BETHLEHEM, Pa. — If you happened to be drifting by Musikfest's main Steel Stage on Monday night, in the midst of the sweltering heat and humidity, you could be forgiven for thinking you had traveled back a hundred years to the Mississippi Delta.
The twang of the guitars hanging in the air, the down-and-dirty bass, the soulful and solemn growl of the vocals speaking of a hurt so strong you just can't possibly imagine...
But wait, something seemed different — the musicians weren’t sticking exclusively to the old-school style. There were touches of funk, country, rock — just about everything.
Even with the blues at the heart of the tunes, it was easy to tell it was something of an amalgamation of so many things — particularly one man known for his epic guitar shredding.
Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash’s S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival — the acronym stands for “Solidarity, Engagement, Restore, Peace, Equality, N’, Tolerance” — hit Musikfest Monday with four performers.
And it brought with it a diverse crowd looking to take in some classic old-school American music with a touch of something new.
As Slash put it, the show served as “a celebration of soulful melodies and electric performances,” connecting music lovers with the blues, a foundational genre responsible for producing some of the world’s greatest musical works.
On top of that, proceeds from ticket sales were directed toward various causes throughout the tour, putting a philanthropic slant on an already educational and entertaining exploration of the blues.
Or, as Slash put it, “where the music is soulful, the vibes are electric and the impact is profound.
"It's more than just a music festival; it's a movement towards a better, more inclusive world.”
Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge
Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge kicked off the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival, offering a mishmash of blues, funk, rock and more.
Boasting the exuberant energy of a teenager — Bowers was inspired to learn to play at age 9 when she saw a video of Slash, who handpicked her for this tour — and wise beyond her years, Bowers elegantly exhibited her technical prowess without overwhelming the crowd.
Given an opportunity, she could almost effortlessly channel a heartfelt tune of classic blues before pivoting to an exciting and upbeat funk rock hook.
One could easily become transfixed watching Bowers’s fingers fly across the length of her Gibson’s neck, drawing myriad notes which crossed genres and generations.
But it wasn’t a one-woman show, and Bowers knew well enough to give her bandmates plenty of room to test their own talents.
That made the whole package even better than the sum of its parts.
Robert Randolph
Robert Randolph took to the stage with a strong introduction, punching through the sounds of an incoming train with the heavy hits off of “I’m So Bad.”
Randolph’s mastery of the steel pedal guitar might be missed by an average onlooker, but that man sitting in front of those strings worked magic Monday night.
The quick picks of his steel pedal mixed with a funkadelic bassline, and a touch of electric shredding, set the tone for the rest of the set — an engaging exploration of all sorts of blues mutations.
Riding off the backend of the bass and drums, Randolph’s picking was almost imperceptible, but the wealth of sound pouring from his instrument easily demonstrated his expertise while keeping the audience along for the ride the whole time.
And while his original works certainly entranced a good swatch of the crowd, a denser, crunchier take on Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” definitely hit a chord with the audience — a wild, trippy hit with just about everyone in attendance.
ZZ Ward
ZZ Ward took to the Steel Stage as the penultimate performance, bringing just a taste of country to a dish of upbeat blues and early rock aesthetics.
At some points, one could easily be forgiven for thinking they had walked in on a rockabilly show.
At other points, Ward’s set relaxed back into something closer to the blues — just larger, and a bit stronger, with another touch of rock power.
“Tin Cups,” normally a duet with Aloe Blacc, opened with a threadbare twang of an acoustic guitar drawing all attention to the vocals before the drums and bass set in with a heavy weight.
The strain and suffering came through clearly on Ward’s pained voice, especially on lines such as, “Oh, line 'em up, line 'em up like a tin cup/Oh, I love 'em then I, I let 'em down.”
The hit “Charlie Ain’t Home” could be featured on just about any country radio station, even with its powerful hit-you-in-the-guts solo, which sounds like it has been living in the Delta for the past 80 years or so.
Never one to forget her forefathers, Ward also featured a inspired cover of Edward James "Son" House Jr.’s “Grinnin’ In Your Face,” providing a haunting and evocative stripped-down blues track House himself would have enjoyed.
Not everything can be a downer though, and Ward certainly raised spirits with her song “Drive,” a jaunty tune written with Gary Clark Jr. for the "Cars 3 movie.'
Rocky, poppy, but with a strong undercurrent of the blues, it’s a near-perfect representation of the woman herself.
Slash
And finally, after hours of anticipation, came headliner Slash — alongside a band that deserved plenty of credit as well; that powerful rock coating on the blues wouldn’t have packed near as much punch without their talents.
Now, there’s no question about the quality of Slash’s performance — he's been synonymous with expert-level guitar work for decades.
But to see him pour that talent into the blues, and create something different, something punchier, faster, heavier, grimier… it was just a whole new experience.
Touring in support of their new album “Orgy of the Damned,” the group had the crowd hanging on every chord, solo and shred session they offered up.
Original entries such as “The Pusher” explored the technical aptitude Slash is well known for, fitting right in with Muddy Waters or B.B. King’s hits from last century — with a just a hint of the former Guns N' Roses guitarist’s love for hard rock.
The band’s intriguing navigation and blending of genres brought new energy to Motown classics such as “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone.”
It also transformed Fleetwood Mac’s classic “Oh Well” into a veritable blues track it was always meant to be before it blossoms into an almost-hard-rock track.
A quick break after a supposed show-ender, and the band came back to the stage for a two-song encore, closing out the evening with Slash dominating a steel pedal guitar on one entry.
The entire outfit blew out all the stops to finish with a rocking rendition of Elmore James’s “Shake Your Moneymaker,” with Slash lapping up all the opportunity to explore every inch of his guitar.
Each and every line on the setlist could have easily been a closer based on the crowd reactions, which erupted as they detected the downturn of a solo for each song.
If you came to see a guitar wizard at the height of his craft, this was the place to be Monday night.
And even though one might be in awe of Slash bringing sounds out of instruments quite possibly never heard before, when it is done for three or four minutes over just about every seven-minute track, sometimes the magic gets lost.
It’s not a real problem, though even the crowd at times appeared to be wondering when certain songs would come to completion.
Nevertheless, Slash and his crew provided a perfect capstone to the living history lesson that was the S.E.R.P.E.N.T. Festival — a celebration of the blues and all it has meant to so many musicians and music lovers stretching back a century.
And it's still celebrated and enjoyed today.
