The Chili Peppers Put On A Red Hot Performance At MetLife Stadium
Samantha Colleran, August 2022
As part of my big Christmas present, my parents bought me Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets. Of course these tickets went on sale before Christmas, but my dad being a softie at heart wasn’t going to wait until Christmas to buy them, so for months I’ve been anxiously awaiting the day I’d finally get to see the Chili Peppers.
If you’ve been following me for some time, you know that during the pandemic I did a super deep dive into RHCP, which included listening to every single one of their albums and reading Anthony Kiedis’ autobiography, Scar Tissue. Since I was a kid the Chili Peppers were a staple in my life; it wasn’t until I got older I found a deeper respect for their music and could look beyond the well known tunes.
So, the day had finally arrived; Wednesday, August 17. I hit the road with my parents and my best friend Jonathan, prepared to tailgate and enjoy the day to its fullest. We ate our sandwiches, listened to the Chili Peppers in the MetLife Stadium parking lot, and when the doors opened we found our seats and I was prepared to enjoy the final concert of my summer lineup.
As always, some love for our opening acts. Thundercat took the stage first; his funk sound was a warm welcome to the MetLife audience. Performing his hits such as “Dragonball Durag” and “Funny Thing”, Thundercat got the crowd moving and was a solid performer to kick off the evening. Up next, The Strokes. I enjoy a lot of songs by The Strokes, so getting to see them made me incredibly happy. Their stage presence was incredible, and getting to hear “Reptilia” live was life changing for me, as Room On Fire is an album I turned to often during the past two semesters I was away at school.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for, the Chili Peppers. Their set kicked off with one of my all time favorite songs, “Can’t Stop”. Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante took the stage to do an intro jam, which led right into “Can’t Stop”. Anthony Kiedis stepped out onto the stage, and the night felt complete. The night flowed with hit after hit, as well as some new tunes. “Dani California”, “Snow (Hey Oh)”, “Scar Tissue”, and “Otherside” were just a few of the many incredible RHCP songs that made up the setlist.
With this tour supporting the band’s most recent release, Unlimited Love, it’s obvious the band would play some new songs. Seeing these songs live brought them to a brand new level, and I certainly appreciate them way more than I did prior to the show. “Black Summer”, “Here Ever After”, “These Are The Ways”, and “The Heavy Wing” fit in perfectly with the rest of the setlist. It felt like a homecoming for John, who returned to the RHCP lineup after years of being away from the group.
The really fascinating thing about seeing the Chili Pepper perform is that they have incredible stamina and stage presence. Not a single inch of the stage was untouched; from dancing and jumping around to handstands across the stage, it was so beyond impressive seeing the band feed off of each other’s energy and perform like it was the 90s again. The band very rarely stopped playing their instruments, there wasn’t much silence in between songs as they flowed effortlessly from one track to the next. Not only did this make the setlist feel longer, it gave each member time to shine in their own way.
The most memorable part of the night was “Under The Bridge”. Knowing everything I do about Anthony and RHCP made this song even more powerful live. Some time ago Rolling Stone published an article of the best Red Hot songs, and I shared it with both my parents. My dad immediately texted me back saying he completely disagreed with “Under The Bridge” not making the top five, and how that song was and still is so impactful. My dad loves music, and hearing him talk about certain songs will always be special to me. Seeing that impact in real time; countless people singing along, “I don’t ever wanna feel/ Like I did that day/ Take me to the place I love/ Take me all the way”, and getting to experience that with my dad was something truly special. The swell of the instruments as John chimes in to sing the bridge took my breath away, and I couldn’t help but shed a few tears at such a stunning moment.
Although the band didn’t speak much, there wasn’t much of a reason to. Apart from the occasional “Thank you” from members of the band, the music did most of the talking. Back with inarguably the most iconic lineup with a fresh perspective on the type of music they wanted to make, the Chili Peppers let the lyrics and instrumentals say everything that needed to be said. These lyrics saved Kiedis through some of his darkest moments in life, they brought the band to fame, these songs spoke to thousands of people, and there we all were in one stadium shouting every single lyric back to the band. It’s truly indescribable, all I can say is if you get the chance to see Red Hot Chili Peppers, don’t skip out.
If you’ve made it to any of the Chili Peppers shows, or if you have one coming up, let me know in the comments!