Red Hot Chili Peppers flaunt their chops at U.S. Bank Stadium
by Natalia Mendez and Tony Nelson
April 10, 2023
Three acts representing three distinctly different generations of rock ‘n’ roll graced the stage of U.S. Bank Stadium Saturday night in downtown Minneapolis. The occasion: Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 2023 global tour. Promoting the 2022 albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, the Los Angeles funk-punk rock band began an ambitious 40-date stadium tour last summer with supporting big-name acts like A$AP Rocky, HAIM, Beck, and more. After a short break, the quartet, newly reunited with guitarist John Frusciante, hit the road again to continue the tour in 2023, this time returning with prog-rockers (and bassist Flea collaborators), the Mars Volta, punk pioneer Iggy Pop, and others.
The opening acts for the Minneapolis show were early-aughts indie rock darlings the Strokes, and Gen Z indie pop singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, King Princess, who kicked off the night. The proudly queer, genderfluid performer provided a dreamy and gentle start to the evening as they sang songs about love and its loss. Wearing baggy blue jeans and an oversized black button-up with melty green waves, King Princess let loose their smoky, throaty voice that was absorbed into the sparsely filled stadium and dissipated. “This is a sad lesbian song,” they said before launching into “The Bend.” They maintained a cool and casual demeanor throughout their short, seven-song set before the Strokes took the stage.
At the beginning of the Strokes’ performance, there were still many empty plastic seats, which led to the poor sound quality of a set highlighting songs from their first three albums. Singer Julian Casablancas’ mumbly, sarcastic croon was lost behind Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.’s guitars, Nikolai Fraiture’s bass, and Fabrizio Moretti’s drums. Although musically tight, Casablancas’ execution left much to be desired. At times he could still belt out the notes like it was 2003, but he was a little behind on the lyrics during “Automatic Stop,” while Valensi’s guitar clipped steadily.
After “The Adults Are Talking” wrapped, a crowd member upset him and solicited harsh words from the frontman. “Man, f*ck you. Don’t even start. You caught me on the wrong day,” snapped Casablancas attitudinally before the Strokes launched into an especially vocally flat rendition of “Soma.” He managed to perk up by the time the band ripped through “Juicebox,” with Fraiture’s bass thrumming a mean, steady rhythm as laser lights and pixelations like a busted VCR screen backlit the band. After they wrapped, Hammond Jr. was presented with a sparkler-topped birthday cake. At the same time, Casablancas sang a discordant and grating “Happy Birthday” before they played two more songs and wrapped up with a razor-sharp and clean rendition of “Reptilia.” Whatever Casablancas was dealing with on Saturday night, not even the musical precision of the rest of the band could save his performance.
While the bands changed over, your humble reviewer sat and pondered the legacy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The six-time Grammy winners are known for shaping a signature sound, their fashion (and onstage tube-sock antics), battles with drugs, and loss of bandmates. Flea and Anthony Kiedis have detailed these histories in autobiographies. The former is more recommended than the latter, due to its near-bragging about drug-fueled bad behavior and unapologetic sexual activity with multiple minors from Kiedis.
At one time, people may have flocked to see RHCP because of Kiedis, but Saturday night, the show's real stars were John Frusciante, Flea, and Chad Smith. Their improvisations, sentimental between-song jams, and solos are possibly the best reason to see RHCP live. The obvious mastery of their instruments and the clarity that they've long since jelled together as a band was on full display this past weekend. Their set showcased this fact and covered some of the best tracks from across their catalog spanning 30-plus years and included newer tunes that ravenous RHCP fans already knew by heart.
Dramatic orchestral music swelled before the band emerged. Always charismatic, Flea walked out to the stage on his hands, his knee-length bright purple skirt pooling around his hips. Frusciante and Smith followed, and the trio proceeded to have an impromptu funk-fueled jam session before Kiedis emerged. The bowl-cut sporting mustachioed lead singer appeared in a bright red fishnet top, black shorts with a lightning bolt slashing across the crotch, and a medical walking boot and knee brace. Although not known for being an exceptionally melodic singer, Kiedis’s cryptic lyrics, punctuated vocal stylings, and scatting are irreplaceable and distinctive pieces of their sound that was exemplified on the first song, “Around the World,” from their 1999 album, Californication.
A drum solo by Will Ferrell lookalike Smith then bled into “Dani California,” drawing whoops from the crowd as Minnesota was name-dropped by the California-loving band. Frusciante extended the song with a blistering freestyle at the end before the sentimental “Scar Tissue” began. Flea’s elastic, bouncy slap bass was on full display during new song “Aquatic Mouth Dance” from Unlimited Love, while Kiedis’ talk-sung vocals were swallowed up by the vastness of the stadium. Regardless, the energy remained high throughout the evening as RHCP continued to treat their fans to a few special moments. Before “Right On Time” began, they teased a snippet of the Clash’s “London Calling.” Later, Frusciante had his moment in the spotlight to show off his melodious singing voice by covering a portion of Elton John’s “Our Song,” while the stadium lit up with the glow from flashlights on attendees’ phones.
Due to the size of the stadium, the stage was flanked by large, high-definition screens. Behind the band was a draped screen that surrounded the Chili Peppers and made the set all the more engaging with trippy visuals. More than just showcasing Flea’s pogoing and Kiedis’s karate-like dance movements, paisley designs, drips that made the band look like they were made from the goo inside of a lava lamp, and glowing laser outlines that gave a Tron-like feel made a larger impact than staring down at the band even from higher up seats. Between their main set and the encore — featuring the well-executed “Under the Bridge” and “Give it Away,” respectively — the fans who traveled from around the country were recognized onscreen as a nod to the reason RHCP still thrive to this day.
Despite the poor sound quality of U.S. Bank Stadium, all together, it was a joyful set. In a smaller venue, you’d hear more of Kiedis’s hallmark staccato vocals, Frusciante’s searing licks, Flea’s buoyant bass, and Smith’s driving percussion. Regardless, the show was carried by the mesmerizing visuals and the musicianship of a band who have been through many seasons of their lives together and wound up closer because of it. It was very apparent Saturday night that the Chili Peppers still enjoy grooving together.
SETLISTS
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Orchestral to Intro Jam
Around the World
Dani California
Scar Tissue
Aquatic Mouth Dance
Otherside
These Are the Ways
Universally Speaking
Tippa My Tongue
London Calling Intro to Right on Time
Tell Me Baby
Your Song
Whatchu Thinkin’
Californication
Carry Me Home
Black Summer
By the Way
Encore
Under the Bridge
Give it Away
The Strokes
The Modern Age
Bad Decisions
Automatic Stop
The Adults are Talking
Soma
You Only Live Once
Juicebox
Someday
*Happy Birthday to Albert Hammond Jr.*
Reptilia
King Princess
Do You Wanna See Me Crying?
Too Bad
Little Brother
The Bend
Prophet
1950
Ohio