Red Hot Chili Peppers,James Brown,Chicks on Speed Live Review @ Hyde Park (London) - 19 Jun 2004
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Live Review
The day had been a long time coming and as the alarm clock brought my slumber to an abrupt and unwelcome climax, the sense of anticipation rising from within was matched only by feelings of trepidation towards the unspeakable weather that had been prophesied.
Hmmm... perhaps not.
First support act: Chicks on Speed: The worst thing I've ever heard and not just within the scope of music. They were quite literally the worst sound I've ever heard. I can't even begin to articulate my feelings towards this group except to say that they looked like a second year alternative drama troupe pretending to "be wind" for half an hour. And they sounded like evil.
Second support act: James Brown: I've never been his biggest fan and think he's been passed it for years. This was backed up (literally) by the dozen other singers that were on stage to fill in when he needed a breather. Initially the crowd was amused in an ironic "Ooh it's the godfather of soul"way but this wore thin fairly quickly and was replaced by indifference and ultimately concern for his health. Increasingly I heard comments like "He really does look quite rough doesn't he?" and "I don't think he's going to make it to the end of the set".
Predictably he finished with "Get Up" and "I Got You" which livened up the crowd a bit but the metal heads looked distinctly unimpressed. On a more positive note the band were tight and in particular the saxophonist impressed me. His solo ended on a note that, according to a girl I was with (who plays saxophone so knows what she's on about apparently) was so high that for most people it's pretty much down to chance whether you hit it or not. There were also two bassists, which interested me. For the most part they seemed to be playing the same lines (although one had a five-string) but it was difficult to tell, as the sound wasn't too good where we were.
Main act: Red Hot Chili Peppers! A blinding show, despite the best efforts of a girl standing next to me for the first half of the show, who as far as I could tell had paid forty quid to stand in a park and talk to her mate about shopping for a couple of hours. I obviously have to single out Flea for mention, what with him being one of my all time favourite bass players and all. He put on a virtuoso performance with his usual manic finger play and "Mark King would be proud" slap. He also played with a pick quite a lot, which surprised me. I know he only started doing this on the Californication album and he seems to be making up for lost time. Songs like "Parallel Universe" are obviously pick played, but until seeing him play it live I would've never guessed "Fortune Faded" was as well. Another surprise was his trumpet solo towards the end of the show! This was a bit strange and it was difficult to tell whether he was any good because he was using so many FX it ended up sounding more like The Clangers or even worse, Chicks on Speed (don't get me started on them again). Anyway enough of the Flea appreciation society, there were three other guys on the stage.
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