Here's the review and story of my trip in the New York state to see 3 concert of Slash's Snakepit. Such an exciting trip!

I found the Northern Lights club easily and i saw that they were working on the stage equipment. Since the band was not there yet, i went to find a hotel near and I came back behind the venue just after that. I waited outside during most of the afternoon, trying to survive to this hot weather... After a while a man came to ask me what I was doing there "I'm waiting for slash, I want to see him" I replied. But this guy told me some bullshit like Slash would not show up until 9 or 10pm and i was wasting my time... I knew it was bullshit and I told him slash should come to do the soundcheck soon and he said "nah nah nah nah! guys like him don't do soundcheck, are you kidding!" (The funny thing is that slash showed up for the soundcheck 5 minutes after this lying moron told me that!). This guy asked me to leave but I didn't.

As soon as he left another fan from Boston arrived and we started talking, then 2 other guys from the area joined us. One of them had a guitar to get signed (I had one too). While we were talking, a huge blue bus appeared behind us! "That was it! It was Slash!" We had to move our cars away to let the bus park there and we waited near the bus with all our stuff to get signed (albums, guitars, ...). Some of the band members came out then Slash quickly came out too!!! WE WERE WITH SLASH!! And let me tell you that he was just wonderful with us.

As soon as he came out we started talking to him and he signed many autographs for the 4 of us. That was just so cool, no security guys, no bodyguards, just Slash, me and 3 other fans, we talked for like 15-20 minutes, took pictures with him, he signed my guitar and another guy's guitar and he took the time to draw this awesome skull on it for both of us. He talked about their equipment being lost somewhere and that they would use rented equipment for the show. Some guy talked about the sweet child intro and Slash told us how he came up with that and sang it, that was funny and so cool. Slash was really excited about that show and he told us it would be an awesome show (and he was damn right!). After that he left for the soundcheck (I remember them playing Serial Killer, we could hear easily). So Slash signed my SG guitar, my GNR LIES uncensored album and I took some picture of him, including one with just me and him.

After that exciting moment, we talked a little and we left to eat a little before the show. I came back aroud 7h00pm and I returned behind the venue to maybe see Slash again but I didn't. At 7h30pm I went at the door because there was aleady many people there and I wanted a good spot near the stage! They didn't open the doors until 9pm or so and when they did, I immediatly went near the stage and i ended up in the 2nd row! I met someone I knew from the internet there and a guy from Montreal too there.

The opening band for Slash that night was pretty good. They were just 3 guys but they were probably weighting over 1000 lbs together! 3 huge fat guys who looked like some mean Hell's Angels! But they were rock n' roll and their music was pretty good. Their set wasn't too long so everything was cool

Then, after maybe 20-30 minutes, it was the time for THE MAN to go on stage! It was so hot inside, probably 110 degrees and 100% humidity! But the band didn't care and they played an incredibly intense show and the temperature just kept raising for everybody.

I was right near the stage I could have touched Slash's guitar many times! Rod Jackson shook my hand a few times during the show too. The audience was the most enthusiastic crowd I've ever seen! Especially at the begining of the show people were crazy and Slash looked just like he was thinking "whoa did you see those nuts people here!" and he was always smiling and laughing and having a great time. He played all the show with guitars and amplifier that were not to him but that still sounded great. I had a chance to take a look at the setlist and they didn't play the songs that require special guitars like the BC rich for example (Yes, that famous "you could be mine" guitar!). After 2 songs the band was totally soaked with sweat, it was soooooo hot! The show ended after 1¼ hour approximatly with a powerful Mr. Brownstone that made everybody go crazy. We thought they would do another encore after this but due to their lost equipment and the brutal temperature, that was the end of the show. They did come back to sign autographs though and I am so sorry because I missed that! I left too early for that but since i met him before the show, i'm very lucky so it's not that bad. My friend Michelle stayed though and you'll see what cool thing happened to her when she talked to slash if you go on her site (check the link section, it's one of the first sites). Rod Jackson dived in the crowd a few times and Slash made a funny face to me when i was trying to take a picture of him (Unfortunatly i didn't catch that moment, i was too slow!). Slash looked very good and healthy. He had the typical Slash look: top hat, big hear, cigarette, les paul, leather pants...

So I left this place totally wet and exhausted but very happy and satisfied.

After a short night of sleep I left Clifton Park for Syracuse. I arrived there around noon, and as soon as I was there i went to the night club to get my ticket for the show and I have to tell you that this "Lost Horizon" club looks terrible! I thought I was in the bronx! It's a little better inside though. It was raining so much that day, I didn't hang out around the venue in the afternoon. But i showed up around 7h00pm and i waited in my car before they opened the doors. The cool thing is that i was parked righ in front of the tour bus across the street so I could hear them doing the soundcheck and I could see the band members walking in and out of the bus. At some point I saw Slash and I just honked him and waved at him, he did the same for me. He was wearing a nice black cowboy hat. Then a few minutes later he came out of the bus to jump in a little caravan with some band members, but they didn't leave immediatly. It was raining but it was not too bad so I jumped out of my car and i went near his caravan and said hi again. His window was down and he was really cool again. I asked him if he would sign my Top Hat and he said "sure" and he thought it was pretty cool. He signed it and then we talked a little. I told him that the first show was awesome and he said that this next one would be better! He said they had their own equipment this time and he looked pretty happy about that. I also asked him about the heat and if it was hard for them to play and he said "yeah, we thought we would die on the stage!!" I didn't want to bother him any longer so I just said a big thanks again, I shook his hand and I returned in my car, he left 1-2 minutes later. (I dont know where they went).

After a while they opened the doors finally. This place was scary, when we got in the club they did a big search on everybody to see if we didn't have any weapon and stuff.. they looked into all my pockets and touched my legs and stuff! Anyway then I could see the stage when i was in and it was a nice place for a show. Since there was many people on the floor in the first rows, i just decided to go right in front of slash's side of the stage but behind the little floor (that was like 25 feets from the stage maybe, very close and it was elevated to i had nobody in front of me!).

The opening band came out kinda late and let me tell you that they SUCKED! they were HORRIBLE! Some kind of gay looking guys playing some lame imitation of shitty noise like Korn or Limp Bizkit, Just some idiot yelling and babbling over some repetitive lame music, very loud too, it sucked so bad! And the 2 singers couldn't stop saying "slash's snakepit" here and there because that was the only words that could wake up the crowd! So they pronounced "slash's snakepit" maybe 40 times! Also they played too long! They were lame and they seemed to want some crowd violence. Of course 4-5 idiots did become violent. (and the bad thing is that they kept doing it during Slash's show so i'm glad i was not on that floor because I would have end up hitting one of them and being thrown out!). Anyway, after that Slash finally went on stage around 10h30pm and it was the loudest show i've ever seen! They opened with "it's so easy" like the night before and they played for 2 hours! Here's the extra songs they did for the first time of the tour: Ain't Life Grand, The Truth, The Alien, Beggars & Hanger's on and Speed Parade. And they played one of the best Mr. Brownstone i've ever heard, I couldn't believe it. Once again they signed autographs where they were selling shirt 30 minutes after the show. Once again I didn't stay because I met slash again before the show and I had to leave very early the next morning and it was near 1am already. At this show i bought a tour book and a wonderful long sleeve shirt of Snakepit.

So Sunday morning i got up early and I left for Buffalo. Buffalo was an outdoor show, free! The weather was perfect so it was great. I finally arrived near the huge stage around noon. I met my friend Nathan from pittsburgh there and we saw them getting the stuff ready for the show on the stage (drums, guitars...). Then we thought they would maybe do a soundcheck!!!! Then we saw Rod Jackson and Johnny "Blackout" Griparic near the stage and we went to talk with them. They told us they would do a soundcheck so it was getting exciting! Other fans joined us and they signed autographs. After a long wait they were ready to do the soundcheck. We knew the guys would do it but we were not sure about Slash, but when we saw him jump on stage it was awesome! It was still very early (many hours before the show) so we were not so many fans there but we yelled loud for Slash especially during the crazy guitar solo and he thanked us. They played Life Sweet Drug and it was incredible! I took many superb photos of slash since i was front row.

After that the band left and that was the begining of a long long long lonnnnnnnnnng wait! Since it was a guitar festival, we saw many blues guitarists and bands playing, all were very talented but after 3-4 hours, we had enough and we wanted slash!

Finally aroud 6h30pm Slash's Snakepit came on stage and at this time, the crowd became very huge! I don't know exactly but we were many thousands of people there enjoying one of the coolest shows i've ever seen!

The songs they played were pretty much the same than the night before (it was a full 2 hour set!) and the crowd had a great time. You could feel the excitement on the band members' faces to play in front of that big happy crowd. Slash had a great time and he talked to the crowd a few times. Once again, Mr. Brownstone received the biggest crowd reaction. There was all kind of people in the crowd, kids, teens, parents, everybody having a great time with Slash's Snakepit.

One thing that struck me in Buffalo was to see many HUGE fans of Slash from everywhere! Some guys with Snakepit tattoos, some guy with a Top Hat exactly like Slash's, Many people with GNR and Slash shirts, some of the biggest fans were at this show, including me! I also saw many fans with their guitar, hoping to get slash's autograph on it (they probably got it). I took many great pictures during that concert and also during the first one in Clifton Park. I couldn't bring anything in Syracuse, the security was extreme.

After the last show in Buffalo, I spent the night in Niagara Falls and I came back here Monday June 18th (9 hours drive!). Of course I'm still on a cloud and I can't stop thinking about all those incredible shows and moments and I wonder how i will be able to wait until the next show... But if you can see Slash's Snakepit, you're so lucky because they're unbelievable. You have to see it to believe it. To use the words of Slash in Philadelphia 10 years ago "I knew it would rock but I never knew it would rock THAT MUCH!". Here's the setlists for the shows from what I remember. I'm not 100% sure of the order of the songs. Many many great pictures coming soon!

Slash's Snakepit live in Clifton Park (Northern Lights), NY, 6.15.2001:
It's So Easy
Been There Lately
Just Like Anything
Shine
Mean Bone
Serial Killer
Back to the Moment
Life's Sweet Drug
Landslide
Speed Parade
Mr. Brownstone

Slash's Snakepit live in Syracuse (Lost Horizon), NY, 6.16.2001:
It's So Easy
Been There Lately
Just Like Anything
Shine
Mean Bone
Serial Killer
Life's Sweet Drug
Back to the Moment
The Truth
The Alien
Landslide
Ain't Life Grand
Mr. Brownstone (incredible!)
Beggars & Hangers-on
Speed Parade

Slash's Snakepit live in Buffalo (Erie Basin Marina), NY, 6.17.2001:
Life's Sweet Drug
Been There Lately
Just Like Anything
Shine
Mean Bone
Serial Killer
It's So Easy
Back to the Moment
The Truth
Landslide
Ain't Life Grand
Mr. Brownstone
Beggars & Hangers-on
Speed Parade

"The Snakepit record's not like what everybody else is doing, I don't know what the fuck everybody else is doing anymore -- it all sounds like shit to me. But as far as rock & roll music is concerned, it kicks ass."
-Slash, 1999

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