Red Hot Chili Peppers show Detroit extra love at huge homecoming stadium concert

DETROIT – It was quite the homecoming for two members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers as the band played their biggest Michigan concert ever in their decades-long career in front of more than 30,000 fans at Comerica Park on Sunday, Aug.14.

Lead Singer Anthony Kiedis was born and raised in Grand Rapids before moving to California as a tween. Drummer Chad Smith grew up in Bloomfield Hills, graduating from Lahser High School in 1980.

It was all about the band’s love for Michigan at this concert and it started with Smith’s drum kit, front and center, featuring the Detroit Tigers’ old English D on it.

Bassist Flea knew how big this night was for two of his bandmates and acknowledged it early.

“Thank you Michigan. Thank you for Chad and Anthony.”

Kiedis then recalled the band’s first gig in Detroit.

“Our first show ever in Detroit was at the Latin Quarter. You were there,” referring to Smith. “I tried to light a Pistons jersey on fire. You came out and beat my ass.”

There was even more reminiscing as Flea recalled recording one of the band’s first albums in 1985 in Detroit with George Clinton.

“It was so fun and a profound time in my life. We stayed in Detroit and recorded with George. It was so cool.”

The band didn’t just tell the crowd at the home of the Tigers how much they loved the city, they showed them with an energetic set of 18 songs which included hits “Dani California,” “Snow,” “Californication” and “Give It Away.” They also mixed in new material from their 2022 release, “Unlimited Love.”

The band was accompanied by a very visual and large screen behind them showing swirling, colorful and almost psychedelic visuals throughout the night.

The encore surprised fans who had looked at previous setlists from this stadium tour as they kicked it off with “Under the Bridge,” a song not seen in some U.S. cities on the tour. At 10:40 p.m. they concluded the night with “By The Way.”

Kiedis told the crowd he loved them and thanked fans in Saginaw, Lansing, Jackson and other cities he enthusiastically named. Smith added that it was a dream come true to play at Comerica Park as he brought his 95-year old mother onto the stage.

It will be hard for the band to top their next homecoming show, but if they show Detroit as much love the next time around as they did this time, you can bet fans will show up no matter how big the venue is.

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