Slash announces Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, a new live album and concert film out November 7

Slash doesn’t sit still. Fresh off one of the most successful blues tours of 2024, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist is back with a full live album and concert film titled Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, due worldwide on November 7 through earMUSIC. The project captures the spirit of his latest adventure, a full-blown celebration of blues, soul, and classic rock that became one of the year’s most talked-about tours.

A different kind of fire

Recorded at the Mission Ballroom in Denver, Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival showcases Slash’s all-star blues band — Tash Neal on vocals and guitar, Teddy Zig Zag Andreadis on keys and harmonica, Johnny Griparic on bass, and Michael Jerome on drums. Together they deliver a raw, high-energy set that pays tribute to the roots of the music that shaped rock ’n’ roll.

The tracklist dives deep into the blues catalogue with fierce versions of Killing Floor, Born Under a Bad Sign, Key to the Highway and Oh Well. The first single, Oh Well (Live), already streaming now, is a blistering homage to Peter Green, balancing grit with precision in a way only Slash can.

The performance is more than a nostalgia trip. Slash approaches these songs with reverence but not restraint. His Les Paul tone is sharp and vocal, his phrasing drenched in character. It’s the kind of playing that reminds you why he’s more than a rock icon — he’s a student of music who still loves to learn out loud.

The festival’s name carries weight. S.E.R.P.E.N.T. stands for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance, a concept Slash developed to link music with purpose. The tour wasn’t just about guitar heroics; it raised over $125,000 for charities focused on mental health, social equality and community support.

Each show felt like a gathering rather than a gig — a place where blues met activism without slogans, where the message was in the sound. Slash described it best: “It was about unity, about getting people together to celebrate music that heals.”

From the stage to the screen

The upcoming release comes in multiple formats — 2CD + DVD, 2CD + Blu-ray, and triple vinyl — and includes a full concert film with behind-the-scenes interviews and unreleased footage from the road. The film captures the energy of the crowd, the interplay between the musicians and the chemistry that turned a blues side project into one of Slash’s most inspired musical moments in years.

Visually, it’s shot with grit and intimacy rather than gloss. You can see the sweat, the smiles, the tiny cues between musicians. It feels live in every sense — not cleaned up, not overdubbed, just performed.

For decades, Slash has been synonymous with arena anthems and rock spectacle, but Live at the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival strips everything down to what drives him at his core: tone, feel and connection. He’s not reinventing himself here; he’s showing what happens when someone who built their life on riffs steps back into the roots that made it all possible.

It’s a reminder that the blues never left rock — it’s the bloodstream. And in this record, you can hear it pumping again.

By Dara Christine – October 19 2025