Red Hot Chili Peppers bring the hits to Bonnaroo and tell the Manchester crowd to meet them at Waffle House later
After making an impromptu stop to jam at a honky-tonk on Broadway in downtown Nashville Friday night, Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith joined the rest of his bandmates to light up the What Stage at Bonnaroo Saturday night.
Chili Peppers', singer Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, guitarist John Frusciante and Smith, took the stage at 10:45 p.m. Saturday night and rolled through crowd favorites as well as some newer material until after midnight.
After a cinematic pre-recorded intro, the four bandmates launched into a jam and then dropped right into the all-too familiar riff of "Can't Stop." Flea, dressed in a very L.A. Lakers-themed purple man skirt with one purple and one yellow sock, told the crowd the band was grateful to be at Bonnaroo and then proceeded to steal the show with his thumping bass licks.
Kiedis, who was wearing an orthopedic boot on his left foot with a knee brace on the other leg, certainly didn't have any issues with his vocals, which sounded as good as they ever did. He kept the small talk to a minimum and allowed the band to get down to business. He did, however, invite the crowd to join them for "a little after party at the Waffle House in Manchester," if anyone wanted to join them later.
Massive video screens showed scenes of the band often blurred by trippy graphics and special effects.
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The show was everything fans wanted including hits "Californication," "Under the Bridge," "Snow" and "Give It Away." Well, almost everything. Some fans might have missed hits such as "Scar Tissue," "Dani California," and "Otherside," which were eliminated from the night's setlist.
There was no unnecessary bells and whistles. No drum solo. No political speeches. No special guests. Just the funky, bass-driven grooves laced with 80s California surf culture vibes.
After a short intermission, Kiedis returned to the stage in a white cowboy hat and the band rolled through hits "Under the Bridge" and "Give it Away."
As the band left the stage, Smith stepped from behind the drum kit and walked up to the mic, saying "Thank you so much for coming tonight. We love you all so much."
It was a great way to cap off the festival's biggest night.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Bonnaroo Setlist
"Can't Stop
"The Zephyr Song"
"Aquatic Mouth Dance"
"Snow (Hey Oh)"
"Eddie"
"I Like Dirt"
"Soul to Squeeze"
"Tippa My Tongue"
"Me and My Friends"
"The Heavy Wing"
"Californication"
"Black Summer"
"By the Way"
Encore
"Under the Bridge"
"Give It Away"
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Red Hot Chili Peppers bring hits to Bonnaroo, shout out Waffle House
