Slash and his famous friends are set to celebrate the blues this summer at the upcoming S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival, hosted by the Guns N’ Roses guitarist. The festival lineup includes various artists such as the Warren Haynes Band, Keb’ Mo, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Robert Randolph, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, ZZ Ward, Jackie Venson, and Larkin Poe, depending on the night. Slash, who recently announced a new album, will be headlining the tour which kicks off in Montana in July to raise money for fighting racism and supporting civil rights.
The acronym S.E.R.P.E.N.T. stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality, and Tolerance. Tickets for the tour go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. The goal of the tour is to promote unity and togetherness during these uncertain times, with a portion of every ticket and VIP package sold going towards supporting communities affected by racism and supporting children affected by war and poverty worldwide.
Slash is partnering with various charities for the tour, including the Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, the Greenlining Institute, and War Child. Plus1, an organization that connects artists with social justice initiatives, will help in donating a portion of sales to these causes. The tour will feature Slash’s band, including bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome, and singer-guitarist Tash Neal.
Slash’s upcoming album, “Orgy of the Damned,” features performances by Iggy Pop, Chris Stapleton, Demi Lovato, Paul Rodgers, and other artists. The first single, a cover of Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor,” features AC/DC’s Brian Johnson and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler.
“I just think that this album is coming from a different place than usual,” Slash told Rolling Stone in an interview regarding his new album. “Looking back on it, there was definitely a laidback, spontaneous approach to what I was doing. There was definitely a difference-making this record compared to some of the other stuff that I’ve done.”
S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour dates:
The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour includes various dates across different cities with different lineups each night. Artists like Warren Haynes Band, Samantha Fish, Eric Gales, Keb’ Mo, Robert Randolph, and many others will be performing on select dates throughout the tour.