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A burst of rare summer thunderstorms rained down on fans waiting in line to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers Monday (8/21) at the Phoenix area’s Glendale Arena, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of the near-sold out crowd.
Drenched fans crowded souvenir stands to buy dry, warm clothes during the opening set by The Mars Volta, whose erratic, frenzied performance paled in comparison to The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ chill-inducing, explosive set.
Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith kicked off the set with an instrumental funk jam. Once finished, black-and-white-clad singer Anthony Kiedis arrived on stage like a boxer preparing for a fight. Frusciante’s opening riff to “Can’t Stop” sent the audience into a frenzy as Smith tossed a drum stick in the air, but missed when trying to catch it. That sent the Michigan-bred drummer into laughter. Four video screens with black-and-white footage of the band slowly arose from behind Smith, complementing the giant wall of lights that filled the back of the stage. A wall of horizontal lights also ascended from the top of the stage and extended to the scoreboard in the middle of the arena.
The band followed “Can’t Stop” with a pitch-perfect rendition of “Dani California,” from its first No. 1 album, “Stadium Arcadium.” Audience members simultaneously released their fists as Kiedis sang the chorus, during which the video screens alternated quickly between shots of Frusciante’s and Flea’s fingers.
It was hard to tell what was more popular with the crowd: Kiedis’ punchy dancing, Frusciante’s blistering guitar solos or Flea’s slap-happy bass licks. During “Dani California,” some fans played air guitar to Frusciante’s parts, and others danced spastically to solos by Flea, who was dressed like a Cirque du Soleil member.
“I hope you all brought love to this party,” Kiedis said during a rare word to the audience. “That’s all you need to bring.”.
Adding to the 1-2-3 punch of the opening numbers, Kiedis’ words segued into “Scar Tissue.” Chandelier-like lights with hidden speakers and search lights descended from the ceiling and lit up the crowd. Proving his athletic prowess is still in tact, Kiedis ended the song with a handstand on Smith’s bass drum.
“Stadium Arcadium” was obviously a big part of the two-hour show, offering “Charlie,” which delivered more heat than the album rendition, “Readymade,” the title track and “Snow (Hey Oh).”
On the covers front, the Chili Peppers played a few bars of “London Calling,” and later Frusciante sang an impressive rendition of Simon and Garfunkel’s “For Emily (Wherever I May Find Her).”
The almost 20-song set also featured the melancholy “Soul to Squeeze,” “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” and “By the Way,” during which red lights searched the audience, landing on random ticket holders. Encores included the mega-hits “Under the Bridge” and “Give It Away.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tour Dates
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 8/22 – San Diego, CA – ipayOne Center
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 8/24 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 8/25 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 8/27 – Fresno, CA – Selland Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 8/28 – Sacramento, CA – Arco Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 8/31 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/01 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/14 – Vancouver, BC – General Motors Place
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/16 – Calgary, AB – Pengrowth Saddledome
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/17 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/19 – Saskatoon, SK – Saskatchewan Credit Union Center
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/20 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/23 – Baltimore – Virgin Festival – Pimlico Race Course
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/25 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/26 – Toronto, ON – Air Canada Centre
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/28 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 9/29 – Ottawa – Scotiabank Place
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/01 – Quebec City, QC – Colisee Pepsi Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/02 – Boston, MA – TD Banknorth Garden
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/17 – East Rutherford, NJ (New York) – Continental Airlines Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/18 – East Rutherford, NJ (New York) – Continental Airlines Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/20 – Boston, MA – TD Banknorth Garden
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/21 – Albany, NY – Pepsi Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/23 – Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Center
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Center
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/26 – Atlanta, GA – Gwinnett Civic Center
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/28 – New Orleans – Voodoo Music Experience (venue TBA)
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/30 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 10/31 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 11/02 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 11/03 – Detroit, MI – Palace of Auburn Hills
Red Hot Chili Peppers Tickets – 11/05 – Minneapolis, MN – Xcel Energy Center
Christina Fuoco/liveDaily
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