The lights went dim at the sold out Oakland Arena and the crowd went wild with anticipation. All eyes were focused on the stage as the Red Hot Chili Peppers burst out full of energy and geared up to do what they do best – rock out.
After 23 years, the Chili Peppers continue to blow the crowd away by entertaining with phenomenal style and stage presence that takes your breath away.
Opening the show with “Can’t Stop,” released in 2002 from the album “By The Way,” immediately grabbed the audiences’ attention and was a great way to start off the astounding night.
Next was “Dani California,” the first single off their new album, “Stadium Arcadium.” This song is a crowd pleaser that displays the talent these four men have. They are able to create such great music that is hotter than ever, and they are still topping the charts over 20 years after their first album release, the self-titled “Red Hot Chili Peppers” back in 1984.
“Scar Tissue” was next. Lead singer Anthony Kiedis belts his heart out with every word in this song. This is also the title of his book, “Scar Tissue,” a New York Times best-seller, that describes Anthony’s life as he reminisces about his thrilling adventures, impulse-driven moments, lowest lows and highest highs he went through to make him the person he is today.
With songs “Charlie,” “Fortune Faded,” “Readymade,” “Around the World,” “Throw Away Your Television,” “Snow,” “Nobody Weird Like Me,” “Strip My Mind, “Right on Time” and “Don’t Forget Me,” the set list contained a fantastic array of song choice mixing up some of the most favorite songs from albums such as “Mother’s Milk,” -(1989) – “Californication” (1999),” “By The Way” (2002) and “Greatest Hits” (2003) all the way to the most recent release “Stadium Arcadium.”
The combination of styles and different sounds from these albums made a show that was fantastic, to say the least. Every person was out of their chairs rocking out to every song with each moment just as compelling as the first.
Ending the show with two of their most well-known song. “Californ-ication” and “By The Way” had the audience up and screaming every word to those songs as loud as it could. The excitement and energy Kiedis (vocals), John Frusciante (guitar), Chad Smith (drums) and Flea (bass) put out on that stage made for a performance that was life-changing.
The love of what the band does comes out through each instrument to come together and make songs full of emotion and passion that you can hear with every note that comes off that stage.
After the last chord was played, the Chili Peppers thanked everyone for coming as they walked behind the curtain with their final words, “We love you!”
The crowd instantly began to roar. A sea of lights came from every person in the arena whether it was a lighter or a cell phone, it was like stars in the sky during a tranquil nightfall.
After a few minutes of the exhilarating applause, Chad came back onstage and began to play a drum solo that was remarkable. It lead to the entire band coming back out to play “Soul to Squeeze” and “Give It Away.”
The Chili Peppers ended the already brilliant set with a Chili Pepper classic jam session. As the attendees left the arena, it only had one word on their mind – amazing.