Red Hot Chili Peppers made a Detroit stop on August 14 as part of their massive stadium tour supporting their latest album Unlimited Love. Back with the band is guitarist John Frusciante whose first two stints with the band produced arguably their most successful work.
Detroit is always a homecoming concert for drummer Chad Smith having grown up in Bloomfield Hills Michigan and even for Anthony Kiedis who spent his first eleven years in Grand Rapids Michigan.
The shows have all started with a jam before Kiedis enters the stage to either Can’t Stop or in the case of last night, Around the World, both high energy tunes that really get the crowd going. Flea’s boundless energy is something everyone comes to expect at their shows. The guy is 60 years old and gives more than most people half his age. He dashes and jumps around the stage like some kind of kangaroo and for the encore he came out doing a walking handstand.
The set included several new songs from Unlimited Love as well as pulling heavily from Californication, By the Way and Stadium Arcadium. Flea dedicated the song Tell Me Baby to former Detroit Tiger manager Sparky Anderson and Chad saluted the home team with a big Detroit Tigers D on his bass drum skin. There was also a shout out to George Clinton who was a huge inspiration to the band and one of their early producers. The show ended heavy on the hits with Californication, Give It Away, Under the Bridge and By the Way.
Chad always likes to address the fans at the end of the Detroit shows and tell them how much it means to him to be playing in his hometown and living the rock and roll dream. This night he told the massive crowd that his mother was still rocking at 95 and was at the show and brought her out to huge cheers.
New York post-punk revival band The Strokes opened as well as L.A. progressive R&B/funk bassist Thundercat. It was a great blend of music and there were a lot of Strokes fans in the crowd. I think the largest venue The Strokes played in Detroit before Sunday was The State Theatre. Thundercat played to the sparse early crowd, which was a shame because the guy can really play!
The Chilis have another double album coming out in the fall, Return of the Dream Canteen, and the stadium tour continues across the U.S. into September.
Red Hot Chili Peppers with The Strokes and Thundercat
Comerica Park
Detroit, MI
August 14, 2022
All photos by Dan Boshart
Red Hot Chili Peppers:
The Strokes:
Thundercat:
