Having spent years in anticipation of seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers live, I was afraid that my expectations would be too high. When I told my friend who I was going to see, her response was something along the lines of, “Oh, I didn’t even know they were still around. Aren’t they ancient?”
It’s a fair response. It’s easy to presume they’ll be past their prime considering the band was formed thirty-four years ago, but anyone who has been following them on their festival circuit this year would be hard-pressed to argue that they lack the energy and vitality of their younger days. Wednesday night was no different. You don’t always see a band genuinely have fun onstage, but there was no denying it with them.
The atmosphere was electric. From the moment they came out and the first bars of ‘Around the World’ began, until the final notes of ‘Give it Away’, it was wild. Everyone in the audience, for those two hours, became part of something bigger, reciprocating every ounce of energy and passion offered to them by the band onstage. I’d like to think of myself as a seasoned gig-goer, but this was insane. Usually at gigs which are this high-energy, the crowd can get a bit over-excited, a bit too rowdy. I feel like to call them mannerly would downplay just how enthusiastic they were, but there was certainly a sort of consideration to the crowd.
Somehow, though, even after playing for nearly two hours straight, there was still a litany of chart-topping songs missing from the setlist. Opting for a more high-tempo vibe, many fan-favourites (such as ‘Under the Bridge’, ‘Otherside’, “Scar Tissue”, ‘Can’t Stop’ and ‘Dani California’) hadn’t made the cut. I suppose, with three decades worth of material, some sacrifices must be made to create a concise set-list. Considering the intensity with which they perform, to expect any more than the two hours we were given seems unreasonable. While I would give anything to hear ‘Dani California’ live, I also couldn’t find it in myself to complain about the set-list when each of the songs on it were hits in their own right, anyway.
I’d been waiting to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers live since I was old enough to say their name. I think after last night I’m only more in awe of them than I was before. They’re true legends.
