Photo: Gene Kirkland/ Jay Sansone

Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, an anagram for Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality N’ Tolerance, kicked off on Friday, July 5 at KettleHouse Amphitheater in Bonner, Mont. The event, known for its diverse acts ranging from blues to rock in a traveling festival format, saw Warren Haynes Band namesake sit in during Slash’s blues-dominant set, adding to Elmore James’ “Shake Your Money Maker.” 

Leading up to Haynes’ guest appearance, Slash and company worked through seven songs, which feature favorites from the blues/rock ether, including borrowed numbers from Howlin’ Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix, and other greats known for accentuating their craft. After coursing through the counterculture anthem, “Stone Free,” Haynes turned up and added heat to the foundational blues favorite from James’ lauded catalog. 

During Warren Haynes Band’s opening night stand, they performed songs from the artist’s Gov’t Mule ensemble, including “Tear Me Down” and “Banks of the Deep End” intermixed with pulls of his debut solo release, Tales of Ordinary Madness, “Invisible,” “Power and the Glory,” and others, including finale/ forever favorite, “Soulshine.”

In a previous press release outlining the intent of S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, Slash described the experience as, “a celebration of blues and rock ‘n’ roll music, and a celebration of unity and togetherness in these uncertain and divisive times.” The tour will resume tomorrow night, July 8, at Marymoor Park in Redmond, Wash., before continuing to Bend, Ore., on Wednesday, July 10. Tickets remain on sale. 

Scroll down to view Haynes’ post via Instagram.