Red Hot Chili Peppers

Stadium Arcadium

It’s been too long since the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been on the road. Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante, bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith kicked off the set with an instrumental funk jam. Eventually a black-and-white-clad Anthony Kiedis arrived on stage and the party began. Frusciante's opening notes to "Can't Stop" sent the audience into a frenzy as Smith tossed a drum stick in the air. Four video screens with black-and-white footage of the band slowly arose from behind the drum kit, complementing the giant wall of lights that filled the back of the stage. A cascade of lights also ascended from the top of the stage and extended to the scoreboard in the middle of the arena.

It was hard to tell what was more popular with the crowd: Kiedis' punchy dancing, Frusciante's blistering guitar solos or Flea's slap-happy bass licks. During "Dani California," some fans played air guitar to Frusciante's parts, and others danced spastically to solos by Flea, who was dressed like a Cirque du Soleil character.

Adding to the 1-2-3 punch of the opening numbers, Kiedis segued into "Scar Tissue." Chandelier-like lights with hidden speakers and search lights descended from the ceiling and lit up the crowd. Proving his athletic prowess is still in tact, Kiedis ended the song with a handstand on Chad’s bass drum.

"Stadium Arcadium" was obviously a big part of the two-hour show, offering "Charlie," which delivered more heat than the album rendition, "Readymade," the title track and "Snow (Hey Oh)."

On the covers front, the Chili Peppers played a few bars of "London Calling," and later Frusciante sang an impressive rendition of Simon and Garfunkel's "For Emily (Wherever I May Find Her)."

The almost 20-song set also featured the melancholy "Soul to Squeeze," "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and "By the Way," during which red lights searched the audience, landing on random ticket holders. Encores included the mega-hits "Under the Bridge" and "Give It Away."