Slash to headline L.A. Zoo’s Beastly Ball, Live Nation to stream

Lions and tigers and bears and Slash — oh my.

Extremely cheesy pun aside, the Guns N’ Roses guitarist will cozy up to our furry friends as he toplines the Beastly Ball, the annual fundraiser held by the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Assn.

Set for May 20, this year’s event will mark the L.A. Zoo’s 50th Anniversary and will feature a concert from the guitarist who has worked to raise awareness and funds to help fight ivory poaching and dolphin slaughter over the years.

Slash will be backed by Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, the house band for Conan O’Brien.

Jack Black, Grace Potter and Bernard Fowler will also guest during the concert, which Live Nation, NextVR and Citi will stream on virtual reality-capable devices.

“I’m honored and proud to be a part of the L.A. Zoo’s 50th Anniversary Beastly Ball,” Slash said in a statement. “It’s going to be the biggest yet, and I’m really looking forward to jamming live with some good friends.”

This year’s Ball will honor Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation and the National Geographic Society will be awarded the Tom Mankiewicz Leadership Award.

Beastly Ball proceeds in part support the Zoo’s new Species Conservation Action Network (SCAN), including a dedicated Curator of Conservation whose focus will be to identify and respond to urgent animal conservation issues around the world.

Last year’s Ball pulled in $1.1 million, and over the last ten years the event has raised nearly $11.4 million.

More information on the Beastly Ball can be found here.

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