Red Hot Chili Peppers, Auckland NZ, 2019

Red Hot Chili Peppers

8th March 2019
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.

Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.

More than any other band currently touring, Red Hot Chilli Peppers emphatically prove time and time again that this life is certainly more than just a read through. And that’s because nearly four decades into their career, the Chilli’s can not only still sell out arenas, but deliver live performances with such a ferocious tenacity that bands half their age could only dream of curating.

Playing two nights at Auckland’s Spark Arena, last night being the first, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have split support duties between two different New Zealand artists. Attendees last night being entertained by the Stoneyhunga 312 crew themselves, SWIDT.

Led by the rhyme churning SPYCC, SWIDT’s skills may have been a little lost on the crowd who only had one band on their minds, but that wasn’t going to stop the quartet delivering a plethora of their hits interlaced with their distinctive humour. From Boomer stripping down to his boxers to SPYCC’s impassioned plea to always check on your mates following their track ‘No Emotions in the Wild’, SWIDT brought to the stage not only their infectious sound, but an aural tapestry of both their own lives and their community. ‘No More Parties in Stoneyhunga’, ‘Little Did She Know’, ‘Ric Flair’ and ‘312’ all providing glimpses into the internal makeup of the members. Nods to fellow Polynesian artists came as Jamal on decks dropped in a little Scribe and OMC (Otara Millionaires Club) before SWIDT left the audience with ‘Conquer’ whose words convey SWIDT’s ethos.

By the time the Red Hot Chilli Peppers hit the stage, Spark Arena is a heaving mass of fans from ground to ceiling; ages running the full gamut of primary school kids atop Dad’s shoulders through to couples in their twilight years standing at the back of the arena to avoid the throngs of the carnivorous pit that took over most of the floor. Said fans a testament to the longevity and career of a band who despite beginning their journey back in 83’ have continued to remain relevant.

As Flea begins the intro jam, dressed in a colourful patchwork outfit and slapping his bass as only Flea can, both long standing drummer Chad Smith (who gate crashed another artists concert just the night before, his famous skills with the sticks thrilling Alice In Chains fans) and ‘youngest’ member of the band both in years and tenure Josh Klinghoffer soon joined him, a semi-circle of lights and four mini screens surrounding them, providing live footage as well as psychedelic visuals to accompany the music. The jam soon dissolved down into the mouth-watering treacle that is the instantly recognisable guitar riff of ‘Can’t Stop’, fans screaming themselves hoarse as el honcho himself Anthony Kiedis exuberantly bounded onto the stage. Still sporting a moustache that would make Magnum PI second guess himself, Kiedis wasted no time in wrapping the audience around his little finger as he impressively tore through the tumbling lyrics before taking the audience through ‘Fortune Faded’ and the soul-searching ballad of ‘Scar Tissue’.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers are a well-oiled machine, which is not surprising when you consider that the three core members have been playing together for the last thirty years. But where so many bands with that many notches on their belts tend to revert to greatest hits set lists and polished performances that barely have a hair out of place, the Chilli’s still bring that loose vibe to their shows that make the overall experience feel more like a giant party. The spaces between songs are often filled with a little banter between members or impromptu jamming of instruments, the set list including both old and new tracks. Sure some of their latest material from the 2016 album entitled The Getaway may not receive as raucous reception as tracks such as ‘Californication’ or ‘Soul to Squeeze’ but the point is, is that the band are still creating, still producing new music and are far from resigning themselves to the realms of heritage bands who trot out the same hits sets, forever trapped in a time capsule of their own making.

A stonking cover of The Stooges ‘I Wanna Be Your Dog’ saw Kiedis strip off his shirt and reveal a physique that would make most twenty year old’s wince; staring down the barrel of sixty, Kiedis shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, both himself and Australian born Flea sharing not only the same year of birth but the same eye-watering energy on stage. Stories of Flea meeting James Brown in an elevator and asking for an autograph – something he rarely ever does he informs the fans – and Chad Smith periodically bestowing drum sticks on the audience by throwing them from the kit in high arcs across the room punctuated the gaps in between tracks such as ‘Higher Ground’ a Stevie Wonder cover that the Red Hot Chilli Peppers undeniably made their own back in 89’ on the Mother’s Milk album; Josh Klinghoffer proving that he is not only one hell of a guitarist (despite a few minor tech difficulties) but a fine vocalist too, his duet with Kiedis on ‘Go Robot’ impressive, the song itself seeing Flea joined by Samuel Bañuelos III on a second bass.

‘By The Way’ finished the evening in style, the crowd insatiably demanding more and receiving it in the form of a short drum solo that saw Flea walk his way across the stage on his hands and the band drop the more low key ‘Dreams of a Samurai’ before taking the fans to dizzying heights with ‘Give It Away’ which was accompanied by mind-melting animations; Flea both profusely and genuinely thanking the audience for coming out to see them while Smith got down into the pit to high five fans and give away more of those sought after drum sticks.

It would be safe to say that the pleasure was undoubtedly all ours.

Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Photo by Doug Peters

Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent funk rock gig? Or have you seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform live somewhere else? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

1. Intro Jam
2. Can’t Stop
3. Fortune Faded
4. Scar Tissue
5. Dark Necessities
6. Strip My Mind
7. I Wanna Be Your Dog [The Stooges cover]
8. Me & My Friends
9. Throw Away Your Television
10. Californication
11. Go Robot
12. I Like Dirt
13. The Getaway
14. Higher Ground [Stevie Wonder cover]
15. Soul To Squeeze
16. By The Way
17. Dreams Of A Samurai [encore]
18. Give It Away [encore]

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