Thursday the 21st of September marked the second day that the Red Hot Chili Peppers took to the stage in the 3 Arena Dublin for their sold-out rescheduled shows from the previous December. I had seen them the during the summer of 2016 at Tenants Vital in Belfast and it was one of the best live shows I had ever been to, so when the few remaining tickets held for production were released days before the Dublin gig, I decided they were worth seeing again.

I commented before heading to the venue that it must be difficult for a band like the Chilis’ performing the same songs from albums twenty-five plus years old night after night. However, tonight they mixed their setlist up. The set featured fan favourites such as Can’t Stop, Californication and By the Way but also contained an array of covers such as Higher Ground originally by Stevie Wonder and I Wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges.

What I thought would be a highlight of the show was a performance of Get on Top, a song which they hadn’t performed live in ten years. However, the only thing redeeming about the track was the bass and drums, with the vocals and even more so the guitar being all over the place and totally inconsistent in comparison to the original recording. You can check it out below to see what I mean.

Their set closed out with an encore comprising of a solo excerpt of This is The Last Day of Our Acquaintance performed by guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. This was followed by Goodbye Angels, a track that starts with a repetitive guitar riff which eventually builds to incorporate vocals, bass and drums and Give it Away closed out the show.

Overall, the show was somewhat enjoyable, but with every artist, constant touring pays a toll. This was particularly noticeable in lead singer Anthony Kiedis’ vocals. They have been on the road promoting their album ‘The Getaway’ for roughly a year and a half so it was bound to have some impact and in contrast to the Belfast show, this performance left a lot to be desired.