Live Review: Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers fans are a rowdy bunch, more so if they’ve been deprived of that sweet Californian funk rock for several years.

Swarms of people circled nib Stadium's huge perimeter, frantically trying to find their gate; one eager fan covered head-to-toe in red paint and showcasing his best cosplay.

Fuzzed-out bass, wild drums and mesmerising guitar licks welcomed punters to the show, with Flea, Chad Smith and Josh Klinghoffer setting the tone for the night with a 10-minute jam session before Anthony Kiedis finally emerged.

Flea rocked back and forth with infectious energy to the opening riff of Around The World, and a sea of phones rose from crowd while everyone chanted along.

"Hello, motherfuckers!" Flea said. "I don't want to hear any profanity tonight," he added, the funky beat and dreamy guitar of The Zephyr Song resulting in more than a few celebratory profanities being thrown around.

The slower funk vibes of more recent single Dark Necessities, taken from the 2016’s The Getaway, was another chance for band members to showcase their respective talents, constantly breaking out into extended jam sessions and seemingly trying to one-up each other while also working in perfect harmony.

Hey kept things mellow, with classic rock solos and piercing blue lights drawing the audience in and Kiedis holding their attention with every syllable as a solid layer of synth hovered over the crowd

The spell was broken with bass so thick you could take a bite out if it, things kicking into overdrive in a matter of seconds with Nobody Weird Like Me. The screens around the stage continued to stream tripped-out live footage of the musicians doused with effects reminiscent of the late '80s.

After a slew of hits, the middle of the set branched out into different territory, rewarding longtime fans and dedicated listeners to 2011’s Factory Of Faith, Blood Sugar Sex Magik’s Sir Psycho Sexy, a cover of Robert Johnson’s They're Red Hot and another new(ish) cut in Go Robot, all executed tightly.

The anticipation began to rise again as Flea and Klinghoffer faced off under a solo spotlight and weaved their magic for several minutes, eventually sliding into Californication, the band introducing fans to a slower rendition of the summer anthem before another shock to the system unfolded via the stop-start pacing of Suck My Kiss.

"Take me to the place I love/Take me all the way," the crowd howled along with Kiedis in Under The Bridge, marking the set's climax; the only thing that could have made it more of a religious experience would have been the haunting backing vocals from John Frusciante that feature on the studio recording.

The end of the night was near - all too soon - and some were hell bent on going home with a concussion, headbanging with ferocious intensity to the breakdowns of By The Way.

They paid their respects to the adoring crowd and temporally disappeared, returning to reward their enthusiasm and pay tribute to local act The Triffids with a solo performance of Red Pony from Klinghoffer.

The rest of the gang joined him for Goodbye Angels, a slow burner with uplifting energy that saw them unleash one final burst of energy, and bounce around manically.

"Last show, it's the last show of our Australian tour," Kiedis improvised as the band noodled behind him, openers George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic remerging for a huge rendition of Give It Away.

"Peace and love to every one of you," Flea said, signing off with a signature handstand and shuffling offstage.

Perth hasn't had that much fun on a Tuesday night in years, despite some pretty serious setlist omissions.