Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers at Optus Stadium

Red Hot Chili Peppers at Optus Stadium
w/ Post Malone
Sunday, February 12, 2023

With COVID finally in our rearview mirror concerts are back in a big way and bands don't get much bigger than the LA superstars Red Hot Chili Peppers. Put them together with global hip-hop star Post Malone, at the biggest venue in Perth, Optus Stadium, and you've got a recipe for a momentous evening.

Since forming way, way back in the early 80s, Red Hot Chili Peppers have been gurus of the LA funk/rap/ alternative rock genre and are infamous for their boundless energy and controversial crazy antics. They have some of the biggest hits in the world and they have influenced players all over the world with their musical ability and style. There are few bass players in the world that have inspired as many people as Flea. With the original line-up back on tour, namely John Frusciante, seeing the quintessential Chilis guitarist from their Mother's Milk and Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic era performing with the band was a very special treat.

When Post Malone took to the stage it was initially dampening to see that it was only him on stage performing to a backing track, as an accompanying band could have added a greater visual interest to the show. But that feeling was quickly extinguished when his performance kicked in and his vocal delivery was all-absorbing. The passion and ferocity that came out of this young man was remarkable, sometimes dropping to his knees to do the death metal growl move. Malone being the single focus is what made his performance. Together with his stage design and explosive pyrotechnics, it made for an engaging and exciting visual show.

Postie captivated the kids in the crowd and it was clear that a majority of the younger audience were in attendance just for him. It was a clever decision for the Chilis to bridge the generations and involve the younger music fans. He performed a massive set of 16 songs including his biggest hits Better Now, Psycho, rockstar, Sunflower and Circles. A lucky fan also got invited on stage to play acoustic guitar with him on track Stay. Seeing his songs performed live gave them new life as his strong vocal power pushed them from hip-hop/chillwave into hard rock territory. Anyone that scoffs at his use of autotune and doubts his ability as a singer will be put in their place in the face of his strong vocal projection.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers appeared on stage minus Kiedis and brought in the concert with an instrumental jam, which was great, but hardly an explosive opening to the set. Kiedis arrived on stage as the band kicked into the massive radio hit Can't Stop. The band was playing on what appeared to be some sort of neon Mobius strip that extended from the front of the stage to the very back behind the drums, up the backdrop and over the roof, providing some very intricate and psychoactive displays.

Scar Tissue and Snow (Hey Oh) came early on and made for some nice radio-friendly moments giving the anticipation that they were building to something big. A long stretch of new songs followed including The Drummer, Whatchu Thinkin', Tell Me Baby and Carry Me Home, which are all okay songs but they never felt like they achieved a good momentum, and too many in a row seemed to lose the crowd's interest.

Frusciante was on fire, his solos swung between atmospheric and shredding and his backing vocals were on point. He even showed off his singing talent by playing a solo version of Loggins and Messina's Danny's Song.

Flea was his usual explosion of excitement often screaming incoherently into his microphone and putting full gusto into his signature percussive and frantic bass playing. Chad Smith is a powerhouse on the drums. Solid, hard-hitting and firmly rooted in the groove, he brought the band together, and being the foundation of the energy behind the music, often straying slightly off path to give a little ad-lib flourish or roll.

Kiedis was focused on his role so much that he seemed disinterested or disconnected from the crowd. He was on stage when he needed to be, but off stage as soon as he was allowed to be. His first spoken words after the openers were to a stagehand where he should have been addressing the crowd. It may be his nature to be soft-spoken, but from a seasoned performer at his level, one would think that by now he would know how to work the crowd. Even the slightest engagement does wonders for the energy of the show, for the crowd to feel involved in the show is the difference between a good performance and a good time. Which made it seem that he was having an off night, but that being said his vocal performance was on point, on key and very impressive. There were times that he was quite animated, moving and spinning across the full length of the stage.

After the long stretch of mid-tempo new album tracks, Suck My Kiss finally pushed up a gear and was the first taste of some real over-the-top energy that the band are known for.

Nobody Weird Like Me came like a bolt out of the blue and was their most energetic and upbeat track, it was a surprising inclusion to the set being a deeper cut from the Mother’s Milk album, their furthest reach back into their long backlog of material. I Could Have Lied was another golden moment, another surprise deep cut from Blood Sugar, Sex Magic, but again we were back to the moderate tempo rock.

From there it was the fun and most classic style Chili Peppers “new song," Tippa My Tongue, the radio staple Californication and unremarkable Black Summer. Just when the energy had seemed to return for By The Way, Kiedis left the stage with the vague comment, “Thanks Perth, we love you for being you."

Of course, it was not the end, the band came back for the one and only Under The Bridge as the stadium lit up with phone lights, beaming faces and sing-alongs. Give It Away kicked in and finally there was that energy, but it was too little too late as Kiedis dropped his mic and the concert was over.

There is no question that the Chilis put on an excellent performance, in terms of technical proficiency they are world-class, but there was the feeling that the vibe just didn't quite get there, being that the new songs rarely get out of the soft-rock radio-friendly range. Perhaps they could work better in a more intimate setting, but in a stadium, from a stadium rock band, there was the expectation to be blown away. Sorry to all the Chilis fans out there but this night belonged to Postie.

ANTHONY JACKSON

Photos by Stu McKay