Photos | Review: Baltimore Kicks Back, Lets Go with Myles Kennedy

Myles Kennedy (foreground) and Tim Tournier (background) play Baltimore Soundstage in Baltimore, MD, during “The Art of Letting Go” Tour on Thursday, January 30th.

Who: The Art of Letting Go Tour: Myles Kennedy; Tim Montana; Sons of Silver

Where: Baltimore Soundstage, Baltimore, MD

When: January 30, 2025

If there’s one thing to know about Myles Kennedy, it’s that he’s a perfectionist. With all of the bands he’s played in, the collection of guitar gear he’s amassed, and the catalog of songs he’s written, he will do whatever it takes to make sure he’s proud of the performance he gives on the road.

Keeping that in mind, there’s also a second thing to know about Kennedy: as soon as there’s a break between songs, the perfectionism is replaced by… literally anything else! The hard rock singer-songwriter’s mind is an enigma. Both beautiful melodies — and the need to mention how he has to make a conscious effort to check that he zipped up his pants prior to taking the stage — took up residence at the front of Baltimore Soundstage.

Luckily, the packed crowd inside that Charm City venue was more than willing to ride the wave of the moment with Kennedy and Co., including his openers Tim Montana and Sons of Silver!

Sons of Silver

First up, the five Sons of Silver from Los Angeles got the night going! Immediately, the quintet’s West Coast variety of alt-rock, like in the upbeat “Tell Me This,” got heads nodding in time.

Peter Argyropoulos (lead singer, rhythm guitarist) gave artful delivery to the lyrics, as Kevin Haaland (lead guitarist) shaped a harder edge to their set with every guitar solo. Balancing the heavier tones, keyboardist Brina Kabler lended poppy synth tones, accenting the groove laid down by Adam Kury (bassist) and Marc Slutsky (drummer).

Tim Montana

As quickly as Sons of Silver’s set pleasantly flew by, four mountain men suddenly appeared! In a flash, Tim Montana and his band transported the Baltimore audience to the state of the frontman’s namesake.

With gravely belts, Montana sang his “Savage” heart out on the title track to his 2024 album. Likewise, lead guitarist Tom Samulak matched his energy with pulverizing distortion and brutal solos! Supporting the gritty riffs, the rhythm section of drummer Kyle Law and bassist Jackson Moody kept the heavy beat fun and ferocious.

While most inside the Baltimore Soundstage may have picked up upon Montana‘s ZZ Top spiritual successorship just from hearing his original music (and seeing his wild, lengthy beard), he confirmed it with a story later in his set. Before launching into a country-tinged cover of Tupac’s “California Love,” Montana recalled when Billy Gibbons himself suggested for the two of them to cover the song together. Without question, there wasn’t a genre of music Montana and his band of backwoods brothers couldn’t tackle with ease.

Myles Kennedy: Letting Go

Geographically, Myles Kennedy’s hometown of Spokane, Washington makes for a perfect fit of his sound between the soundscapes of his two distant openers. Spokane is on the West Coast, but it‘s also in the Northern Rockies. Fittingly, Kennedy’s setlist started in that sweet spot between polished and rough with the title track of his latest album and the current tour!

After finishing “The Art of Letting Go,” as well pairing the headbopper “Nothing More to Gain” with the bluesy sing-a-long “Devil on the Wall,” this is when the REAL Myles Kennedy greeted the crowd. With no warning, Kennedy confessed to a green room ritual that his wife, Selena, would probably prefer her husband to keep to himself.

“Sometimes, when Selena’s on the road with me, she says to me before I go on-stage, ‘Let’s check to make sure the bats are in the cave*,’” said the world-renowned singer and guitarist.

*We here at Concert Crap regret to inform you the reference Kennedy made here was not to blowing his nose, as Urban Dictionary mostly agrees is the definition to that phrase. Instead, he was referring to the zipper of his pants. Do with that what you will.

Myles Kennedy: The Art

Thankfully, for the rest of the night, the game of roulette that Kennedy’s intrusive thoughts played in his mind seemed to only present itself in forgotten song lyrics during the solo acoustic section in the halfway point of the set. Without drummer Zia Uddin and bassist Tim Tournier by his side, his impulse to change songs was unchecked.

As soon as Kennedy approached a cringe-inducing lyric at the end of the first chorus of “Mars Hotel” by the Mayfield Four (where he remarked “Clearly, at the time I was writing this, I was having some girl problems“), he mentally cycled through songs in a similar tuning and landed upon a live rarity: Alter Bridge’s “Lover!”

This seasoned rock vet makes no shame of using lyric sheets tailored ahead of time to the written setlist, but, of course, no lyrics for “Lover” were in sight. Nevertheless, Kennedy made it through most of the song beautifully, choosing to abridge the song gracefully to lead into a well-prepared finale of the mini-acoustic set, “All Ends Well.”

Chatting with the crowd as his bandmates returned to the stage, Kennedy thanked everyone for being on-board with his shenanigans: “It’s OK if ya forget lyrics because we’re just hanging out! It’s about being present in the moment, in the fellowship of music.”

Baltimore clearly agreed, as the audience even shocked Kennedy with their flawless delivery in every call and response! The night ended after 17 songs, but the fellowship of music that lies between perfectionism and improvisation will live on, within The Art of Letting Go.

Follow Myles Kennedy on social media and music streaming platforms:

Website l Facebook l Twitter/X l Instagram

YouTube l Spotify l Apple Music l Bandcamp

Follow Tim Montana:

Website l Facebook l Twitter/X l Instagram

YouTube l Spotify l Apple Music

Follow Sons of Silver:

Website l Facebook l Twitter/X l Instagram

YouTube l Spotify l Apple Music

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Post by Elizabeth Owens

Will you see Myles Kennedy perform with Tim Montana and Sons of Silver this month? Comment below!