Stereoboard Tour of the Week – Red Hot Chili Peppers - Tickets Onsale 9am Today!
Friday, 29 July 2011
Written by Rob Sleigh
Few people will argue when we say that this is the one we’ve all been waiting for. After a short hiatus, during which time guitarist John Frusciante left the band for the second time, LA rock gods The Red Hot Chili Peppers have just announced their first UK dates in four years – their last appearances here included their Reading and Leeds headlining sets in 2007. One member down but still going strong, the Chilis will return to our shores in November for a generous nine dates, following the release of their tenth album ‘I’m With You’, which succeeds 2006’s ‘Stadium Arcadium’.
‘I’m With You’ is due out on the 29th August and is their first not to feature Frusciante since 1995’s ‘One Hot Minute’, which heard Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro temporarily filling his shoes. Although ‘One Hot Minute’ repeated the success of its predecessor ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ at the time of its release, it has since become known as less of a fan favourite compared with other Chili Peppers albums. Even the band themselves rarely play any of its 13 tracks live. Here’s hoping that ‘I’m With You’ doesn’t end up becoming a similarly forgotten RHCP album. Will new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer prove to be a worthy replacement to the man that wrote the opening bars to ‘Under the Bridge’? We’ll find out soon.
Many Chili Peppers fans will of course remember that this is the second time that John Frusciante has decided to part ways with the band, the last occasion being in 1992 after the release of their fifth album ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ - his second with the group. Upon its release during the previous year, ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ quickly became the Chilis’ first major commercial success, reaching Number Three in the Billboard 200. Unfortunately, Frusciante did not take to this newfound fame as well as the rest of the band and decided that it was time to quit. Some time later, the guitarist descended into an addiction to heroin that threatened to end his life. Thankfully, with some support from friends, he was able to fight back from his habit and managed to come off of drugs completely. Around the same time, The Red Hot Chili Peppers were wondering whether to continue as a band, having fired Frusciante’s replacement, Dave Navarro. To the delight of their fans worldwide, their former guitarist agreed to rejoin the band and, with their next album ‘Californation’, the Chilis went on to reclaim the world.
So, Frusciante’s latest departure from the group may have come as bad news to many Chili Peppers fans around the world, but fear not – things may not be quite as bad as they seem. Unlike Dave Navarro, who was heavily criticised for altering the band’s sound significantly, Josh Klinghoffer does at least have some history with the Chilis. Not only did he act as the band’s touring guitarist during their ‘Stadium Arcadium’ tour, but he has also performed alongside Frusciante on a number of his predecessor’s solo albums. Most notable of these is 2004’s ‘A Sphere In The Heart Of Silence’, which was released as a joint effort by the two artists. So, anyone questioning Klinghoffer’s credentials should think again. Alternatively, just check out the new Chili Peppers album next month.
Red Hot Chili Peppers UK & Ireland Tour Dates are as follows:
Fri November 4th 2011 - O2 Dublin, Dublin
Mon November 7th 2011 - The O2, London
Wed November 9th 2011 - The O2, London
Thu November 10th 2011 - The O2, London
Sat November 12th 2011 - SECC, Glasgow
Mon November 14th 2011 - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester
Tue November 15th 2011 - Manchester Evening News Arena, Manchester
Thu November 17th 2011 - Motorpoint Arena Sheffield, Sheffield
Sat November 19th 2011 - LG Arena, The NEC, Birmingham
Sun November 20th 2011 - LG Arena, The NEC, Birmingham
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