When Mumbai became ‘Paradise City’

“Cigarettes not allowed Who says It is a rock and roll concert. I shall insert a packet into my socks”. “I wish Slash causes a downpour with November Rain!” “Let’s mix rum and cola and finish it off outside, the alcohol inside is expensive!” — these were just some of the whispers heard during the MTVi Xtreme gig in the Reliance Jio Gardens premises on Saturday.

When Slash played for GNR, drugs and alcohol called the shots. Now, at 50, he drinks mineral water in between songs. But the audience — eager to roll up (and down) memory lane — wanted to relive the era gone by.

While ‘Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators’ caused mayhem, the listeners made a ‘Woodstock’ out of the Bandra Kurla Complex.

The band hit off with You’re a Lie from the album Apocalyptic Love (2012). The sound, though perfectly balanced, could not tame the audience initially. But Guns’ songs did the trick, strategically placed in the setlist — Night Train, You Could Be Mine and more.

Slash’s stage list is known to his fans but the sudden inclusion of Welcome To The Jungle — the old GNR classic — stunned them. While Myles nailed most of the songs to perfection, this song was taken over by Todd Kerns (bassist) who sounded close to Axl Rose.

Amidst the sound and fury, stood the stage security personnel who ensured people within their reach (first two rows) did not remain thirsty, passing out bottled water to each one of them.

Slash unleashed his best in Rocket Queen when he broke into a 10-minute long solo exploring blues, creating a perfect Sunset Strip ambience.

The strings cried, shrieked on an E major blues scale as the maestro showcased the origin of rock music in the blues.

The venue, if aptly quoted from a song by The Who, became a ‘Teenage Wasteland’ towards the end of the magnum opus – shoes in different pairs, torn shirts, colourful shorts and beer glasses strewn on the green turf.

The spectators started whining when the band left the stage after Anastasia and Sweet Child O’ Mine. But it was a rehearsed move.

In the end, Mumbai did become Paradise City.

The enthusiastic Slash said: “I can’t wait to come back, you guys have been fu***ng awesome” and later, tweeted: “Mumbai fu***ng rocked our asses off! Unbelievably passionate and enthusiastic crowd. Truly great first time visit/show!”