A few weeks back, two good friends of mine asked if I would like to go see Red Hot Chili Peppers in Manchester. With the chance for a couple of days off work, some beers with friends and a support lineup of Thundercat and A$AP Rocky, I could only say yes.
Under 27-degree summer heat, we headed for some bottomless chicken wings, fries and beers at a local classic American joint called Bunny Jacksons. If you’re local to Manchester, you will probably know of it but if you aren’t, it is a bar with a vintage American rock ’n’ roll aesthetic, a great selection of drinks and a soundtrack that certainly supports the vibe. We devoured enough salt and pepper, buffalo and barbecue wings to get our money's worth before we even start considering beers, cocktails and fries all whilst listening to some classic rock ’n’ roll.
For a band well into their 50s and 60s, RHCP are still rocking and aren’t showing signs of slowing up. The energy from Flea and drummer Chad Smith was contagious and admirable, Anthony Kiedis’ voice was as good as ever and John Frusciante absolutely shredded some guitar solos that made the crowd break out into rapturous applause on multiple occasions. A mixture of songs followed their initial Joy Division tribute introduction, including hits Californication, Snow (Hey Oh) and Dani California alongside some of their newer, lesser-known stuff.
Before the band appeared on stage, a message was emblazoned across the big screen to the right of the stage. It read “Due to unforeseen circumstances, A$AP Rocky will now play immediately after Red Hot Chili Peppers”. A strange precedent was set for the gig from there on out. A support act performing after the main act is a weird concept and it showed throughout the night. Red Hot Chili Peppers came on at their usual time after what seemed an awfully long break between Thundercat and them due to the absence of the other support act. The fact they came on at the same time didn’t sit right with me, especially as Rocky was performing after them and venues hold a curfue. The atmosphere was a nice one, it wasn’t claustrophic, it wasn’t too rowdy. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Everyone but the two guys next to us who had clearly had too much beer beforehand, leading to some sick and a passing out. ‘Suck my Kiss’ was a personal highlight of mine, with the crowd loving the fun aggressiveness that song possesses whenever the chorus comes.
It dawned on us at the time that the gig was edging slowly to its climax with a subconscious thought of disappointment lurking. And that it did. It ended without a performance of Can’t Stop, Under the Bridge, The Zephyr Song or Scar Tissue. Four songs that are firmly cemented in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ legacy were omitted. The theory at the time was that this was due to A$AP Rocky’s tardiness, which is unforgivable. It wasn’t til after that we learnt they were never going to perform Can’t Stop and Under the Bridge wasn’t actually performed due to the aforementioned tardiness. We asked each other after that, due to the circumstances, should they have switched out some songs for these anthems? Especially as during the segment of newer stuff, the crowd lulled and the atmosphere seemed slightly drained at times. For a band that has been around as long as they have, it seems a mistake to not include some big-hitters when on tour.
The most frustrating thing is, just days later in London, they opened with Can’t Stop and finished on Under the Bridge. Shoutout to them for putting on a good show in Manchester and for still going hard on stage but man, I was robbed of seeing two of my favourite songs.
