Red Hot Chili Peppers once again prove their undeniable impact on the world of rock music at Marvel Stadium on Tuesday, February 7 2023.
It’s very telling of the night you’ll have when a multi-platinum-selling superstar – one worthy of his own headline arena gig – kicks off the 7 pm support slot at a near-sold-out stadium show.
Kicking off the evening at Marvel Stadium ahead of the legendary rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, superstar rapper Post Malone began the show fittingly – “Said she tired of lil’ money, need a big boy”, triggering blue spotlights and thunderous applause accompanying ‘Wow’ as the musician strutted out donning a black tee and shorts get-up, a microphone and a red plastic cup never straying too far from his hands.
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A favourite from his fourth studio album Twelve Carat Toothache, the fun, carefree bop ‘I Like You (A Happier Song)’ introduced energised dance moves from the crowd, before Posty belts out “Melbourne how the fuck we feeling? My name is Austin Richard Post and I’m here to play you guys some shitty songs and get a little fucked up while we do it” to introduce the night in power.
“I also wanted to say thank you so much for coming out tonight, it means the fucking world to me. Thank you so much for hanging out with me… I’m going to shut the fuck up now so we can party.”
Skulling the remainder of his cup (a move we saw many times throughout the night), Posty launched into his 2018 post-breakup hit ‘Better Now’, pairing his variegated vocals with goofy, albeit electric, dance moves. Without missing a beat, crowd echoes of ‘shoey’ quickly saw Posty ditch his plastic cup for a shoe thrown up on stage by a crowd member. Thunderous applause and sporting woos ensued as he transferred the remains of his beverage, drinking without a qualm. “I love Australia so much. He’s to Posty he’s True Blue.”
Continuing on the journey of Malone’s brand of cloudy urban pop, Posty dived into some older tracks with the likes of ‘Psycho’, ‘Candy Paint’ and ‘Goodbyes’ before launching into my personal highlight of the night in ‘I Fall Apart’. Armed with his signature raspy, soulful delivery, this raw cut saw the artist putting every single emotion onto that stage. Grasping the microphone for dear life and dripping in passion, the singer dropped to his knees, undeniably giving absolutely everything to this performance. Here his voice doesn’t just draw you in, it grabs a hold and yanks you into a new place – a place in which you’re at the mercy of Malone’s voice.
Following that goosebump-inducing performance, the crowd were gifted a momentary reprieve with ‘Stay’ performed on acoustic by Toby Freeman, ‘Circles’, a mini-metal gig in ‘Take What You Want’ featuring vocals from English singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne, plumes of smoke and pyrotechnics, ‘rockstar’, ‘Cooped Up’, ‘Sunflower’, the track from the animated Spider-Man flick, and ‘One Right Now’. Supported by a video wall with grainy shots from the performance, moments see Posty casually taking drags from his lighted cigarette and bending down high-fiving and interacting with front-row devotees, to smashing his guitar to shreds after he’s done with it – a true riot.
Posty closed with 2016’s ‘Congratulations’ and 2015’s ‘White Iverson’, the debut single that shot him to prominence globally is now an anthem amongst fans and rightly so, as shots of flames erupt behind him, sending his unending love to the crowds that came out tonight.
“Live your life, live your dreams and live your truth. It doesn’t matter what the fuck you want to do, just do it as hard as you can and keep spreading love ladies and gentlemen… just keep being yourself because yourself is so fucking beautiful, keep fucking crushing it.”
Throughout the entire performance, the multi-platinum-selling superstar remained humble, appreciative, genuine, confident, comfortable and hilarious, proving himself not only a popular music visionary but also an incredible entertainer.
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Now, the main event. I’ve been kicking myself ever since missing Red Hot Chili Peppers in Geelong in March 2019, so when news dropped the band were bringing their global stadium tour to Australia, I was in and undeniably keen for my first RHCP experience.
Marking their first visit to Australia in four years, and the return of guitarist and all-around cosmic musician John Frusciante to the group, there’s been a lot of noise about the tour over the past week with the band receiving a blasting of criticism for their choice in the setlist. Performing in both Sydney and Brisbane, the Chili Peppers received mixed reactions from fans as they delivered a show lacking many of their biggest Aussie hits including ’90s classics like ‘Suck My Kiss’, ‘All My Friends’ and ‘Under The Bridge’ in favour of cuts from their new album.
It’s a tough spot for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who have soundtracked successive generations as not only one of the bestselling acts in music history but also one of the biggest streaming rock bands in the world today. With four decades worth of music to choose from, and new music to promote, it’s far-reaching to just expect a ‘greatest hits’ performance.
In saying that, the band copped the negative feedback on the chin and made some tweaks to their setlist for their Melbourne show at Marvel, delivering a masterful set, see-sawing between deep-cuts, fan favourites and a handful of tracks from their new album Unlimited Love.
The set kicked off with an epic extended opening jam session, reminding us of the tightness and chemistry between its members. Mesmerising a packed stadium, guitarist Frusciante did what he does best, perfecting a squealing solo blending precision with such fluidity while the legendary, and downright crazy, bass player Flea and the articulate drummer Chad Smith deliver a rocking rhythm section.
Their musicianship is unparalleled and the extended intro jam was the perfect taster for what was to come, with singer Anthony Kiedis emerging on the stage to the roar of thousands. The picture of composure, the band launched into the 2002 anthem ‘Can’t Stop’, with its distinctly recognisable kicky punk-funk guitar riff and pulsating bass.
It was instantly affirmed: the group, who have been pioneers of the punk/funk/alt-rock scene since the early ‘80s, taking LA’s grimy musical underworld by storm, still have it, continuing to make an undeniable impact on the world of rock music.
With the mission statement set, the band continued with a run of recognisable, juiced-up songs, including 2002’s ‘Universally Speaking’ and 2006’s ‘Tell Me Baby’, plus a sprinkling of 2022 tracks in ‘Here Ever After’, ‘These Are The Ways’, and ‘The Drummer’.
‘Snow (Oh Hey)’ was a clear standout with its trademark Frusciante riff and Kiedis’ unique vocals, while a cover of Loggins & Messina’s ‘Danny’s Song’ performed solo by Frusciante was an incredibly special and genuine moment, his soulful playing utterly entrancing the entire crowd.
With the familiar sight of Kiedis front and centre, Smith giving a thunderous performance up the back on the drum kit, the ever-adventurous Flea on brain-melting bass duties, armed with quirky banter and wild grooves, and Frusciante delivering unforgettable guitar solos, this was a perfectly in-sync Chili Peppers, albeit a little rough around the edges.
Photo Credit: David Mushegain
At about the halfway mark, the band began to hit their stride, taking their performance up a notch, delivering ‘Tippa My Tongue’, 1993’s ‘Soul To Squeeze’ with its dreamy Kiedis chorus hook and mellow, mystical vibe only elevated on the live stage, plus ‘Fake as Fu@k’ and ‘Hard To Concentrate’.
The band were determined that if they were giving us nostalgia – which, as evidenced by the remaining songs on the set, they were – it was going to be exciting. The crowd erupted to the Chili Pepper’s most primal song, 1991’s ‘Suck My Kiss’, while sing-alongs were ensured with two of their most enduring hits in 1999’s ‘Californication’ and the 2002 classic ‘By The Way’ rounded out the main event.
The band also threw in ‘Black Summer’, lifted from their latest album, which proved to be a hit despite being widely unknown to the audience. With Flea’s slinking bassline and Frusciante’s melodic but in-your-face chords, it’s classic RHCP-sounding, proving a clever and entirely necessary addition to the set.
Returning to the stage for an overwhelming encore, continued intensity and loss of shirts, the Chili Peppers – with their indisputable chemistry in overdrive – delivered ‘Under The Bridge’ and ‘Give It Away’ which saw the stage set to vibrant psychedelic visuals, as the Chili Peppers delivered a final and fitting conclusion to an incredible night of amazing funk-rock music and undeniably energy.
“Until we meet again. Be good to each other.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers Setlist Melbourne – Marvel Stadium
Intro Jam
Can’t Stop
Universally Speaking
Here Ever After
Snow ((Hey Oh))
These Are the Ways
The Drummer
Tell Me Baby
Danny’s Song (Loggins & Messina cover) (John solo)
Tippa My Tongue
Soul to Squeeze
Fake as Fu@k
Hard to Concentrate
Suck My Kiss
Californication
Black Summer
By the Way
Encore:
Under the Bridge
Give It Away
Tickets are still available to the Thursday night performance in Melbourne here.
