Red Hot Chili Peppers unleashes Unlimited Love on St. Louis

Alternative rock legends Red Hot Chili Peppers closed out their Unlimited Love Tour at Hollywood Casino Ampitheatre in St. Louis, Missouri on July 30th, and it could not have been a more quintessential Midwest summer evening! Unpredicted storms and oddly cooler temperatures earlier in the day had fans hesitant about the show’s status. However, in typical “Show Me State” fashion, the rain moved on and the sun came out, leaving behind skyrocketing temperatures and humidity levels only a plant could love. None of which, though, were going to stop the roughly 20,000 people from pouring into the sold-out venue to see one of the most popular rock bands of all time. 

Opening the show was Otoboke Beaver, an all female four-piece from Kyoto, Japan… a city not typically known for this level of punk rock fortitude.

These ladies are something special. Even if you can’t understand the mostly Japanese lyrics, the energy and explosively chaotic control engineered by these four rockstars connects with audiences easily across the globe. If anything, it’s enough to make you want that merch line to hurry the hell up so you can answer that burning question in your head of, “What is this Otoboke Beaver awesomeness I’m hearing?!” 

You know those bucket list shows right? The ones that no matter when or where or how you get there, you just have to see that show one day. Red Hot Chili Peppers is one of those shows for me, especially with the member lineup being as complete as it is. It was something special to see Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante all sharing the stage together live in person.

I can’t tell you how many times my dad and I would play Stadium Arcadium while out in his wood shop working on a project. The iconic songs that this band has created have marked multiple generations… and you could see it manifested in the diverse age range that was at the STL show. There were people there who probably bought Mother’s Milk on cassette the day it came out, sitting next to and rocking out with people who’ve only streamed Return of the Dream Canteen on their iPhone 200 or whatever number they’re at now.

It’s always really impressive to see bands go this long and not just ride the wave of what they released 20 years ago — playing the same tired act over and over, night after night — but, instead, continuing to advance, progress, improve, and fight for their sound. Flea’s energy onstage is second-to-none, coming out at the beginning of the show and immediately doing a walking handstand, followed by his typical onstage antics. Will Ferrell… oops, I mean Chad Smith, remains an icon in the drumming world for a reason with his precision and timing. All I’m going to say next is, thank god John Frusciante rejoined the band! And, when Anthony’s vocals finally poured out of the speakers, all felt right — if just for the moment. It was a spectacular way to take your mind off the heat for a couple hours!

Unfortunately, the band doesn’t have any more tour dates announced, so if you missed your chance to see the Chili Peppers in St. Louis or other cities this year, keep an eye glued to their website for more dates to be announced. In the meantime, you can stream the band’s latest album, Return of the Dream Canteen, everywhere now!

Photography by Thomas Semonco

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