Band brings chart-topping hits, high-energy to sold-out Colonial Life Arena this weekend
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They came in skintight red sequin shorts, bunny ears and shiny pleather platform boots laced up to the knee. They came in faded T-shirts, pastel Polos and snapback caps coolly rotated to show off their favorite teams from behind. They came for a taste of the Chili Peppers, and some even dressed to match.
"We made our own shirts," said one-half of a matching couple as she gently fingered the beaded fringe at the bottom of her homemade Red Hot Chili Peppers tee. Her look-alike partner nodded adamantly, holding out his handiwork to be admired by the passing crowd. "That's just what you do for your favorite band."
Sure, Columbia is known for being "famously hot," but things got even more heated when the Red Hot Chili Peppers invaded the Colonial Life Arena on Saturday night. Originally scheduled for Jan. 28, the concert was delayed while lead singer Anthony Kiedis underwent foot surgery for injuries he'd sustained on the band's Stadium Arcadium tour. And after a two-month wait, fans of the Los Angeles funk rockers came out in full force in the 75-degree weather, filling the paid parking lots with preshow festivities long before the band was slated to take the stage. Rows of popped trunks and pitched canopies clustered the lots outside the arena, with Red Hot revelers milling between cars, singing along to their favorite tunes blasting from thudding speakers.
The inside of the Colonial Life Arena was almost insulated from the rowdy crowd outdoors. Fans flocked to the stands of concert merchandise, shelling out upward of $85 for a piece of Chili Pepper memorabilia. A few old-school RHCP T-shirts also made the rounds at the arena, faded and torn from years of wear after their glory days in the early 1990s. The difference in chosen attire was a metaphor for the crowd itself; young teenage fans still wet behind the ears tagged along behind die-hard RHCP parents, and clumps of 20- to 30-somethings penetrated the already-growing audience.
Although the show was sold out before the original date, seats in the arena were only half-filled by the time the band's chosen opener, Santigold, began her performance. Framed by identical backup dancers who mirrored her every move, the singer stayed true to her quirky, punk style — and also her nickname. Donning everything from shiny gold glasses to leggings and even a golden streamer cape that flickered with light as the singer bounded across the stage, Santigold even shared a little-known fact with the crowd.
"I think this our first time ever in Columbia," she shouted into the microphone as the crowd erupted into screams. "We're having a freaking great time!"
Bathed in a golden glow on stage, she ran through fan favorite hits like "L.E.S. Artistes" and even debuted fresh material from her upcoming album before inviting the screaming throng of fans who had congealed at the front of the stage to dance along for her final song, "Creator." Even though Santigold's performance could have been easily overpowered by the boisterous crowd clamoring for their seats, the singer's fusion of reggae, electronica, pop and hip-hop tunes was the perfect way to get the crowd warmed up for what was to come.
Fifteen minutes later, the arena was flowing with fans, slowly ambling up and down the aisles with $7.50 worth of beer sloshing from overflowing cups as they searched for their seats in the packed house. Conversations about drunk friends or what the band would open with permeated the air, but as soon as the lights dimmed, all eyes flew to the stage, where drummer Chad Smith's set was slowly coming to life in the glow of green light.
And when the Chili Peppers play, there is no stopping. From the first track to the last act, the band pulsated with energy and a true passion for what they do. Even with the replacement of longtime guitarist John Frusciante with 2009 addition Josh Klinghoffer, the band played with the same ferocious intensity and punk rock attitude that made them the wild child of the SoCal music scene. Barreling through song after song, RHCP took almost no breaks in between, filling the air space with impromptu jam sessions between Klinghoffer and blue-haired bassist Flea or an improv drum solo from Smith. Kiedis, sporting noticeably less hair than his earlier days, has replaced his long locks with a frisky mustache that stayed firmly in place as he ricocheted across the stage in a wave of pounding might that would match any performer half his age. And the crowd loved every minute of it. Even Kiedis' mid-show lyrical slip couldn't bring down the high-octane levels of energy.
"I swear, that has never ever happened to us before," he said after he stumbled across the lyrics. "I think I must have gotten distracted by something in the audience," he said with a devilish grin.
The evening's set list was a mix of the old and new Chili Peppers, each accompanied by an overlay of kaleidoscopic backgrounds on numerous screens that lowered and rotated during the show. The band played several tracks from its most recent album, "I'm with You," (including "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie" and "Ethiopia"). However, the boys did not neglect their duty to old school RHCP fans. Only a few chords of singles like "Under the Bridge" and "By the Way" were needed before the crowd exploded into thunderous applause and the sound of thousands of fans singing along began to bear down on the solo Kiedis. RHCP even sprinkled in "Dani California" and "Charlie" from their double-disc powerhouse "Stadium Arcadium" and kept true to their rowdy stage antics — with Flea doing a walking handstand across the stage shortly after laying his bass to rest and Klinghoffer melting to the floor during an intermittent solo. Closing with "Give It Away," the band flashed audience photos across the screens, showing their true love and dedication for the people who have made them who they are today.
"The first time we came to Columbia, it was the early 1980s," Flea shouted to the cheering audience. "And there was so much unbelievable love and warmth. And it's still here! We love you guys!"