|
|||||
| concert reviews | cd reviews | interviews | features | ticket swap | music news |
 Anthony Keidis |
 Cee-Lo |
 Flea & Anthony Keidis |
|
Story and photos by Phil Bonyata Believe it or not the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been together for nearly 25 years. It doesn't seem that long ago that the Rolling Stones celebrated their 25th anniversary. The question is - how does a band that has been together for so long remain fresh and relevant? Sure their place in rock history is a lock and load. They created an intoxicating musical stew of punk and funk that was never more alive then their explosive and innovative live performances. Their influence on the music scene is without a doubt one of the most important in the last 25 years. Their 1991 album Blood Sugar Sex Magik is perhaps one of the 10 best rock albums ever made. But what went wrong on the way to the bank? The Stones lost their creative edge shortly after 1981's Tattoo You and the Peppers seemed to have lost theirs after 1999's Californication. Their last two albums By the Way and Stadium Arcadium have shifted the band's focus away from their super-charged funk/punk mixed with well-crafted and tight melodies for a formulaic laid back pop balladry. Question is can the Peppers still raise the roof on stage like they did in the early and middle '90s?At the Bradley Center bassist Flea and guitarist John Frusciante ripped into a rousing opener with buzzing and rippling guitars and frantic "running from the cops" basslines on "Can't Stop." Lead singer Anthony Keidis then brought the melody back in on "Dani California" from Stadium Arcadium. While laden with Keidis' signature ping pong delivered rap poetry. On "Scar Tissue" the band let the ladies in the audience know that now they are the focus, with sappy lyrics and modular and accesible chord structures dominating the song. The stage was simple except for the wall of neon lights set in the back that created a rich and coloful backdrop to the band's stage antics. Buzzing through numbers like "Parallel Universe," "Ready Made" and "Charlie" all from the double disc Stadium Arcadium the bands' energy seemed to wane. "By the Way" picked things up with Flea wildly leading the circus of sound into a tribal jungle feast. While on the Pepper's earlier work, the band still played with a chaotic freshness, except for Keidis.  He has seemed to have lost the passion to be the frontman he once was. Granted a lot of the newer material is far more melodic and subdued - he still couldn't muster the old magic on such hard hitters as "If You Have to Ask" and encore closer "Give It Away" - both from Blood Sugar Sex Magik.While the the Red Hot Chili Peppers' day in the creative sun is over (as with most innovative bands who have been together for too long) the boys' are now on cruise control and direct deposit. Gnarls Barkley, featuring small, but well rounded singer Cee-Lo and DJ Danger Mouse, opened the set with mixed results. The ever-changing costume clad duo (they have dressed as "A Clockwork Orange" characters, tennis players, gladiators, "Star Wars" characters among others) were dressed as doctors in long white coats (I'd sure like to try whatever perscription they might be wiiling to call in to Walgreens). The backing band was a bit overblown and fuzzy and at times mostly unnecessary. But when the moments counted like on the pop gem "Crazy" and the Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" which focused on Cee-Lo's spirtually charged soul and Danger Mouse's strangely dense, chaotic beats and eerily vivid soundscapes the music was pure magic. Gnarls Barkley may indeed be on the verge of breaking down musical boundaries. Only question is - what will they wear next? |
 John Frusciante |
 Cee-Lo |
 Flea |
 Flea |
 Cee-Lo |
 Anthony Keidis |
 Danger Mouse |
 Flea & John Frusciante |
 Cee-Lo & Danger Mouse |
 Cee-Lo |
 Cee-Lo |
 Gnarls Barkley band |
 Chad Smith |
 Danger Mouse |
 Anthony Keidis |