Peppers get Big Gig off to a fiery start
Older, far tamer band still packs quite a live punch
The Red Hot Chili Peppers haven’t been “red hot” for about a decade.
But kicking off Summerfest’s 50th edition Wednesday at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, the Peppers proved it still packs plenty of heat as a live act.
To be sure, Anthony Kiedis, Flea and company are far tamer compared to their outrageous tube sock days. Wednesday’s 95-minute show began in adorable fashion, with Flea jamming on bass, sitting next to a few ecstatic kids watching the concert from the stage. (The lucky guests included drummer Chad Smith’s niece and nephew; his brother Brad lives in Wauwatosa.)
A few songs later, Kiedis received a titillated crowd response after vowing to “(expletive expletive) up” ... only to dive into last year’s “Dark Necessities,” a slowburning groover that’s the opposite of an “(expletive expletive) up” song.
Still, the Peppers’ core foursome remains cartoonishly flashy, keeping its live shows fun and fresh.
Kiedis has curtailed the kung fu antics a bit compared to the band’s last Milwaukee show in 2012 on his 50th birthday, but he skipped and twirled around the stage Wednesday, reserving a full body spasm for “Californication.” Smith spun drumsticks between his fingers with ease, like he was mindlessly manipulating a fidget spinner, and tossed a stick in the air and caught it effortlessly during a split-second drum break during “Scar Tissue.”
Flea is the band’s beating heart; his thick, funky bass lines are central to the set’s groove. And guitarist Josh Klinghoffer literally flung himself into his instrument, jerking across the stage during “Tell Me Baby,” and putting his own stormy spin on riffs immortalized by long-departed predecessor John Frusciante. More on Summerfest
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The Peppers managed some surprises, too, including an appropriately shaggy, Klinghoffer-led abbreviated cover of “Add It Up” by Milwaukee’s claim to rock fame, the Violent Femmes. The band breathed new life into pre-superstardom songs “Mommy Where’s Daddy” and “Me and My Friends,” and further shamed the sleepy recording of latest single “Goodbye Angels” with an animated live rendition.
The greatest proof of the Peppers’ power wasn’t a song per se, but a moment, when Flea and Klinghoffer improvised off each other, their funky bass-and-guitar jam inspiring several fans to dance with the same excitement and energy they displayed for the hits.