Elly Roberts reviews

CD: Greatest Hits (CD + DVD) Stadium rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers blasted their way through two hours of a scintillating show in Manchester. It’s a case of better late than never for the LA band formed in 1984. After years of cult status in the States, they’ve finally delivered the goods and hit the big time. Sixty thousand frenzied fans flocked into the City of Manchester Stadium to see them do their thing. Two highly successful albums and some great singles over the past couple of years has seen them hit the stratosphere, and come of age. Arguably THE band of the moment, they stormed the arena with their unique blend of Punk and Funk. Taking their cues from James Brown (their support), Sly Stone, The Slits and Frank Zappa, they’ve blended a unique sound. Throbbing the masses with tracks primarily taken from their best selling albums By The Way and Californication, they have turned into a highly acceptable, and dare I say it, mainstream act. As bassist Flea (right) hit the stage to do a thumping solo, the crash barrier was surged by thousands of hysterical teenagers.

Bodies were removed at a rate of knots .What is it about the Chili’s that causes such as commotion? In the past they’ve been dogged by tragedy, drug abuse, personnel changes, and lewd behaviour. These events have overshadowed their musical credibility, but they’ve gained their reputation as a great live act. Then something happened. Popsters All Saints covered Under The Bridge in 1998, and did it to get them noticed. In 1999, the single and album Californication took them a step further. Out came the album By The Way in 2002, a couple of lifted singles - By The Way and Zephyr Song, and things were hotting up again. Selling a million copies here and the States, it’s outstanding in every department. On stage they love to showboat , jumping, strutting and air – splits, they simply command attention. Musically they’re driven by Flea’s mesmerising bass work: in reality he’s the foundation for their new found success. Diminutive, muscled and tattooed singer Anthony Kiedis (right) added rich vocals and chants, as he held a ‘Boston Crab‘ on the mic. Guitarist John Frusciante textured with rippling and wailing riffs and picks. Drummer Chad Smith pounded away on the sticks as everything came together beautifully – and it was very loud.

There’s a high degree of ethnicity about their music - it’s infectious and very catchy without ‘selling – out ‘. Glorious harmonies kick – in at unexpected points making them a masterful piece of musical DNA. Every song was greeted with hysteria, both on the pitch and in the stands. Great song after song rolled out – Around The World, Otherside, Universally Speaking and Get On Top. In the middle they did an oldie, Brandy, an out and out mellow pop ditty, and new track Rolling Sly Stone, again featuring dazzling bass beats from Flea. By now the crowd was literally at boiling point as they jumped to the beats, and the band was loving every minute of it. Moving on with pace, they hit Californication which drew a massive response, with the entire crowd singing along. At this point ominous storm clouds had gathered, but the gods were kind to them. As they headed for the end, the lightshow went into overdrive, and video screens flashed images into the darkness. Opening the encore, Flea played a peculiar trumpet solo with effects, dedicated to Ray Charles. Then it was rock all the way to the end, with Black Cross and Give It Away. Fantastic night out – bring them back ASAP !

"Godfather of Soul" James Brown (right) was a great warm-up. For a solid hour he rolled out his hits, Sex Machine, Papas’ Got A Brand New Bag, It’s A Man’s World et al. He never fails to impress with his tight band, backing singers, and stage antics. He’s a superb performer, but not a stadium act.

Review & pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004.

DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.

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