// HIGHER GROUND

THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS HEAT UP THE UNITED CENTER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers heat up the United Center for the first time in 20 years.

With more than 80 million records sold worldwide, six Grammy Awards, and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one might not expect the Red Hot Chili Peppers to suddenly start singing a different tune. But after more than three decades of success, the band has done just that with its latest album, The Getaway, which Chicagoans can hear live when the band takes over the United Center on June 30 and July 1.

Released last year, the 13-track studio album was produced by Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton, who introduced a new creative process that involved writing together in the studio and playing to a click track, according to an Entertainment Weekly interview with lead singer Anthony Kiedis. The new approach worked like magic, with the album debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and number one on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, while the first single, “Dark Necessities,” became the band’s 13th number-one on the Alternative Songs chart.

Still, there’s nothing quite like hearing Kiedis & Co. kill it onstage. Along with other new Getaway tracks, like “Sick Love” (featuring Elton John on the keys), there’s no doubt you’ll also hear classics like “Scar Tissue” and “Give It Away” when the Chili Peppers take Chicago. Summer just got a whole lot hotter. 1901 W. Madison St., 312-4554500; unitedcenter.com

Windy City spice: Flea (ON BASS), Anthony Kiedis (WITH MIC), and Chad Smith (ON DRUMS) of the Red Hot Chili Peppers will kick off Chicago’s summer concert season when they rock the United Center not once but twice, on June 30 and July 1.