Pix by Kaotic Images
Words by Kris Peters
Information from Simon Russell-White
Full disclosure here – not that you would expect anything less – but I was not looking forward to seeing and/or reviewing Post Malone at all.
In fact before even passing through the gates I had pretty much made up my mind that to force HEAVY readers to endure any written word about the man would not only be futile, but even fraught with danger.
So I took my seat amongst the throes of screaming teenagers and crossed my arms with a pre-set look of disdain on my face.
I even turned to the guy sitting next to me and laughed “check out this pile of shit” but thankfully he didn’t hear me because at that precise moment his eyes were closed and he was swaying to Post Malone’s music like a cobra caught in a spell.
No shit, this guy had 99% of the crowd in his corner, but I was fighting for my spot in the 1% stands!
Then he did something almost human.
A guy standing in the crowd held aloft a sign asking Post Malone if he could jump up and play the song Stay with him and to his credit Mr. Post obliged. Now, I don’t know if this was staged or not, but I choose to believe it wasn’t.
This guy – Victor as he introduced himself – sat down and strapped on the acoustic like he knew what he was doing and proceeded to nail the absolute fuck out of playing with Postman Malone crooning over the top with a massive shit eating grin.
Then he performed his second cool feat for the night when he took a shoe from the crowd and poured his beer into it before guzzling every last drop. Now, that’s almost bloody Australian…
And then – much to my complete shock – he introduced a song he had performed with the Prince Of Darkness himself and before I could call bullshit Ozzy’s voice boomed over the loudspeakers as he sung the opening verse and I knew that I had to give Mr. Malone at least an inch of respect.
Hell, if he is good enough for Ozzy…
Now, I can’t tell you the name of one song and I certainly won’t be rushing out to buy an album, but Post Malone impressed me enough to clap on more than one occasion.
I would love to hear him perform with a full band behind him…
While I’m on the honesty train, I should probably point out I’m not a massive Chili Peppers fan either. In all honesty the only reason I was there was because I promised my niece I would take her so expectations weren’t massively high as the lights dimmed and the impressive blue hue emanated from the drum section of the stage.
So thankfully HEAVY’s intrepid reviewer Simon Russell-White was there to lend a few words and most of what follows is related from his own mouth.
Breaking the silence, drummer Chad Smith smashed the gong set up behind his kit before a wall of guitar filled Suncorp Stadium and bass player Flea came bouncing onto stage closely followed by guitar extraordinaire John Frusciante.
The boys surprised at least me by launching into a full jam to kick the set off before Anthony Kiedis joined his band mates for an awesome opening trifecta of Around The World, Dani California and Scar Tissue.
Even these three tracks were punctuated by wicked guitar, bass and drum solos which seemingly came from nowhere but somehow perfectly fit the structure of each song.
Special mention must be made of the graphics and screens on stage, especially the strategically placed screen on the side of the stage where those in the cheap seats are normally left staring at nothing but scaffolding. Nice touch!
While I understand bands like RHCP have a massive list of songs to choose from and can’t please everyone, it was highly noticeable that Under The Bridge and Suck My Kiss were absentees on the set list. For whatever reason, that is the band’s prerogative, but in all fairness there are just some songs a band has to play no matter how sick of them they are.
Ask the Screaming Jets…
One other small gripe from a personal perspective was the fact Flea didn’t bust out the trumpet on Aquatic Mouth Dance. Now, before you start yelling the man only has two sets of hands, I realise this and also know not even Flea can play two instruments at once. But it still would have been cool to see.
As is their want, RHCP avoided any material from the albums Frusciante didn’t play on – which again defies logic but I am sure the band has their reasons.
They also played a total of seven songs from their last two albums Return Of The Dream Canteen and Unlimited Love, which also drew more than a few mumblings of disappointment from sections of the crowd.
But those mumblings were more out of personal feelings as opposed to being directed at RHCP who put on a mesmerizing performance befitting their stature in rock music.
One of the highlights was The Heavy Wing, a song which sees Frusciante join in on vocals for the chorus and adds that touch extra substance to what is already a flawless display of musicianship. His guitar solos were never overplayed or forced, instead accentuating the more delicate moments of the set or setting things up for the next phase.
Kiedis – who I have only ever heard mixed reviews about live – started slowly but soon warmed to his task, his vocals purring deep into the hearts of the nearly 50,000 fans who packed the home of the Brisbane Broncos.
Perhaps the overall highlight of the night was the choice to have two songs – Soul To Squeeze and Give It Away – from the Blood Sugar Sex Magic album as both encores, which left even those who were earlier whinging about the omission of certain songs feeling sustained and complete.
As a wise man once said, “it’s great to see a band like the Red Hot Chili Peppers still doing what they want after so long.”
Respect.
Proudly presented by Live Nation, Red Hot Chili Peppers still have five shows remaining on their Australian tour. Two each in Sydney and Melbourne and one in Perth. More information and tickets via
Keep an eye out for a full photo gallery courtesy of Kaotic Images later in the week.
