For the past year-plus, the various Red Hot Chili Peppers have been busy with their own projects, things like a jazz album and a canned cold brew. On Saturday, though, the Chili Peppers returned to the stage for the first time since they did the LA FireAid benefit in January 2025, and they dug deep into their back catalog, performing some songs they hadn't done in decades.
Way back in 2001, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea co-founded the LA music school known as the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music. The school turns 25 this year, and the Chili Peppers celebrated that anniversary with a benefit show at the Hollywood Palladium on Saturday night. The band shared the bill with the Foo Fighters and Vince Staples, as well as the SCM All Stars, an ensemble of students, and the Hollywood Highsteppers, a community marching band. Marc Maron hosted the evening.
During their 51-minute headlining set, the Red Hot Chili Peppers played 11 songs, including some early deep-cut live rarities. Here they are, for instance, performing "Organic Anti-Beat Box Band," from 1987’s The Uplift Mofo Party Plan, for the first time since 2000:
And here's a clip of them playing another song that's been absent from their live shows since 2000: “Blackeyed Blonde,” from 1985’s Freaky Styley:
The year 2000 was a recurring theme for the evening, since that was the year that the Red Hot Chili Peppers took the Foo Fighters out on that band's first-ever arena tour. Also, it was Flea's birthday on Friday, and there was a cake for him. The Chili Peppers played another Freaky Styley song, "Nevermind," with guitarist John Frusciante for the first time since 1992. (They'd last played that song in 2019, but Frusciante wasn't in the band then.) And Fruciante, who often does solo covers during Chili Peppers sets, did his take on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," the Shirelles classic written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Here's "Nevermind":
And if you'd like to watch the entire Red Hot Chili Peppers set, here's that:
Dave Grohl was advertised for the benefit, but his performance became a surprise Foo Fighters set when the rest of his band joined him onstage during "My Hero." Also, Grohl's daughter Violet joined them for covers of X's "Nausea" and the Nerves "Hanging On The Telephone," and the band also did Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street."
Vince Staples was backed by Silverlake Conservatory alumni, including guitarist Jennifer Haack and bassist Chloe Haack, on his songs “Blackberry Marmalade" and “The Running Man." He also had some commentary when a couple of people got kicked out during his set.
Here's the Chili Peppers' setlist, via Setlist.fm.
SETLIST:
01 "Intro Jam"
02 "Can't Stop"
03 "Organic Anti-Beat Box Band" (first performance since 2000)
04 "Black Summer"
05 "Blackeyed Blonde" (first performance since 2000)
06 "Whatchu Thinkin'"
07 "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" (Shirelles cover, John Frusciante solo, first performance since 2007)
08 "Nevermind" (first performance since 2019, first performance with John since 1992)
09 "Hey"
10 "Eddie"
11 "Give It Away"