During the recent Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association’s annual Beastly Ball fundraiser, which took place on Saturday June 5, electric guitar greats Slash and Phil Collen teamed up with bass guitar supremo Robert DeLeo for a fierce cover of Jimi Hendrix’s 1967 track, Fire.
With Collen donning his signature Jackson guitar and Slash wielding his "Victoria" Les Paul Standard Goldtop, the pair traded wah-drenched licks and blistering pentatonic runs, staying true to the track’s blues-infused rock ‘n’ roll roots.
The Guns N' Roses guitar guru was on hand to layer Collen’s vocals with a bed of decorative flourishes, and took first dibs on an extended six-string solo, reeling off a combination of Hendrix-inspired licks and Slash-style scale lines.
Both guitar players were given free reign to let loose on a series of quasi-improvised melodic fills by Stone Temple Pilots four-string maestro DeLeo, who was joined in the rhythm section by Delta Deep drummer Forrest Robinson. Their performance, which you can watch in full, begins at 41:50 in the video below.
On Instagram, Robert Deleo wrote, “It was a very memorable day… I spent the day with Slash, Phil Collen and Forrest Robinson recording and filming our version of Fire by Jimi Hendrix for The Los Angeles Zoo’s Beastly Ball at Gold Diggers Studio.
“This was a very emotional day for me with my friends Gold Diggers,” he continued. “This is now where my beloved 1974 Neve 8014 console resides. Lot of great music and memories have passed through this board and I know it has gone to a great home.”
Last weekend’s event was the 51st edition of the Beastly Ball, and saw the four-piece lineup alongside a stellar list of musical special guests, including Weezer, who performed Toto’s Africa, and REO Speedwagon’s Kevin Cronin.
Each year, the Ball aims to raise money for the Los Angeles Zoo, with GLAZA president Tom Jacobson saying, “With conversation at the core of what we do, this fundraiser supports GLAZA’s efforts to fund a myriad of programs, including conservation, animal care, animal health, and education programs.”
