September 5, 2000

San Diego Coors Amphitheater

One band that doesn't spend its holidays on the sofa watching [b]MTV[/b]...

Although its Labor Day, a holiday that celebrates beer guzzling and reduced brain activity, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are working overtime. And there are 20,000 watchful eyes in the crowd tonight making sure no-one leaves the stage early.

But this is nothing new to a band whose 16-year history and party animal reputation generate high expectations from their demographically diverse fans. It's not unlikely some guy in a faded Supertramp shirt is pontificating to a group of high school cheerleaders about how RHCPs gonna rock, just as frontman Anthony Kiedis pounces onto the stage. Bare-chested and ready to lay down some serious funk, Kiedis, in addition to guitarist John Frusciante and bassist Flea, each sport their own variations of a mohawk.

The Chili Peppers open with 'Around The World' from 'Californication'. This weekend marks the band's first Southern California appearance since the album was released last year. The reaction comes in a unanimous roar of approval, and the boys rely heavily on this record, following up with the forlorn ballad 'Scar Tissue', the equally melancholy 'Otherside' and the speedy 'I Like Dirt'.

All work and no play would make John Frusciante a dull pepper. Taking the reins, Frusciante reaches into his own bag of tricks, his 1995 solo effort 'Niandra LaDes And Usually Just A T-Shirt'. The whiny guitar and thick vocals (tooth-loss from heroin abuse is to blame) are a welcome change after all that psychedelic funk. Naming your song 'Your Pussy's Glued To A Building On Fire' doesn't hurt either.

Ant is now back on the mic, divulging the obvious with 'Californication', a mid-tempo number coupled with an animated video that undresses Hollywood's obsession with sex. The Chili Peppers wrap it up with some of the tunes that put them on the alternative-icon list, like 'Suck My Kiss' and 'Me And My Friends'.

Seems Anthony Kiedis and crew still know how to get the place jumping, proving this is one band that doesn't spend its holidays on the sofa watching MTV.