Co-founder and bassist Flea plucks away

On Saturday the 17^th of November, infamous Los Angeles based rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers took to stage at Rogers Arena.

RHCP played a highly diverse set-list, including tracks dating back to the 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik, when the Chilies first obtained a global following, and from their most recent record I’m With You, which was released during August last year.

Classics including Under The Bridge, Soul To Squeeze, and Scar Tissue seemed to captivate a varied demographic. The warm glow of lighters made visible the faces of middle-aged men and pre-teen girls alike who soulfully sang along. The Chili Peppers seemed that night to bridge a generational gap, something that most musicians of the 21^st century are incapable of doing.

Despite the fact that three fourths of the band has breeched the half century mark, the Chilies still vault around stage as energetically as their 25 year old selves once did – most notably the band’s co-founder and bassist Flea (pictured above), who walked to his instrument on his hands, shirtless. Additionally, drummer Chad Smith descended to his set swaying from a massive light fixture, while lead singer Anthony Kiedis sprung about stage like Tigger from Winnie The Pooh.

For the fans that grew to love the band alongside the brilliance of the perpetually inebriated guitarist, John Frusciante, his absence was not only noticeable, but piercingly bittersweet. Josh Klinghoffer, who replaced Frusciante in 2009, performed instead. Although indisputably gifted; Klinghoffer is the youngest rock and roll hall of fame inductee; at times, it felt as though the guitarist struggled to reproduce the complexity and precision of Frusciante’s solos.

The band seamlessly guided the audience from the melancholy of tracks such as Hey through to the intensity and volume of songs like Suck My Kiss. The band showcased their most recent compositions, while being sure to acknowledge the long time followers who, realistically, paid good money to hear their favorite classics from the early 90s.

The band emerged from their era out of the spotlight, along with the uncertainty of losing a guitarist, with purpose, clarity, and exceptional music.

Setlist:

1. Monarchy of Roses
2. Around the World
3. Snow
4. Scar Tissue
5. Can’t Stop
6. Hey
7. Throw Away Your Television
8. She’s Only 18
9. The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
10. Charlie
11. Did I Let You Know
12. Under the Bridge
13. Look Around
14. Californication
15. By The Way

Encore:

1. Chad, Mauro, & Josh Jam
2. Suck My Kiss
3. Soul To Squeeze
4. Give It Away
5. Final Jam