Anyone following the Red Hot Chili Peppers across their recent touring cycles knows the general rhythm of the setlist. Modern radio hits usually sit beside nineties staples, driven by the familiar stage chemistry of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante. On Saturday night at the Hollywood Palladium, however, that predictable framework came completely undone. Playing a benefit concert, the band reached back to their mid-eighties roots to dust off tracks written with their late founding guitarist, Hillel Slovak, including selections that had been absent from their shows for nearly a quarter of a century.
The occasion was a milestone celebration marking 25 years since the opening of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, the non-profit music education center Flea co-founded with touring musician Keith Tree Barry. Marc Maron served as the evening host, presiding over a lineup that brought together rapper Vince Staples, Dave Grohl, and the Chili Peppers.
The headliners framed their 11-song set with an unexpected combination of recent releases and raw, vintage funk-rock. Following an introductory jam that led straight into Can't Stop, the four-piece reached deep into the Slovak era. They pulled out Organic Anti-Beat Box Band from 1987's The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and Blackeyed Blonde from 1985's Freaky Styley, performing both for the first time since 2000. Frusciante later took a solo turn with a cover of Carole King's Will You Love Me Tomorrow, which led into Nevermind, played with Frusciante on guitar for the first time since 1992. Those catalog obscurities appeared alongside 2022 tracks such as Black Summer, Whatchu Thinkin', and Eddie, with Hey and Give It Away helping to anchor the night.
The decision to resurrect Slovak's parts comes amid fresh public interest in his legacy. Earlier this year, a Netflix documentary revisited the band's formative years and examined Slovak's enduring imprint. While the band did not oversee the creative choices of the film, they agreed to sit for interviews out of deep affection and respect for their former bandmate. Flea noted his gratitude for the project, commenting that it offered people a clearer sense of what Slovak meant to them, even as the film drew controversy over its use of artificial intelligence to replicate Slovak's speaking voice. Kiedis spoke on that same connection in 2022, remarking that Slovak's presence has never truly left the group.
Dave Grohl also used the Palladium stage for an eventful seven-song set. In addition to Foo Fighters staples like Times Like These and Hero, Grohl invited his daughter Violet Grohl to join him during the performance. His song choices featured covers of Young Man Blues by Mose Allison and Nausea by Los Angeles punk pioneers X. Bringing his Foo Fighters bandmates onstage, Grohl also revived a take on Gerry Rafferty's Baker Street, marking their first live performance of the track since 2007.
The backward glance arrived during a period of substantial commercial moves for the Chili Peppers. In May, the group sold their recorded music catalog to Warner Music Group in a deal valued at more than 300 million dollars. Their two 2022 studio albums, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen, both reached the top three in the United States and the United Kingdom. Flea has also branched into personal projects, having recently issued his jazz-oriented debut solo album, Honora. Yet amidst major sales and new creative directions, their Palladium set showed that the music created during their earliest days in Los Angeles still has a vital place in the room.
