Red Hot Chili Peppers set to bring their unmistakable sound, setlist to South Florida

In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the notorious album, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers set out on an another unforgettable world tour this summer. And luckily for South Florida, the American rock band will pull into Hard Rock Stadium along the way.

The iconic group that mixes elements of hard rock, punk rock, funk, hip-hop, soul and jazz into a sound that has withstood the test of time began in the late 1970s, following an uptick in the punk scene in Los Angeles.

Made up of friends Anthony Kiedis, Michael Balzary (Flea), Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were known as one of the first American rock bands to combine those music styles in the 1980s, and by 1985, they had established a loyal fanbase and recording contract with EMI Records.

Shortly after the close of the band’s record deal came the release of several successful albums with Grammy-award-winning singles like “Under the Bridge” and “Give It Away.”

The band’s following has not let up more than three decades later, and as the world continues to break out of a pandemic lifestyle, this tour gives the die-hards a chance to celebrate this unique sound in person once again.

The global stadium tour’s North American leg opened last week in Denver, and will hit Miami Gardens on Aug. 30. It features a second stop in Florida — Sept. 15 in Orlando — and closes Sept. 18 in Arlington, Texas.

(Photo from Wikimedia Commons)

Launched four months after the release of the band’s twelfth studio album, “Unlimited Love,” the tour will mix several generations of the band’s music in its setlists. Made available to the public on April 1, “Unlimited Love” showcases the timeless sounds of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in an upbeat and funky way, the perfect combination of old and new.

“Our only goal is to get lost in the music,” the band said in a statement following the release of the album. “We spent thousands of hours, collectively and individually, honing our craft and showing up for one another, to make the best album we could.”

The band held a surprise concert at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles the day it was released, giving hometown fans a taste of what’s to come. And an international swing began with a show in Seville, Spain on June 4, kicking off the band’s first full tour in five years.

The tour is also the first in more than 15 years with guitarist John Frusciante, who rejoined in 2019. Red Hot Chili Peppers fans have long waited to hear classic songs like “Dani California” and “Right on Time” with Frusciante again.

Various well-known musicians like ASAP Rocky, Thundercat, Anderson Paak, and Free Nationals joined the Red Hot Chili Peppers as openers for the European Tour, which concluded July 12 in Hamburg, Germany.

The Strokes and Thundercat are booked for the Miami show as openers, and artists such as HAIM and King Princess are also in line to open in other U.S. stops.

Red Hot Chili Peppers North America Tour:

  1. Jul. 23: Denver, Colorado
    Jul. 27: San Diego, California
    Jul. 29: Santa Clara, California
  2. Jul. 31: Los Angeles, California
  3. Aug. 3: Seattle, Washington
  4. Aug. 6: Las Vegas, Nevada
  5. Aug. 10: Atlanta, Georgia
  6. Aug. 12: Nashville, Tennessee
  7. Aug. 14: Detroit, Michigan
  8. Aug. 17: East Rutherford, New Jersey
  9. Aug. 19: Chicago, Illinois
  10. Aug. 21: Toronto, Ontario
  11. Aug 30: Miami, Florida
  12. Sept. 1: Charlotte, North Carolina
  13. Sept. 3: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  14. Sept. 8: Washington, D.C.
  15. Sept. 10: Boston, Massachusetts
  16. Sept. 15: Orlando, Florida
  17. Sept. 18: Arlington, Texas

Mia Petruccelli is a senior at Florida International University majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in Women and Gender Studies. Originally from Tampa, FL, she traveled to Miami to finish school and find a career that is creative, professional and fulfilling. She is passionate about mental health, gender equality, and women's empowerment.