy staple is the classic Iron Maiden hit song “The Trooper”. With his stripped down and bluesy style, he puts his own spin on it and makes the song his own. While this may be a dark song about war, with everyone singing along to this epic number it really helped to highlight the rollicking good time everyone in the building was having.

While the night had to eventually end, there was time for a two-song encore. The first being the title track from his latest album “The Ides Of March”.  As with every song he played, it sounded so much better than what’s recorded.  The final song of the night was “Worried Mind”.  Just like the previous song, he brought so much more to it live. With a touch of grit, passion, brilliance and inspired guitar work he delivered a jaw dropping performance that made you wish that this night would go on forever.

Whether you have seen Myles Kennedy with Alter Bridge, Slash, or even his earlier bands like the Mayfield Four you know that he is a supremely gifted singer and guitarist. But getting to see him perform his own material is truly an experience and tonight’s show was just that, an incredible experience.  He is able to stretch out musically and reveal a part of himself that needs to get out for all to see and hear. At this point in his career, he has nothing left to prove, so now he can just play and enjoy every moment that he is on stage. Which is exactly what you will do when you see him live.

 

 

 

 

 

The Floridian Social Club:

Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown:

Myles Kennedy: