Red Hot Chili Peppers operate at a different frequency than ordinary people, and the world of rock music is better off because of it.
The city of Raleigh, NC set a new record that was difficult to celebrate; 103 degrees Fahrenheit. For the past twelve days, Raleigh experienced a heat wave with temperatures in the mid to upper 90-degree range most days. Just the kind of weather to make people stay indoors and hunker down. That is, of course, unless the Red Hot Chili Peppers are in town.
Completely sold out and full, not a single square inch of Coastal Credit Union Music Park went unfilled by sweaty but gleeful fans. Young new fans and old original fans alike, filled the venue early to secure their spot on the lawn. Eight years since their last visit to Raleigh, Red Hot Chili Peppers was one of the most eagerly anticipated shows of the summer and heat was simply not going to diminish the excitement.
The setlist for the evening included songs across eight of their albums, going all of the way back to 1989 with Mother’s Milk and most recently 2022’s Unlimited Love. Starting strong with “Dani California,” fans roared and cell phones lit up to record every moment of the song. Throughout the setlist, other hits such as “Give It Away,” “Otherside,” and “Californication” were met with similar huge response.
Equally as important to long-term fans were the songs newcomers to the band weren’t so familiar with. “Black Summer” and “The Zephyr Song” were smooth and cool, perfect for the hot night, and “Aquatic Mouth Dance” got the funky groove on. Across the setlist, the four main members of the band plus a guest keyboardist kept the music tight and full of energy.
Most impressive wasn’t the setlist nor the huge, psychedelic images on the rear video screen. Most impressive was what happened in between songs. Before transitioning into a new song, Flea and John Frusciante would saunter to center stage, stand face to face, and just jam. Sometimes funky, other times soft and gentle. Sometimes a minute or two, other times nearly five minutes long. Their gaze only broke from each other’s eyes when their eyes were closed, enveloped in the music and the moment. Very few rock bands would ever dream of performing without a plan, but that’s exactly what made the Red Hot Chili Peppers so amazing to watch.
Flea, Josh, Anthony Kiedis, and Chad Smith are a band. A true, honest, original definition of what it means to be a rock band. Constantly coming together as a group at center stage, they connected through the music and everything just flowed. No backing tracks, no click track keeping everything in sync with a major stage production, they came out to perform music and it was glorious. The performance was so organic, at one point Flea began the next song before John was ready, causing John to wave Flea off and start over. As Flea put it best, the band came to “rock the f*ck out and touch some souls” which they did beautifully.
Red Hot Chili Peppers remain on tour through July 30, 2024, ending in Missouri. A little bit older, a lot more mature, and equally as committed to putting on a world-class rock show, Red Hot Chili Peppers are in the running for the tour of the summer for sure.
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