Some people are scared of aging; I am one of those people.
Age is something everyone cannot escape; everyone except for the guys in the
Red Hot Chili Peppers. These men are pushing 50 years old but are still rocking
out as if they were the young fresh faced boys from the late 80’s.
On Friday night I
attended their first of two sold out shows at the Air Canada Centre. These men
have been touring the world and making kick ass music for over thirty years so
the crowd at the show was a mix of everyone of all ages and different
backgrounds.
Their opening act was the dance-punk dou Sleigh Bells. We’ve
all heard that song of theirs on MTV Live called Infinity Guitars. Their sound
isn’t for everyone which is probably the reason why less than one quarter of
the entire audience showed up for the opening. I would have enjoyed their set
if I could actually hear the lead singer’s voice because other than that, the
overwhelming eardrum popping crash of the bass for 30 minutes left me with a
headache that turned me off from beer for the night.
Finally at around 9:15pm the Chilis took to the stage with
the sold out crowd eagerly waiting. The energy from the crowd was a vibe that
infected everyone. If the aisles weren’t as packed as a Japanese subway then I
would have showcased my incredible air drum and air guitar skills with no
shame. Anthony, Flea, Chad and newest member Josh performed an incredible show
that made my six year wait for a concert worth every second. The men who could technically
be my fathers, easily jumped around moshing and performing at studio calibre for
an hour and a half. Whatever is in their water, I need some!
They performed new and old songs, crowd pleasers and
nostalgic tunes. The set list is as follows:
·
Monarchy of Roses
·
Can’t Stop
·
Dani California
·
Otherside
·
Look Around
·
Throw Away Your Television
·
Hard to Concentrate
·
The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie
·
Right On Time
·
You Have To Ask
·
Factory of Faith
·
Under the Bridge
·
Higher Ground
·
Californication
·
By the Way
·
Around the World
·
Meet Me At the Corner
·
Give it Away
Some quick concert observation shout outs: the couple
grinding on each other all concert; the drunk couple pretty much re-enacting a
scene from the Notebook while blocking the stairway (YOLO); the drunk 15 year
old girls chatting up older men in exchange for alcohol; the guy who came to
the concert alone sat beside me quietly all show and then moshed the fuck out
during Give It Away; all the people who provided the joints being passed
around; and the guy wearing pants inspired by Flea in Higher Ground.
