Red Hot Chili Peppers returned to Dublin on Wednesday night (29th June 2022) for their first Irish show in five years. Marking the return of John Frusciante, the date was also their first show in Ireland with the guitarist since 2006. Taking place at Dublin’s Marlay Park, the band were enamoured to be back on stage in Ireland, with bassist Flea praising the country as “a magical place”.
Photo: Darren McLoughlin.
In fiercely fiery form, the quartet – completed by singer Anthony Kiedis and drummer Chad Smith - eschewed some more obvious song choices, brought in some deep cuts, and debuted a number of songs for the first time on their current Global Stadium world tour to make the night one to remember for the Dublin crowd.
Their biggest Irish date in many years, on par with their celebrated 2003 Slane appearance (memorialised in their ‘Live at Slane Castle’ concert film), the atmosphere was electric for the sold out show.
With Frusciante back, and on his debut world trek with the band since re-joining in 2019, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers concentrated solely on material from his era.
Taking to the stage as they traditionally do minus Kiedis, the trio of instrumentalists loosened up with an extended jam, setting the scene of what was to come; funky, slinky, Californified good time vibes.
Going into first song proper, ‘Can’t Stop’, the ‘Californication’-era classic was the first of a number of crowd favourites that would see the entire audience singing along.
Their biggest Irish date in many years, on par with their celebrated 2003 Slane appearance (memorialised in their ‘Live at Slane Castle’ concert film), the atmosphere was electric for the sold out show.
With Frusciante back, and on his debut world trek with the band since re-joining in 2019, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers concentrated solely on material from his era.
Taking to the stage as they traditionally do minus Kiedis, the trio of instrumentalists loosened up with an extended jam, setting the scene of what was to come; funky, slinky, Californified good time vibes.
Going into first song proper, ‘Can’t Stop’, the ‘Californication’-era classic was the first of a number of crowd favourites that would see the entire audience singing along.
Photo: Darren McLoughlin.
Taking things up a notch, a rousing ‘Dani California’ followed, before an understated ‘Universally Speaking’, but it was the inclusion of deliciously funky deep cut ‘If You Have to Ask’ that delivered the night’s first surprise. A lesser known gem from their ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ set, it was the first of a number of tracks from the multi-platinum seller.
Others included a glorious ‘Suck My Kiss’, the ubiquitous ‘Give it Away’, and ‘Sir Psycho Sexy’, which also made its tour debut. Disappointingly for some however, ‘Under The Bridge’, which at the time of writing has notched up a jaw-dropping 230 million plays on YouTube, was absent from the set.
Taking his turn to chat to the crowd, the ethereal Kiedis said; “I love an Irish weirdo; an Irish grandmother; I love an Irish mother”. Injecting a sense of humour, he continued; “I love the quarter of Flea that is Irish. The rest of it can fuck off!”.
With close proximity jamming between the members creating a juxtaposing sense of intimacy on the sizable outdoor stage, the hits kept coming as the harmonious ‘Otherside’ gave way to ‘Unlimited Love’ lead single ‘Black Summer’, and a sublime ‘Californication’.
With an impressive production that saw a huge screen that literally poured onto the stage as smoothly as the grooves and sounds that filled it, the night proved a visual, as well as aural spectacle.
Taking their bows following an explosive ‘By The Way’, Kiedis declared; “You’re the best! Thank you Dublin, we love you!”, with Flea adding; “Thank you so much for coming and seeing us play. This is a magic country, and a magical place”.
The last word however, was left to a visibly wowed Smith, who took to the mike to declare; “Dublin, amazing, incredible. I hope you had as good a time as me. We love you guys!”
Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Unlimited Love' is available now. Grab limited edition vinyl and CD packages here.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Darren McLoughlin.
Others included a glorious ‘Suck My Kiss’, the ubiquitous ‘Give it Away’, and ‘Sir Psycho Sexy’, which also made its tour debut. Disappointingly for some however, ‘Under The Bridge’, which at the time of writing has notched up a jaw-dropping 230 million plays on YouTube, was absent from the set.
Taking his turn to chat to the crowd, the ethereal Kiedis said; “I love an Irish weirdo; an Irish grandmother; I love an Irish mother”. Injecting a sense of humour, he continued; “I love the quarter of Flea that is Irish. The rest of it can fuck off!”.
With close proximity jamming between the members creating a juxtaposing sense of intimacy on the sizable outdoor stage, the hits kept coming as the harmonious ‘Otherside’ gave way to ‘Unlimited Love’ lead single ‘Black Summer’, and a sublime ‘Californication’.
With an impressive production that saw a huge screen that literally poured onto the stage as smoothly as the grooves and sounds that filled it, the night proved a visual, as well as aural spectacle.
Taking their bows following an explosive ‘By The Way’, Kiedis declared; “You’re the best! Thank you Dublin, we love you!”, with Flea adding; “Thank you so much for coming and seeing us play. This is a magic country, and a magical place”.
The last word however, was left to a visibly wowed Smith, who took to the mike to declare; “Dublin, amazing, incredible. I hope you had as good a time as me. We love you guys!”
Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Unlimited Love' is available now. Grab limited edition vinyl and CD packages here.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Darren McLoughlin.
