Fresh off his show-stealing cameo with Ryan Gosling on “I’m Just Ken” during Sunday’s Academy Awards broadcast, legendary guitarist Slash (Guns N’ Roses) has announced the inaugural S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, a traveling celebration of the blues featuring an array of high-profile acts including the Warren Haynes Band (featuring Warren Haynes, John Medeski, Kevin Scott, and Terence Higgins), Keb’ Mo’, Larkin Poe, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Samantha Fish, ZZ Ward, Robert Randolph, Eric Gales, and Jackie Venson, with specific lineups due to vary by date and location.
The 27-date tour is set to kick off on July 5th, 2024 in Bonner, MT and continue to Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario throughout the remainder of the month. After rounding out the month of July with a stop in Lewiston, NY (7/30), Slash and the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. crew will slither into August with shows at Boston, MA’s Leader Bank Pavilion (8/1), New York, NY’s Pier 17 (8/4), Bethlehem, PA’s Musikfest (8/5), Cary, NC’s Koka Booth Amphitheater (8/7), and Atlanta, GA’s Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park (8/8). From there, the tour will wind down with shows in Clearwater, FL (8/10), Saint Augustine, FL (8/11), Huntsville, AL (8/13), Franklin, TN (8/14), and Bentonville, AR (8/16) before coming to a close in Grand Prairie, TX on August 17th.
Per the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. website, the traveling festival’s billing indicates its mission beyond creating memorable musical moments: The name is an anagram for “Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality, N’, Tolerance,” a set of goals the event will pursue via partnerships with various charities. Every ticket sold will contribute to these meaningful causes, “promoting peace, equality, and tolerance in our communities. … It’s more than just a music festival; it’s a movement towards a better, more inclusive world.” Partner charities include Equal Justice Initiative, Know Your Rights Camp, The Greenlining Institute, and War Child via Plus1.org.
“The S.E.R.P.E.N.T. tour is a celebration of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music, and a celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times,” said Slash of the tour. “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.”
Pre-sale tickets for the first-ever S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival go on sale beginning on Wednesday, March 13th. Remaining ticket inventory will become available to the general public beginning on Friday, March 15th. Click below to view a full list of upcoming S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival 2024 tour stops and lineups by date. For complete ticketing details and more information, head here.
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