Just because three of the four Red Hot Chili Peppers are now in their 60s, that doesn’t mean they’ve grown up.
After all, manic bassist Flea handstand-walked his way onto the U.S. Bank Stadium stage Saturday night and proceeded to perform the show clad in nothing more than sneakers and a purple skirt.
But for all the forced wackiness of RHCP, their concerts tend to be darker and gloomier than one might expect, and Saturday was no different with an odd, stilted pace and a rough sound mix that buried the vocals in mountains of bass.
The big news these days is the return of guitarist John Frusciante, who played on the band’s biggest albums and is now in his third run with the guys. The show opened with Frusciante, Flea and drummer Chad Smith tearing through an instrumental jam. And Frusciante was clearly having the time of his life, thrashing away at his six-string while trying to keep up with Flea’s fast fingers. It set the pace for a show filled with extended solos and guitar noodling throughout.
If Frusciante was the hero of the night — and he definitely was — the band succeeded in spite of lead singer Anthony Kiedis, who is one of the least compelling frontmen of his generation. It doesn’t help that his greasy, dyed-black bangs cover his eyes and he holds the microphone in a manner that obscures much of the rest of his face. He had the look, and vibe, of a sullen, petulant teenager (with lots of wrinkles).
Frusciante’s return to the fold led to a pair of new albums that came out last year, “Unlimited Love” and “Return of the Dream Canteen.” Despite a total of 34 songs and a two and a half hour running time, the records don’t add much to the band’s legacy and, in some cases like the single “The Drummer,” actually harm it. They slipped in several new ones Saturday night, with the likes of “These Are the Ways” and “Tippa My Tongue” sounding even more bland and aimless live than on tape.
The audience connected with the hits — “Dani California,” “Scar Tissue,” “Under the Bridge” — and cheered on Frusciante during his solos as well as his lovely solo take on Elton John’s “Your Song” backed solely by his own electric guitar.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers usually bring unexpected opening acts. When they were last here in 2017, it was the band’s original drummer Jack Irons and New Orleans’ Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue. Saturday, queer pop star King Princess opened to a mostly empty stadium. More folks had filtered in for the Strokes, who played their first local show in 17 years.
The band sounded terrific and every bit as loose-but-tight as ever. Lead singer Julian Casablancas, however, tried his hardest to derail any momentum. Sometimes he crooned, but he mostly moaned his way through “Soma,” “The Modern Age” and “Juicebox.” Between songs, he mumbled incoherently and, in general, seemed to want to be anywhere but on stage.
