Slash and some of his famous friends will celebrate the blues this summer on the Guns N’ Roses guitarist’s upcoming touring S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival. In addition to Slash, who recently announced a new album, the lineup will variously include 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.
The tour, which kicks off in Montana in July, will help raise money to fight racism and fight for civil rights. The titular acronym stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality, N’ Tolerance. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. local time. Full details are on the tour’s website.
“The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour is a celebration of blues and rock & roll music, and a celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times,” Slash said in a statement. “S.E.R.P.E.N.T is a vehicle to help support and uplift people and communities suffering from the injustices of racism and equal rights violations, as well as to support children adversely affected by war and poverty across the world. So we are contributing a portion of every ticket and VIP package sold from the tour to those ends. S.E.R.P.E.N.T. will also provide an environment where folks can get together for a day of great music and hang out and have a good time.”
The charities Slash is working with for the tour include the Equal Justice Initiative, which focuses on criminal justice reform, Know Your Rights Camp, which provides “education, self-empowerment, [and] mass-mobilization” resources to Black and Brown people; the Greenlining Institute, which provides support to communities of color, and War Child, which helps children affected by war. He will donate a portion of sales to them with help from the Plus1 organization, which connects artists to social justice initiatives.
Slash’s band on the tour is the same with which he recorded his upcoming Orgy of the Damned album: bassist Johnny Griparic, keyboardist Teddy “ZigZag” Andreadis, drummer Michael Jerome, and singer-guitarist Tash Neal. The album features them supporting performances by Iggy Pop, Chris Stapleton, Demi Lovato, Paul Rodgers, Chris Robinson, Billy Gibbons, and Gary Clark Jr., among others. 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. “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:
July 5 – Bonner, MT @ KettleHouse Amphitheater *
July 6 – Airway Heights, WA @ Norther Quest Amphitheater *
July 8 – Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Park *
July 10 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater *
July 12 – Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino *
July 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *
July 14 – Tucson, AZ @ Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre *
July 17 – Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom **
July 19 – La Vista, NE @ The Astro Amphitheatre ***
July 21 – Terre Haute, IN @ The Mill ***
July 22 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavillion at Riverbend ***
July 24 – Interlochen, MI @ Interlochen Center for the Arts ***
July 25 – Huber Heights, OH @ Rose Music Center ****
July 27 – Windsor, ON @ The Colosseum at Caesars ****
July 28 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage ****
July 30 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark Outdoor Amphitheater ****
Aug. 1 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion ****
Aug. 4 – New York, NY @ Pier 17 ****
Aug. 5 – Bethlehem, PA @ Musikfest *****
Aug. 7 – Cary, NC @ Koka Booth Amphitheater +
Aug. 8 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre-Chastain Park *****
Aug. 10 – Clearwater, FL @ The Sound-Coachman Park *****
Aug. 11 – Saint Augustine, FL @ Saint Augustine Amphitheatre ******
Aug. 13 – Huntsville, AL @ The Orion Amphitheater ******
Aug. 14 – Franklin, TN @ FirstBank Amphitheatre ******
Aug. 16 – Bentonville, AR @ The Momentary *******
Aug. 17 – Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust CU Theatre *******
* Warren Haynes Band, Samantha Fish, and Eric Gales
** Keb’ ‘Mo, Samantha Fish, and Jackie Venson
*** Keb’ ‘Mo, ZZ Ward, and Jackie Venson
**** Keb’ ‘Mo, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
***** ZZ Ward and Robert Randolph
****** Larkin Poe, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
******* Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, ZZ Ward, and Robert Randolph
