On New Year's Eve, Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators performed at the House Of Blues in Las Vegas, NV. During their set the band paid tribute to iconic Motörhead vocalist / bassist Ian ‘Lemmy’ Kilmister, who passed away on December 28th at age 70 from an extremely aggressive form of cancer.

With bassist Todd Kerns on vocals, the group covered the all-time classic Motörhead tune, "Ace Of Spades" (fan-filmed video can be seen below). Speaking exclusively to BraveWords scribe Aaron Small, Todd Kerns reflects on that particular performance, and the death of Lemmy:

“Honestly dude, it was really rough. As much as part of you expects this kind of thing; Lemmy was sick and getting older, no matter what you do, you‘re not prepared for it; you’re not prepared for your heroes to go. He was more than a hero to me; he was a guy we knew. I’m careful with venturing into saying a friend; I didn’t talk to Lemmy on a regular basis. But we saw him regularly and he was always great, always really friendly and really cool. I’ve been singing ‘Ace Of Spades’ since the day I heard that song – which is a thousand years ago. But honestly, that day, on New Year’s Eve, Slash said we should play ‘Ace Of Spades’; it seems foolish not to. Slash knows me to be the guy who, when you ask for something left of center, I’m always the one who says, ‘Yep, let’s do it.’ I’m well-prepared in the weirdest things that way. I always make the joke that it’s hard to remember a girlfriend’s birthday, but you still remember the words to ‘Ace Of Spades’ – no problem. It just kind of works that way, I don’t know why?

The last few times we saw Lemmy, we were all pulling for him, thinking if anybody can beat this… and in a lot of ways I suppose he did beat it, cause a normal man who lived like Lemmy would never have lasted half as long. And he was still Lemmy to the end. He was still out there doing his thing. It’s left a giant void in everything; he had that kind of impact. There’s that giant hole in the music industry – as everything changes, if there was one constant, it was Lemmy. He never changed; it was make a record, tour. Make a record, tour. Make a record, tour. It’s a giant lesson to any artist coming up today… do as Lemmy would do – maybe within reason.”   

On Saturday, January 9th, the world will come together and celebrate the life Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

Family and close friends will observe a service at Forest Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Hollywood, commencing at 3 PM, PST and ending at 4:30 PM. With such limited space available on-site, Motörhead respectfully ask that you don’t attend the cemetery… but they want you all to be a part of this, so they are setting up a live feed of the service via the internet on Motörhead’s official YouTube channel.

Says Motörhead: “So wherever you are, PLEASE get together and watch the service with fellow Motörheadbangers and friends. Go to your favourite bar, or your favourite club, make sure they have access to an internet connection and toast along with us. Or simply invite your pals around and celebrate Lemm’s life at home. Whatever your venue, and however you can, let’s be sure to gather globally on Saturday 9th and celebrate the life of our dear friend and irreplaceable icon.”

For anyone wishing to send flowers, please contact Karen Brando at Flowers By Michael - (310) 276-1003, kbrando@flowersbymichael.com.

If you’d like to make a charitable donation under Lemmy’s name, please go to: Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund.

The Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, which was late Motörhead frontman Lemmy's favourite bar, has expanded it’s upcoming tribute event. An update follows:

“Join us Saturday, January 9th as we say goodbye to a dear friend and loved one. We will open our doors at 2 PM. The memorial will be 21 and over only.

“ATTN!!! Due to the overwhelming and supportive response to Lemmy's memorial we are now using the entire Strip to compensate for overflow. The Rainbow will close from 5 until 9 PM for a private service, however the Roxy and Whisky will remain open to accommodate those looking to show their respects during this time.”

Watch the Rainbow's official Facebook page here for updates.