It's obligitory - especially when you're playing an area show - to make some comment to the audience to make them feel like you've got some sort of connection with the home crowd. Sometimes, however, rockstars have kind of a struggle relating to their Utah audiences. For example, in 1997, I witnessed Billy Corgan dedicate rock ballad "Disarm" to the "Utah Jazz's quest for their first NBA title. " Clever, but nothing compared to Anthony Kiedis name checking Utah cities - Ogden, Provo, and Hooper. Hooper! Now that's doing your homework.
(For those of you who are unfamiliar with the metropolis, Hooper is located in scenic Weber County, is home to just under 4,000 people and occupies 11.5 square miles. If you looking for a date, head to Hooper - 25 percent of the population is currently unmarried.)
If you want an exhaustive and uninteresting review of last night's Red Hot Chili Peppers show at the Delta Center, click here. If you want my unimportant observations, please read on.
1. People at concerts love beer. They get so excited, it's like they've never seen a beer before and will never see one again. That's why they are willing to wait in ridiculously long lines and pay ridiculous prices. After they finally get their two beers - one for each hand - they're so excited to get back to their friends (the loser friend always has to get the beer for everyone and is in huge a hurry to get back to their "friends," you know, so everyone will think they're cool) that they invariably spill about half of the beer by the time they reach their destination.
2. Even though Anthony Kiedis is the face of the RHCP, he was not the star of the show. Neither was Flea (Do you remember that Flea was in that Pauly Shore movie "Son in Law?"). All eyes were on guitarist John Frusciante. Even when his parts took a backseat, he was still driving the show.
Also, the real difference between the old Peppers (Bloodsugarsexmagik and earlier) and the new Peppers (Californication to current) is that Frusciante has decided to make RHCP his band. He's running that band, I guarantee it.
3. Flea is the best in the biz. Frusciante is even better.
4. Drummer Chad Smith chooses to wear a royal blue, one-piece jumpsuit on stage. He could wear anything and that's what he wears. What a rockstar! He looks like Will Farrell. As a drummer, he couldn't be more solid.
5. After RHCP basically disappeared after One Hot Minute thanks to everyone's drug habits, the band didn't even have a record deal. When they reunited with Frusciante they were just rehearsing in one of the guy's garage in California. Could you imagine walking your dog around the block and hearing "Scar Tissue" or "Other Side" blasting out of your neighbor's garage? (I bet it sounded even better than last night, which is hard to imagine.)
6. After playing for more than 2 straight hours, Flea and Frusciante looked like they would just get in the bus, pick up their instruments and keep playing.
7. It's pretty impressive when you can play to an audience that is equal part 20-year-fans and 15-year-old kids. To me, musically, that is the true definition of "still relevant."
Oh, and as far as a review of the show goes - it was great.
2 comments:
What? No comment on your date for the evening?
Apparently his "date" didn't make much of an impression or perhaps his "date" was one of those beer lovers who spend all night waiting in line for a precious beer.
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