Renowned Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash recently put together his passion project to celebrate the spirit of the Blues. He released an album of classic blues remakes called Orgy of the Damned on May 17th. His S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival tour stopped at The Greek Theatre on July 13, 2024, with some of his all-star blues and rock star musician friends in tow. Eric Gales, Samantha Fish, and the Warren Haynes Band stirred up an enthusiastic crowd with excellent sets before Slash closed the show by playing several of the new album’s tracks with help from a few unannounced but crowd-pleasing guests.
While the stacked lineup was a pleasure to see at the historic outdoor venue on a beautiful Summer night, there was a downside. Since the venue is in a residential neighborhood, the curfew forced disappointingly short sets by the openers. Gales and Fish barely got warmed up before they had to vacate the stage after less than thirty minutes each. Gales made the most of his brief show, blazing through a few of his high-intensity, uptempo tracks. He told the audience, “It is a dream come true to play the Greek in LA with such great artists.” His “Put That Back” was sandwiched between two intense instrumentals. Before launching into a medley of covers, Gales said, “I just wanna soak this in. This is so fucking beautiful.” The medley included Gales’ virtuoso guitar licks on versions of Jimi Hendrix’ “Voodoo Child,” Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir,” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”
Samantha Fish has been on a roll. She is coming off a 2024 Grammy nomination and a slot on Eric Clapton’s 2023 Crossroads Festival. The guitarist and singer built her following on the blues, but her material includes elements of rock and soul. Her short set at The Greek covered each genre. She opened with her hard rocking “Kick Out The Jams” before showing off her slide skills on a four-string cigar box guitar during the driving blues tune called “Bulletproof.” Her sultry, soulful vocals were on full display during a cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ ‘“I Put a Spell on You.” She finished out the set with “Black Wind Howlin’,” one of her oldest songs that is clearly inspired by the blues legends. Fish traded impressively creative solos with organ master Mickey Finn and bassist Ron Johnson to end her show.
Warren Haynes’ guitar skills and versatility are well known. His work with the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule, and various other projects are legendary, and much of his music is rooted in the blues. Haynes occasionally records and tours with his Warren Haynes Band side project. The set at the Greek featured that lineup playing blues rock songs from his Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule, and solo projects, plus an inspired cover. The Gov’t Mule tracks included excellent versions of “Tear Me Down” and “Thorazine Shuffle.” Haynes blasted elaborate solos on his Gibson Les Paul while Kevin Scott, the bassist from Gov’t Mule, laid down a heavily thumping beat. Sadly, that thump often overwhelmed the other instruments during the set and was the only audio issue of the night.
Haynes produced some screeching slide guitar riffs during his solo track “Fire in the Kitchen.” Another solo track called “Invisible” featured inventive improvisation by keyboardist Matt Slocum and saxophone player Greg Osby. Haynes jumped in, and the three artists played alternating solos. The special cover was a fine version of Little Milton’s “That’s What Love Will Make You Do” with more exquisite soloing by Haynes, Slocum, and Osby. Haynes invited Slash to join the band for his signature tune, the set closer “Soulshine,” which he wrote for the Allman Brothers. After Haynes’ soulful vocals, he and Slash traded superb solos before joining together for a synchronized duet that ended the show.
The Slash Blues Band set managed to cover most of the tracks from his new album with a few additional songs thrown in. Alluding to the venue curfew, Slash said, “If it wasn’t for the fucking law, we’d play all night.” They did squeeze in quite a lot of blues magic in the hour-and-a-half set that seemed to go by in a flash. The crowd really appreciated the excellent sound mix, as well as the way the musicians were brilliantly lit. Slash’s guitar playing was dazzling all set, but he is not flamboyant and does not really play to the audience. Howlin’ Wolf’s “Killing Floor” featured guitarist Tash Neal on vocals, who was more animated onstage.
Keyboard player Teddy “Zig Zag” Andreadis sang lead on Booker T. & the MG’s “Born Under a Bad Sign,” which featured a guest appearance by harmonica wizard Les Stroud, who sat in for several songs during the show. Slash’s piercing guitar solos were prominent on covers of Fleetwood Mac’s “Oh Well” and Freddie King’s “Big Legged Woman.” Neal delivered fine, impassioned vocals on each. Stroud and Neal offered sweet solos that complemented the work by Slash. The band’s inspired version of The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” was the best part of their set. Bassist Johnny Griparic and drummer Michael Jerome opened with a pulsing intro before Neal jumped in with the song’s familiar guitar riff. Neal sang lead, but Slash used a voice box to provide supporting vocals while everyone else harmonized during the chorus. Slash finished the song with a memorable, wah-wah infused solo.
The big surprise guest was Black Crowes vocalist Chris Robinson, who recorded Hoyt Axton’s “The Pusher” with Slash on the new album. Robinson took over lead vocals for the song and offered his usual body-swaying, passionate delivery. After Robinson departed to loud applause, the band pumped out versions of Robert Johnson’s “Cross Road Blues” and Jimi Hendrix Experience’s “Stone Free.” Neal sang lead and played a heavily distorted, manic solo during “Cross Road Blues.” Eric Gales came out to duet with Slash on “Stone Free,” and near the end of the song, Neal, Gales, and Slash traded solos before ending the song and set.
The band left the stage briefly but came back strong with a version of Bob Dylan’s “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry,” sung by Andreadis. Slash played pedal steel guitar for that slow blues track, and his wailing notes underscored the entire song. They finally finished the show with a rowdy, foot-stomping, audience-clapping rendition of Elmore James’ “Shake Your Moneymaker.” Andreadis’ vocals were powerful and less scratchy than earlier in the show, while the other band members provided smooth harmonies. Stroud came back for a final harmonica solo interwoven between Slash’s slide guitar, Neal’s solo, and nice organ work by Andreadis.
Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival tour is a powerful celebration of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music. SLASH has put together a collection of talented musicians that he admires to pay tribute to the music. He also has created 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. A portion of the proceeds from each VIP package and S.E.R.P.E.N.T. festival ticket sold will directly benefit charities that SLASH selected, including The Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child. The tour continues through the middle of August with this lineup and other artists appearing across the United States.
Live photos courtesy of Andy J. Gordon ©2024
