The Red Hot Chili Peppers weren’t taking any of it for granted.
“We are deeply grateful and savoring every nanosecond of this,” Flea said to the 50,000-plus fans assembled in front of the band on Friday night.
The otherworldly bassist and his three fellow Red Hot Chili Peppers — vocalist Anthony Kiedis, drummer Chad Smith and returning guitarist John Frusciante — then went about showing their gratitude as they rocked the capacity crowd at Levi’s Stadium with an assortment of top hits and newer cuts.
It was a triumphant showing by these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, who were in fine form from the moment they took the stage at around 8:50 p.m. and launched into a ferocious jam that really showcased the fret work of the amazing Frusciante, who is making the most of his third stint with the iconic Los Angeles funk-rock outfit.
As the swirling jam hit its peak, Flea and Smith’s deep rhythm work took over, quickly followed by perhaps Frusciante’s most memorable riff, and then Kiedis drew a roar from the crowd as he bounced into action and began singing the opening lines to “Can’t Stop.”
The Chili Peppers were just in manic energy mode at the start of the show, taking the title of the opening number to heart as they continued to roll through a superb take on “Dani California” — the first of a half-dozen numbers that the band would perform on this night from the brilliant 2006 double album “Stadium Arcadium.”
The group also devoted a goodly amount of time to its most recent release, “Unlimited Love,” which hit stores back in April. The band performed four songs off that album — its 12th outing to date — starting with an impressive run through “These Are the Ways,” which came sandwiched between a couple of old favorites, “Universally Speaking” and “She’s Only 18.”
Unfortunately, the band did not preview any of the material off its upcoming 13th album, which is reportedly called “Return of the Dream Canteen” and due out this fall.
Yet, it was hard for fans to quibble about wasn’t played since they were so busy grooving along to such solid offerings as “Snow (Hey Oh),” “Tell Me Baby” and “Black Summer” — the latter being a true standout track from the new album.
Through it all, of course, was Flea — delivering one jaw-dropping moment on bass after another.
The rhythms that he manages to coax/coerce from his instrument are absolutely amazing, as he continues to redefine and expand the place of the bass in popular music.
The group closed the main set in terrific fashion, offering up a golden “Californication” that paired for a potent doubleheader with “Give It Away.”
The Chili Peppers topped an overall cool evening of music, which kicked off at right around 6:30 p.m. with SoCal bassist extraordinaire Thundercat. The Grammy-winning soul-jazz-funk artist, known for his own solo catalog as well as for his work with Kendrick Lamar and other notable musicians, used his time to showcase his latest album, 2020’s “It Is What It Is,” to fans as they entered the stadium and began finding their seats.
Following Thundercat was none other than Beck, who took the stage as the crowd was still filling out and began to deliver a steady stream of cool numbers. The singer-songwriter, who said this was one of only two U.S. shows that he was scheduled to do with his band this year, hit his stride as the set closed with the dynamite doubleheader of “Loser” and “Where It’s At.”
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