Whether or not you’re a fan of Gun N’ Roses (GN’R), or even rock, chances are you’ve heard of Slash. And while GN’R’s future was murky after its breakup in the late 90’s, the iconic guitarist continued to find success again and again with supergroups like Slash’s Snakepit and the Scott Weiland helmed Velvet Revolver, and later with his 2010 self-titled solo work. But among the all-star group of legendary vocalists on Slash, including Ozzy Osbourne, Chris Cornell, and Iggy Pop to name a few, there was one in particular who stood out: Myles Kennedy.

As the only singer contributing multiple tracks (“Back from Cali” and “Starlight”), the album almost read as an audition for Slash’s new venture, and Kennedy got the nod. After the announcement that that Kennedy would be the lead vocalist on Slash’s first solo tour, it became apparent that the two were more than just one-time collaborators. With a voice capable of both subbing in for Axl Rose on GN’R songs and venturing into new vocal territories, Kennedy was quickly embraced by Slash, and the two paired up to to release the first album under the name “Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators” (SMKC) in 2012, titled Apocalyptic Love. Yet despite the unexpected reunion of GN’R in 2015, SMKC continues to thrive with no plans of stopping, having released their third album, Living the Dream, this September.

Now nearly a month into the “Living the Dream” Tour, SMKC walked on stage at the House of Blues last Thursday night at 8:55pm sharp to a thunderous round of applause from the crowd. Starting off with “Call of the Wild” from the new album, the night’s setlist spanned across the band’s entire discography and a selection of Slash’s other work, as well as a few covers. After an already top-heavy set including “Halo,” “Back to Cali,” and an emotional performance of Velvet Revolver’s “Fall to Pieces,” Kennedy passed the microphone to bassist Todd Kerns. Singing lead on Iggy Pop’s “We’re All Gonna Die” and Lemmy Kilmister’s “Dr. Alibi,” Kerns was able to give Kennedy a break, while taking advantage of his rougher and heavier voice to embrace the more punk sounds of the two legendary vocalists.

Jumping back on the mic for “Wicked Stone,” Kennedy wasted no time reclaiming the stage. After blowing through “Mind Your Manners,” the singer prefaced the next song, “Driving Rain,” as the new one with music video showing the band as muppets, prompting Slash to speak for the first time as he quietly joked off-mic to Kennedy. Next up was “Rocket Queen,” the only GN’R song all night, but the band made it count. After belting out Axl’s iconic vocals, Kennedy left the stage once again, this time seceding to Slash, who took center stage for an extraordinary 10 minute solo.

Having fed the crowd their fill of covers, “Rocket Queen” marked the final non-SMKC song of the night. Despite the deep pool of chart-topping material to pull from between just Velvet Revolver and GN’R (not to mention Kennedy’s Alter Bridge), the band chose to stick with original material for the final five songs, as well as the encore. And while some fans may have been disappointed, wanting to hear “Sweet Child O’ Mine” or “Paradise City,” there were more than enough great SMKC songs left to end the night strong. Walking off to the one-two-punch of “By the Sword” and “World on Fire,” the band returned minutes later for a two song encore starting with “Shadow Life,” then followed by “Anastasia.” And as soon as Slash played the opening notes of “Anastasia,” he was met with a roar of approval from the crowd, proving the band could stand on their own and continue to deliver great new rock music.

See below for photos from the show.