I’m no fan of rock music, at all! But, the RHCP have had a special place in my heart for many years. Last night, was my first ever proper concert of the sort, and I must say I loved it. Perhaps the things that struck me most as being different from EDM events is that there is a LOT less dancing and a LOT less drinking. Kudos for the less drinking, not so much for the dancing! But then again, you’re there to appreciate the live act, right, so all is forgiven. I also liked how it starts early and ends before the night is over, letting you continue elsewhere in the good mood you left the concert from.
The RHCP were awesome, the energy, visuals, set-up, interaction with the crowd and even the tweets and Instagram shots leading up to the concert were awesome. They expressed their thanks several times for letting them perform in Beirut, saying they never thought there would come a day and they’d play in Beirut. They also wished us love and peace (even though lots of hate was being dished out at the entrance of the Beirut Waterfront).
They played some of their classics like Californiacation and By the Way. Snow, Can’t Stop and Rain Dance Maggie were also the biggest crowd pleasers. In between songs, the guys did solos which I think were improvised? Bass, guitar, drums and different percussions with a surprise at the end by starting one of their tracks.
After they left and said farewell, the crowd chanted “we want more” and didn’t budge, and the RHCP obliged (unlike Placebo! Hmph!) And they kicked off with a few minutes of solid experimenting with the drums and drum-inspired, automated gadgets which I thought were pretty cool mixed up with phaser sounds and effects, adding just a hint of electronic sweetness to the awesome jamming.
They then played two songs which I’m not familiar with, and bid us the final, heartfelt farewell with a Lebanese flag on stage and one of their guitarists wearing a Lebanese-flag-RHCP tee…
All in all, it was a brilliant performance and an all-around very entertaining show. Glad I got to scratch watching RHCP live off my bucket list with so many people I love.
I’ll leave you with some photos I took and a few photos I stole off my Instagram buddies. Check out a few other album here and here.
