Slash parties at Tattoo Rock Parlour with a troupe of bodyguards

Slash parties at Tattoo Rock Parlour with a troupe of bodyguards

Doesn't he get sick of the hat? (Image: Fraser Abe)

When we heard that Slash, the epic rock icon from Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver was “hosting” (read: sitting in a private booth and drinking) a night at Tattoo Rock Parlour, we jumped on the chance to get a glimpse of the man who gave the world “November Rain.” Rumoured to arrive at midnight, he didn’t show until around 1 a.m. (natch, he’s a rock star) and we were a bit unnerved by the hour of waiting with throngs of kids too young to even remember GN’R, dancing madly to each successive song and delivering louder and louder group “wooos.”

When Slash finally arrived, with a squadron of hulking bodyguards that quickly whisked him to his table, the crowd was at peak craziness (note to teenagers: BlackBerrys and iPhones do not make good cameras) as the DJ introduced him to the strains of, for some reason, “You Shook Me All Night Long.” As much as we would have loved an interview, the terrifyingly large bouncers that flanked him ensured getting close was not a possibility. As we helped a girl with enormous dreadlocks and a broken foot haul herself (and her crutches) above the glass railing to get close to Slash, we decided it was time to split before one of the bruisers took us out back. Who said rock and roll was dead?

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