‘We want Chilly Willy!’. It’s been 6 years since Adelaide last got to experience the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the 2013 Big Day Out and ever since we have been salivating for more. Not only was Superloop 500 able to bring this amazing band to our doorstep once more they brought George Clinton and the Parliament-Funkadelics with them for an all-out jam fest.
The Parliament-Funkadelics opened at about 7:15pm. It was still day light and still warm but that didn’t stop all 15 of them to absolutely shred it on stage. Imagine that George Clinton invited you to his house for a party and during that party there was an impromptu jam session with 15 musicians and thousands of people screaming. That’s what a Parliament-Funkadelic’s gig sounds like. Absolute chaos on stage as the band goes from song to song and solo to solo, all having a blast on stage as if it’s a massive family gathering. They produced a good mix of newer stuff like Pole Power and Meow Meow mixed in with some older tracks like Loose Booty and Atomic Dog regardless of what was being played it was an all out, non-stop celebration for their entire set.
The crowd now excessively hyped up the main event burst on stage. Josh Klinghoffer, Flea and Chad Smith wasted no time and treated the crowd to a filthy opening jam until Anthony Kiedis arrived to start us off with Can’t Stop into Otherside. Without a doubt, Adelaide rocked up. The area was filled to the brim with the sold-out crowd losing it or just enthralled by what we were seeing.
RHCP paced themselves well with their set list. I Wanna be Your Dog, Right on Time and Higher Ground split up their higher tempo ballistic beats. The setlist hit a little bit of a lull in the middle, but that’s not to say they didn’t leave it all out there. Six years since their last Adelaide appearance and 12 years since they did a headline tour here and it’s as if no time has passed. Kiedis, Klinghoffer and Flea went all out, consuming all the stage. It’s wasn’t long before Kiedis lost his shirt to adopt his iconic on-stage appearance and it seemed like Klinghoffer was going to spin himself into space. Not to leave out Chad Smith who gave his best effort to murder his drum kit. Just about every song was bookmarked with solos and jams. Like George Clinton, RHCP were just a group of mates who love what they do and showed Adelaide just how much they love to perform.
The Chili Peppers finished their first set with By the Way but that was in no means going to be the end. A lone Klinghoffer started the encore with a rendition of Parliament song, Oh Lord, Why Lord. This broke into Dreams of a Samurai and Freaky Styley with not only the Red Hot Chili Peppers but George Clinton and all of the Parliament-Funkadelic. This was a symphony orchestra of funk. So much energy and love on stage was an overload which only made Give It Away the most appropriate closer.
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Is there any party like it? Not likely.