Red Hot Chili Peppers revisits hits, captivates audience at JMA Wireless Dome

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Flea waltzed onto the stage after the fluorescent lights in the JMA Wireless Dome dimmed for the third and final time on Friday night. He walked on his hands, his purple skirt resting on top of his head.

Drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante followed Flea, kickstarting the show with a jam session. By the end of the warm-up, Flea and Frusciante were sprawled out on the floor strumming their guitars. The words “Support your local freak” were plastered on Flea’s bass.

“They’re a little bit nuts,” said Carey Chairs, a fan in attendance. “I like that.”

The Red Hot Chili Peppers welcomed thousands of fans sporting bandanas, backwards hats and tie-dye T-shirts to the Dome on April 14. King Princess and The Strokes opened for the rock supergroup, which played a mixture of their old classics and songs from their latest album “Unlimited Love,” which came out last April. It was the first time since 1991 that the band was in Syracuse, last playing at the Dome alongside Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam.

Thousands of fans roamed around the university and near the JMA Wireless Dome in the hours leading up to the concert. Songs like “Under the Bridge” or “Can’t Stop” blasted from speakers or fraternity houses in the surrounding area as temperatures reached upwards of 80 degrees.

“This type of weather today, that’s the entire vibe of (the Red Hot Chili Peppers),” said Connor Schultz, a senior in the Whitman School of Management.

The regular Red Hot Chili Peppers fans were easy to spot heading into the concert, all donning the band’s logo, the “Star of Affinity,” in the middle of their tees. From afar, it looked like bright red buttons littered the quad and later the inside of the Dome.

Attendees who didn’t own any of the band’s merchandise previously were able to get their hands on some at the Red Hot Chili Peppers booth outside of Gate N. Zach Moore, 38, also got his hands on one of the band’s signature tees.

Moore was at the JMA Wireless for the first time since seeing Elton John last year and Billy Joel prior to that. After purchasing his Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt, he said the band has been on his “bucket list” ever since he started listening to them in the early 1990s.

Chairs has been a fan since the band’s self-titled debut album in 1984.

“I was a freshman in high school and began listening to them then,” Chairs said. “We’ve been wicked fans for 40 years.”

As much as the Red Hot Chili Peppers attracted older and younger fans, The Strokes were met with a similar amount of interest from concert-goers. Moore was excited for The Strokes performance just as much as the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He last saw The Strokes, who are headed by lead vocalist Julian Casablancas, as a senior in high school in 2002.

“It was the weekend after senior prom. I’m looking forward to seeing the Strokes again,” Moore said.

Casablancas and the rest of The Strokes took the stage around 7:30 p.m. while fans still filtered into the stadium. The lead singer complimented those in attendance, saying it was the “loudest applauding crowd” he had seen so far on tour before referring to the echo in the JMA Wireless Dome to that of a “fine church.”

The Strokes went through most of their popular tracks, including “The Adults Are Talking,” “Reptilia” and “Someday.” The Strokes guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. wore a Lou Reed T-shirt, honoring the 1964 Syracuse grad and Casablancas continued to toy with the crowd between each song.

“Anyone who’s not from New York or Pennsylvania, f*ck you,” Casablancas yelled before starting the last song, “Someday.”

Twenty more minutes passed until Flea launched himself into a handstand and made his way stage right. Everyone in the Dome rose to their feet for the main act, waiting patiently for the introductory jam to yield to Anthony Kiedis taking the stage.

Kiedis, who was seen rolling through New York City on a mobility knee scooter last week, hobbled onto stage with a boot on his left leg and a brace around his right knee. Immediately, he launched into “Can’t Stop,” directing the crowd to sing along with him. Flea had already delved into his best Mario impression, jumping up and down next to Kiedis. Smith maintained the heartbeat of the song behind a set of golden drums, and Frusciante finished it off with a shrieking guitar solo.

Although they have been together since 1983, the Chili Peppers looked ageless in their performance Friday night. Throughout the night, bassist Flea could be seen jumping across the stage, even hitting a handstand at one point.
Maxine Brackbill | Asst. Photo Editor

The band maintained its momentum with “Scar Tissue” and “Snow (Hey Oh).” Then, as this was the “Unlimited Love” tour, Flea’s bass line introduced “Here Ever After,” the second song on their latest album.

“Unlimited Love” was meant to bring listeners back to when they first fell in love with the RHCP sound, a nostalgic project reminiscent of the band’s unique persona. It also marked the return of Frusciante, who hadn’t been with the band since leaving for a second time in 2009.

Frusciante stole Friday night’s show, making the band’s new music interesting for those who hadn’t listened and the classics better with extended guitar solos. Kiedis even took some moments to admire Frusciante from afar, strutting and dancing alongside the lead guitarist during each solo.

Kiedis couldn’t be his normal self due to the injuries, but Flea maintained the kiddish energy of the band’s live performance. Still, Flea slowed the pace down, serving as the pause and start button between each track. He stood alone under two spotlights during each break, like a comedian at a sold-out stadium show, and played a lullaby at one point. During another transition, he confessed to the Dome crowd that he “always had a soft spot for Carmelo.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers scattered more of their hits throughout the night, reigniting the crowd with “Soul to Squeeze” and “Californication.” Flea and Frusciante got into a stand-off during “Californication,” playing the track while their guitars were inches away from each other. Kiedis joined Flea by taking his shirt off after the track, keeping it off for the last six songs.

Kiedis dropped the microphone to the floor after the highly emotional “By the Way” and walked off the stage with the rest of his band members. The crowd stayed, applauding even after the lights for the stage were turned off. After five minutes, some attendees scattered but the rest were eventually reciprocated for their patience. The band came back out for two more tracks, “I Could Have Lied” and “Give it Away.”

The crowd followed as Kiedis poured his heart out during “I Could Have Lied,” a track from RHCP’s 1991 album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” lighting the dim stage with the flash from their smartphone cameras.

Everyone in the Dome bobbed their heads as each member of the band took their turn to showcase their individual talents throughout the actual final song. Smith hammered his snare drum to introduce the track, Kiedis enunciated every syllable of the words “give it away, give it away, give it away now,” Flea kept the bassline going midair and Frusciante commanded control over the final seconds of the concert.

“That was a class act, phenomenal performance,” Schultz said. “I have no complaints.”