Red Hot Chili Peppers
Global Stadium Tour
Minute Maid Park
May 25, 2023
I was 12 years old when I received one of the best birthday presents ever: the iconic, bright yellow Sony Walkman “Sports” edition with Mega Bass. I carried that thing with me everywhere…. on the school bus, to the park, and even took it with me on those hot summer trips to AstroWorld. My knowledge of music expanded tremendously during this time, mostly because my best friend Derek would let me listen to albums that he owned or borrowed from his big brother.
One such album was Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The title alone made me feel like I was getting away with murder. My ultra Catholic mother would NEVER allow me to listen to something so sacrilegious and demonic. But as soon as I hit the play button, my world changed.
The energy and tone of “The Power Of Equality” hit me like a Mack truck, with a driven rock/funk bass line and in-your-face guitar riffs. The way Anthony Kiedis annunciated his verses with attitude and authority was simply mind-blowing to my young, virgin ears.
I’ve seen the Chili Peppers live twice before, once at Coachella in 2013 and again at ACL 2017, both really awesome sets, but I was definitely excited to finally see them here in Houston. Opening acts included Thundercat and The Strokes, which instantly made this one of the best line-ups to tour through H-Town in a long while.
The sun was still high in the sky when Thundercat took to the stage at 6:30pm. His set began with a cacophony of avant-garde acid jazz, which was both interesting and jarring to the early crowd that was still walking though security.
“Everyone is playing like their life depends on it today” exclaimed Thundercat after two rounds of jam session action. “Maybe it does!” he followed with a chuckle.
He proceeded to provide the fans with his hits “Funny Thing”, “Them Changes”, and “Dragonball Durag”, which are all definitely, as the kids say, “a vibe”.
The Strokes were next, and although the sun had finally started to creep behind the skyline, it was still very much light out. “Good evening, or should I say good afternoon” joked lead singer Julian Casablancas. Dressed in a cowboy boots, dark shades, a shirt that looked like the Texas flag, and a single glove on his right hand, Casablancas is the epitome of a rock star.
In a short, 30 minute set, The Strokes provided all of their greatest hits to the many die-hard fans in the crowd. I found myself strumming along on the air guitar to “Reptilia”, a by-product of the hours I spent playing Guitar Hero 3. Of course, the crowd went crazy when they performed “Last Nite”, and rightfully so.
“We’ve been in Texas for 2 weeks now, and we are going to miss y’all” confessed Casablancas near the end of the set. This was The Strokes’ last stop on tour with the Chili Peppers, and he took time to thank Kiedis, Flea, and the gang for having them.
By this time, the stadium was jam packed with fans ready to see RHCP. It was absolutely chaotic as lines for the restroom, beer, merch, and food snaked way back and around the venue. Then, at 5 minutes til 9pm, the lights dimmed for the headliner.
The stage was not established in right field for this show, but rather at an angle right in front of the batter’s eye in center field. The sound quality was good, but not great, although catching a concert inside a baseball stadium comes with such inconveniences.
After a round of cinematic music followed by a jam session, the band stared strong with “Can’t Stop” and “Scar Tissue”. Flea was loose and crazy as always, and Kiedis looked cool and loose, even with the medical boot on his often injured left leg.
The real star of the show was guitarist John Frusciante, who returned to the band in 2019 after a long hiatus. He smiled wide towards the crowd as he provided solos and riffs to the classic tracks, and introduced us to new riffs on “Aquatic Mouth Dance” and “Black Summer” from the new Unlimited Love album.
“We’re all moving to Texas!” proclaimed Kiedis mid-set. “John and Chad are setting up here in Houston, Flea and I are getting spots in Waco”. I think this was a tongue in cheek joke about Californians moving to Texas, but either way, true to silly, it enticed loud cheers and applause from the crowd.
“The coolest thing happened to me this morning” followed up Flea with a large grin. “I woke up with the Texas sun upon my skin!”. Texas loves you back, sir.
The stage setting for the Chili Peppers was super interesting and high tech. The LED screen that displayed their backgrounds extended all the way up and over the band’s head, and also curved down in front of the band and into the photo pit.
Near the end of the show, Flea and Frusciante took turns in a face to face jam session before ending with “Californication”. A sea of cell phone lights then begged for an encore, which resulted to be the fan favorite “Give It Away”.
Given that we were downtown, I was hoping to hear “Under The Bridge”, but maybe I will save that for my Walkman.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
