SPILL LIVE REVIEW: RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS w/ SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80 @ BUDWEISER STAGE, TORONTO

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS w/ SEUN KUTI & EGYPT 80

@ BUDWEISER STAGE, TORONTO

JULY 17, 2024

Still reeling off the success of their massive 2022, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have extended their Unlimited Love Tour into Summer 2024. It was a year which saw them make their commercial comeback with guitarist John Frusciante on the double album, Unlimited Love, which was then followed by the experimental, versatile, and post-genre sounds of a second double album, Return Of The Dream Canteen. Having spent the past two years circling the globe with an eclectic cast of supporting artists, the alternative icons have returned to North America, including a pair of sold-out dates at Toronto’s Budweiser Stage, the second of which featured an opening slot from Seun Kuti.

Taking the stage without their bandleader, Egypt 80 opened their set with an instrumental track as the anticipation grew for the son of the legendary afro-beat originator, Fela Kuti, to take the stage. Finally, Seun Kuti appeared, fronting his band, consisting of a three-piece rhythm section, a trio of horns, and a pair of backing singers and dancers. He began by paying tribute to his father with a cover of his 1981 song, “Coffin For Head Of State”. As the collective continued, their songs would diverge into trance-like jams that were clearly, almost entirely improvised, and would easily extend a song towards the 10-min mark. Kuti & Egypt 80 closed their set with a performance of “Emi Aluta”, a blistering cacophony of rhythms, melodies, harmonies, and sax solos, with Kuti taking the final solo himself. All in all, Kuti’s performance was creatively thrilling, demonstrating the transformative beauty of afro-beat.

RETURN OF THE DREAM CANTEEN ALBUM REVIEW

Opening with the eviscerating heat of “Around The World”, the Chili Peppers dove headfirst into a set that consisted of material from ’91 onward, much of which was from the last two decades. In traditional fashion, “Around The World” followed an instrumental jam, something which the band would regularly do in between, while also extending solo sections, as they would in “Dani California” and “Eddie”, allowing for Frusciante to absolutely soar, rarely playing a solo exactly how he had recorded it.  Flea and Chad Smith, similarly, would add their own live improvised flourishes to each song, allowing for their music to breathe a new sense of life that is certainly different, night to night, while Anthony Kiedis the soulful balladeer and the restless frontman. Even with a knee brace and an air cast on his foot, Kiedis leaped, danced, and stomped across the stage, even taking a moment to chase Flea with an unbridled sense of energy artists half his age can only hope to have. As a whole, the band remains incredibly tight as their individual musicianship only continues to develop. With songs like “Eddie”, “The Zephyr Song”, “Strip My Mind”, and “Hard To Concentrate”—the latter two standing as unexpected deep cuts—it would be easy to say that their Wednesday night performance had more of an emphasis on their mellower output, however, in addition to the opening song, “Right On Time”, “Throw Away Your Television”, “Tippa My Tongue”, and “Suck My Kiss” saw the band indulge in their signature hard funk masterfully. Additional highlights included “Otherside”, “Californication”, “By The Way”, “Aquatic Mouth Dance”, “Under The Bridge”, and the explosive closer, “Give It Away”.

Between their two sold-out shows in Toronto, over 30,000 people came out to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. If Monday’s show was anything like Wednesday’s, then it was nothing short of exhilarating. Comparing the setlists, the two nights only shared a handful of their most essential tracks and newer songs, with deeper cuts and even some hits interchanged, further demonstrating the relevancy of the band’s songwriting and their willingness to defy and challenge what a legacy artist could be. Ultimately, this victory lap of an extended tour only further proves that the Red Hot Chili Peppers remain a leading and innovating force within alternative rock through yet another invigorating performance.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Links

Seun Kuti Links

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