Duff McKagan, fresh off of an extremely successful reunion tour with Guns n’ Roses, is now celebrating a new venture. The Seattle-born, multi-instrumentalist and now solo artist has just kicked off his first tour in support of Tenderness, his stripped-down, soulful and well-crafted first solo album. With the help from Shooter Jennings and his band, McKagan played to a sold-out City Winery in Boston on June 1. McKagan, Jennings and the band brought the rock and the roll with a strong hint of country flair.
Dressed in full-on rock star attire, McKagan saddled up with his vintage Gibson Hummingbird, and went straight for the jugular by opening with GNR’s “You Ain’t the First”, much to the appreciation of his fans in the audience. It wasn’t exactly a campfire sing-along situation, but everyone seemed to know the words and the mostly-seated crowd helped get the party started by joining in as volunteer back-up singers. McKagan, the polished veteran, played the majority of his new album – but smartly sprinkled in deep cuts from his GNR catalog along with personal favorite cover songs by Mad Season, The Clash, and others.
McKagan was personable and engaged with the audience throughout the set. He shared stories from earlier in the day about visiting a hospital and about buying sandwiches for the homeless in the area. Visibly choked up, he spoke of meeting a less than fortunate fan who asked him to play a certain song for him. He also shared his sense of humor and obvious appreciation for those in attendance. He mentioned that he spoke with his wife about how it was, “kind of weird playing in front of a crowd that was sitting down”. He then joked with a fan about, “knowing everything about every band I’ve been in.”
Backed by Shooter Jennings (who produced Tenderness) and his band, McKagan made a bold move and played a song, “written by some friends of mine from Seattle”. Mad Season’s “River of Deceit” absolutely slayed the crowd. It was unexpected and just flat out awesome! Other highlights included Tenderness’ heartbreaking wakeup call “Parkland” and “Chip Away”, the Clash’s “Clampdown”, a rousing version of GNR’s “Dust and Bones” and the GNR barnburner, “Dead Horse” with fiddle player, Aubrey Richmond, handling lead vocals like a thoroughbred.
McKagan and Co.’s slightly countrified set was an absolute delight for one and for all. The audience wore their allegiance to both Duff and to Shooter on their backs. It was hard to tell which artist had more fans wearing their respective T-shirts. Ultimately, it didn’t matter. McKagan’s and Jennings’ comradery was evident from the moment they hit the stage together. The band, as a whole, played seamlessly between the GNR nuggets, the new offerings from Tenderness and the choice covers. It was also a memorable experience to catch an artist in an intimate club setting over his regular appearances at an arena or soccer stadium.
