RHCP-Another reason we love PJ

My friend is a die-hard Peppers fan and he loves to try and argue which band is better. Don't get why, I mean, it's quite obvious who is better (wink,wink,nudge,nudge). But he just doesn't seem to get it when I say PJ's live shows are second to none. He takes it as I'm just trying to hype my favorite band, which i kinda am, but i'm also being completely serious. PJ is something you really need to experience live to get, and fortunately for many of us, we have. (sorry to those who haven't seen them live, but i stand by my statement. i got into PJ between 98-2000, but didn't see them live until 03, and it just brought my liking to a whole other level.) Unfortunately for my friend, he says he won't pay to see PJ and I don't think I'll ever get around to taking him (other people are higher on my list). Anyways, the Peppers are great musicians and you cannot take that away from them. But I think they are caught up in commercialization. Their "hits" are just their catchiest songs, not their best. They don't need to make music videos anymore, but if they truely love to, then they shouldn't stop. Still, I find that their videos are bland where they could be much more creative and meaningful. They could make setlists like PJ and play for 2+ hours and it wouldn't hurt them one bit. So why don't they?

I saw the Chilis as well in L.A on night 2 and was blown away. I mean cmon they brought freaking Jack Irons out for a set. Where is the love man? Look, no one brings it every night like PJ. PJ is frankly the only band I know of who consistently mixes up their set list every night...some times. Id be pretty pissed off if I flew to Europe from the States to see some of those canned set lists the boys did in England and Ireland though.

No one does a mixed set list on the globe. The Who dont do it, U2 dont do it, the Stones dont do it, The Chilis dont do it. I actually liked the Chilis set. I would never go see their show twice in a row though and id see twenty PJ shows in a row no problem. Its just a different approach.

PJ has made their name on their touring largely because their albums have not sold well in many years, including the current album. Stadium Arcadium, which is not a great album, is selling bazillions of units while Avocado is........well.........Gone.
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Its just a fact. PJ shows up every night with a new show. Thats why we fork out loads of dough to see like 5 shows in a tour. The Chilis were great man. Flea and Johnny are on top of their game. Just because they did not play 30 songs does not mean they did not do a good show....Its just not a show you need to see twice.

IwasBittin wrote:

My friend is a die-hard Peppers fan and he loves to try and argue which band is better. Don't get why, I mean, it's quite obvious who is better (wink,wink,nudge,nudge). But he just doesn't seem to get it when I say PJ's live shows are second to none. He takes it as I'm just trying to hype my favorite band, which i kinda am, but i'm also being completely serious. PJ is something you really need to experience live to get, and fortunately for many of us, we have. (sorry to those who haven't seen them live, but i stand by my statement. i got into PJ between 98-2000, but didn't see them live until 03, and it just brought my liking to a whole other level.) Unfortunately for my friend, he says he won't pay to see PJ and I don't think I'll ever get around to taking him (other people are higher on my list). Anyways, the Peppers are great musicians and you cannot take that away from them. But I think they are caught up in commercialization. Their "hits" are just their catchiest songs, not their best. They don't need to make music videos anymore, but if they truely love to, then they shouldn't stop. Still, I find that their videos are bland where they could be much more creative and meaningful. They could make setlists like PJ and play for 2+ hours and it wouldn't hurt them one bit. So why don't they?

i took a friend to the virginia show in 03, he was a casual pj fan, thought they were good overall but didn't really listen to them and while he thought they were good thought they were also overhyped...he even made joke about the sign saying you could order the boot of the show...he was completely blown away and as we were leaving said the first thing he was gonna do when he got home was order the boot!

pj are just so damned tight as a band and they don't have a single weak member.

Good point. I think Pearl Jam spoils us like that. Tool plays about the same times as you mentioned for RHCP, and considering the length of their songs, it's pretty weak. I've never been to a bad Pearl Jam show...or a short one.

I used to like RHCP very much, and I had high hopes after Californication, but I have not liked these last 2 records at all.

depopulationINC wrote:

well said. I mean cmon. Also....1:50 is pretty good. Very fey bands play 2+ hours.

ALSO, a band should not have to anticipate that it will be the same crowd each night. They play different venues / cities for a reason....to cover more of their fan base and give everyone a chance to see them play. otherwise, you would only see a band hi 8 cities, 4 times each istead of 32 cities.

On the other hand, Pearl Jam tends to play the same venue more then one night (often several nights in a row) because they know people want to see them more than once.

If RHCP released bootlegs the same way PJ did maybe they would be inclined to open up the catalog a little bit more. This is not to imply anything negative about the motives of PJ. From a business standpoint RHCP sell a lot of albums and they are a viable stadium/arena rock band. Not many people going to these shows are even going to notice a cookie cutter setlist let alone complain about it. I want to hear Warm Tape, Turn It Again, Animal Bar, The Greeting Song, and Minor Thing but I'm going to get Give it Away, Dani California, and Californication. If RHCP had the ability PJ does as a live band they would seriously give PJ a run for their money because when it comes to studio albums RHCP hits homeruns. Stadium was more like a triple but a lot of it has to do with the album being a lot to digest and there is a bit of filler.

I don't think RHCP could even handle 3 hour changing setlists on a consistent basis. To the listener it would get old because 1) Unless they practice their asses off I doubt they even know how to play half of their catalog live. They make a lot of mistakes on songs they've played a million times 2) John Frusciante is better in the studio and so is Anthony. As much as I hate to say it 2 hours is enough. The band is like a brotherhood yet they can't seem to tap into their collective purpose while together on a stage.

JaneNY wrote:

LOL I just want him to wear his skeleton suit sometime at a show I see.

But I know what the original poster means. I like the RHCP - I don't like their newer stuff quite as much, but I make it a point to see them 1-2x per tour. That amount is enough - I don't need to travel all around to see basically the same show every night. But they're a good band and worth seeing, and I always look forward to seeing frusciante and flea. We're on John's side in Montreal, and on the floor in Quebec C. Is John sitting on speakers with extended jams this tour anyone?

He did some amazing jams. He played a nearly perfect Jimmy Page intro to a Zeppelin song and got the crowd all worked up they were going to do a Zeppelin Song and then they F'd us by going into a funked up Chili Song. He and Flea did the same thing with the intro to London Calling. Great guitar and Bass work on this show.

culot4 wrote:

If RHCP released bootlegs the same way PJ did maybe they would be inclined to open up the catalog a little bit more. This is not to imply anything negative about the motives of PJ. From a business standpoint RHCP sell a lot of albums and they are a viable stadium/arena rock band. Not many people going to these shows are even going to notice a cookie cutter setlist let alone complain about it. I want to hear Warm Tape, Turn It Again, Animal Bar, The Greeting Song, and Minor Thing but I'm going to get Give it Away, Dani California, and Californication. If RHCP had the ability PJ does as a live band they would seriously give PJ a run for their money because when it comes to studio albums RHCP hits homeruns. Stadium was more like a triple but a lot of it has to do with the album being a lot to digest and there is a bit of filler.

I don't think RHCP could even handle 3 hour changing setlists on a consistent basis. To the listener it would get old because 1) Unless they practice their asses off I doubt they even know how to play half of their catalog live. They make a lot of mistakes on songs they've played a million times 2) John Frusciante is better in the studio and so is Anthony. As much as I hate to say it 2 hours is enough. The band is like a brotherhood yet they can't seem to tap into their collective purpose while together on a stage.

Why sell bootlegs when you are selling bazillions of your actual record?

I keep seeing how pearl jam always plays over two hours..... I've been to three shows and i don't think any of them were much over 2 hours.

I have not seen the RHCP but i am seeing them this fall i'm excited to finally check them out.

Mickey1794 wrote:

Did anyone happen to see RHCP in San Diego or LA this last week? I was truly disappointed in their shows this time around. Don't get me wrong because they played their music awesome except that they only played 1:45 the first night-which I thought they had ended the show early because hundreds of people began rushing the floor. But then in LA night 1 they only played 1:50. On top of that, it was almost exactly the same set list both nights in the same order! They only played three different songs in LA. Also, on each night they only played 7 songs from their new album out of 28 songs! How can this be possible? I mean I appreciate them playing old music but I really wanted to hear some of the deeper songs like Animal Bar, So Much I, Death of a Martian, Hard to Concentrate, etc. I felt like I was at a commercialized Madonna tour or something. They even wore the same clothes. This is why I love (and you love) PJ because you never know what your going to get. Every night they have a special surprise for us. And can you imagine them only playing 1:45. That amount of time is for a new band like The Killers or something not for 20 year veterans like RHCP. I still love them but they made me really appreciate everything my favorite band PJ has to offer.

yeah last time i saw them i was not too impressed with the lenght and set list i found myself just standing there wondering when the show would get better the best shows for the chillis are at small venues or bar settings....