Myles Kennedy @ London Palladium (London, UK) on July 29, 2018 [Show Review]

For the second time this year, Alter Bridge front man Myles Kennedy returned to London with his Year of the Tiger tour. This time, though, rather than going solo like he did for the show on March 26th, he was supported by a full band to enhance the experience.

For anyone who’s ever been to the London Palladium, they know that this place is way more up market than your average rock venue. In fact, I remember coming here as a child and felt like I was in a palace! When Kennedy played at the Islington Assembly Hall in March, I felt that place was classy, but the Palladium was on a whole other level. The very first thing that made this stand out against 90% of rock gigs was the whole venue was seated. Yes, you heard that right, seated! Although this felt a little out of sorts for a rock band, it actually suited Kennedy’s music, and the best part was that incredibly tall guy that follows you to every show just to stand directly in front, was unable to invade anybody’s personal space.

Kicking off the show was a quick succession of “Devil on the Wall”, “The Great Beyond” and “Ghost of Shangri La”, before taking a bit of a breather to introduce his band for the evening and comment humorously, “What a classy joint this place is, why did they let us morons in here?” At this point he went solo for “Haunted by Design” and encouraged the audience to get up out of their seats and boogie. Let’s face it, it was starting to feel a little too civilised at this point.

Of course, Kennedy didn’t just stick to tunes from Year of the Tiger. We were also treated to a couple of Slash tunes (“Standing in the Sun” and “World on Fire”) and well as a few Alter Bridge tracks thrown in. At this point, the wicked humour of earlier came back – after removing his shirt to a cheer from the audience, Kennedy quipped, “It’s not something you want to see naked,” followed by a louder, more feminine cheer. The perfect opportunity to break out the big guns with “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden. As if this weren’t enough, Kennedy was then joined on stage by his old bandmate from The Mayfield Four, Zia Uddin, to perform “White Flag”.

This show truly was an experience; for one sweet night London was treated to one of the most sophisticated rock shows ever. Perhaps I’m settling into an older age now, but I found the more relaxed environment of a seated venue like the Palladium a breath of fresh air.

Check out the lyric video for the single “Devil On The Wall” here.

Myles Kennedy’s Setlist:

01. Devil on the Wall
02. The Great Beyond
03. Ghost of Shangri La
04. Haunted by Design
05. Standing in the Sun (Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators cover)
06. Addicted to Pain (Alter Bridge song)
07. Turning Stones
08. Nothing But a Name
09. The Trooper (Iron Maiden cover)
10. White Flag (The Mayfield Four song)
11. Songbird
12. Watch Over You (Alter Bridge song)
13. Travelling Riverside Blues (Robert Johnson cover)
14. World on Fire (Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators cover)
15. Year of the Tiger
Encore:
16. All Ends Well (Alter Bridge song)
17. Love Can Only Heal