Myles Kennedy // Cardinal Black // The Art Of Letting Go Tour // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast

Myles Kennedy // Cardinal Black // The Art Of Letting Go Tour // Live Review // The Limelight // Belfast

We are back in my home city of Belfast, Norn Iron, with the one, the only Mr. Myles Kennedy. One of the finest voices in modern-day rock, Myles is no stranger to The Limelight sharing stages with Mark Tremonti in Alter Bridge and Slash to name but a few. He stepped out of the comfort zone of his start studded bands and released three solo albums over the last few years with Year of the Tiger (2018), The Ides Of March (2021) and now The Art Of Letting Go (2024), the latter being one of my personal favourite albums of this year, Now Myles is back in Belfast once again as the EU/UK leg of the tour wraps up and no doubt there will be a party atmosphere in Belfast this evening.

But first I have to navigate the bloody storm that’s hitting these shores! Get my beautiful ass from the sticks into the big smoke and down to The Limelight for said par-tay! After a quick sprint down the motorway and due to the weather warnings the roads are relatively clear and I’m here safe and sound!

Cardinal Black have already taken to the stage 15 minutes ahead of the advertised times #notawesome but I can work with that, the guys were actually in Belfast last month on their ‘Welcome To The Valencia Tour’ playing The Empire Music Hall and I treated myself to some tickets to catch the guys and chill, so I know what this band is all about live, sheer quality. They have the most beautiful melodic sound, and the fusion between vocalist and frontman Tom Hollister and the rest of the band is gloriously subtle, yet so immensely effective! Chris Buck has become a legend in his own right on the guitar and just adds layer of “Je ne sais quoi” to the whole thing that just pushes it all over the edge. It’s just a majestic live performance by all involved, the Hammond organs, the drum and bass work are all sublime, one of the UK’s finest bands right here playing to a sold-out crowd ahead of a show by the unbelievable Myles Kennedy, what a lineup! As expected their performance is flawless, the Belfast crowd is lost in a sonic soundscape that only a band the likes of Cardinal Black creates, less in your face and more a warm comfort blanket on a cold winters night. The set flys by but we get the message loud and clear, Cardinal Black are a force to be reckoned with, DIY they’re making their mark on the British music scene and beyond on their own terms, rightly so. The great news is that Tom lets it slip that they have a gig booked for this very venue next year, so we have that to look forward to! As they exit the stage the appreciation thrown out by the Belfast crows tells you all you need to know, after a few visits to the city this place is no like a home from home and they will be back anytime they want.

https://www.thecardinalblack.com/tourdates

https://www.thecardinalblack.com

Photography: Mark McGrogan

@flashartmark #flashartmark

Now for the reason we’re all here.

This show has been pencilled in the diary for most of the year since it was announced, the levels of little girl excitement building day by day as we get closer, the don’t be travelling if you don’t have to warnings on the TV have been ignored tenfold by the packed out crowd in The room, nobody was going to miss this one! And so it is, Cardinal Black played a blinder, Belfast for the chance to fall in love with them all over again and now the stage is being cleared for Myles Kennedy and the gang. Let’s do this!

8:45 Myles and his band hit the stage, his guitar tech waiting patiently to hand over his new signature PRS as they get stuck right in!

Belfast is up for it, it’s been a while since we had Myles’ company and nothing was going to deter his hardcore fans from coming out this evening and giving the guys a send-off before they get their asses home to the States for some well-deserved rnr before the US leg of the tour kicks off in earnest.

There may only be three of them up there on stage but the sound is huge, the array of pedals in front of both Myles and his bassist which looks more like a church organ with various pedals pumping out gargantuan chords the sound is massive, Myles unique vocals cutting through the mid soaring like an eagle, you just get lost in this majestic musical tapestry weaving in front of our eyes. We get to see the other side of Myles as a solo guitar player working his magic with multi-layered effects and volume swells using them to great effect, laying down killer solos one after another, it would be easy to take him for granted as merely a vocalist but his solo recording have shined a light on his way beyond his already exceptional achievements with his other bands. Tonight though we simply cannot ignore the all-around musician he is, a leg-end in his own right! We get an extended solo too and the Belfast crowd are totally engrossed, we’re loving this solo version of Mr. Kennedy! Myles treats us to an extended version of ‘Behind The Veil’ with a glorious drawn-out guitar solo, the band chilled and vibing as Myles just gets lost in the song, The Belfast audience is engrossed in this sonic explosion as it unfolds before their very eyes.

With three albums under Myles’ belt now there is no shortage of material for him to choose from and we are treated to tracks from his latest offering right back to his solo debut ‘Year Of The Tiger’ with its self-titled track which kicked off this solo journey for Myles. You can see the progression in his music which gave birth to more of an acoustic vibe, and storytelling and softer to the all-out rockers that now fill ‘The Art Of Letting Go’, we get it all and everything in between tonight and love every second of it. These are the kind of gigs that you do not want to end, but alas all good things sadly do come to an end, the last few notes of ‘Say What You Will’ ring out and the lights come on as the band takes their bows, Belfast erupts with applause and the room is packed with delirious fans smiling from ear to ear. Loved ones enjoying the early Christmas cheer, friends slapping each other on the back congratulating each other like they played the gig themselves, well they kind of did ‘Air Guitars’ n’ all, but the craic was great, the music was even better. Now its time to get our asses home before the eye of the storm lands in the city and shizzle gets real!

Thanks again Myles for the pitstop in our wee home city, you’ll always be welcome, till next time.

Check out our review of ‘The Art Of Letting Go’

Myles Kennedy – The Art Of Letting Go – Out Now exclusive copies 👉🏻 https://lnk.to/MK-TheArtOfLettingGo

Photography: Mark McGrogan

@flashartmark #flashartmark

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