It’s always been about the live show with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and it’s fair to say that few other bands grant the live performance with the same levels of respect. Despite a fluctuating line-up throughout their turbulent history they’ve always managed to maintain and deliver on this ethos and no doubt this will remain the case when they take to the stage at the MEN on Monday night. It’s true to say however that the band have suffered a heavy loss after the departure of guitarist John Frusciante, though in recent interviews, Flea and Anthony Kiedis were quick to establish that his replacement, the equally gifted Josh Klinghoffer, is a more than sufficient substitute.
After a hiatus that many fans saw as being the end of the road for the Chili Peppers, their eventual reformation and the subsequent second departure of Frusciante, the band set about writing their tenth studio album I’m With You. It’ll be interesting to see how well this album is played out live and whether or not the personnel reshuffle has taken its toll on the band’s infamous live show. Let’s hope, for the sake of the Chili’s notoriously passionate fan base (myself included), that they continue to deliver.
