What happened? Red chili peppers dominated the stage, expanding their reach as they did this Tuesday, without releasing the most anticipated album in their history lately. Olympic Stadium replaced the usual Palau Sant Jordi at the Barcelona stop on the tour Unlimited Love. A deep, cross‑generational appetite to see this Californian giant, the creator of a fiber‑driven sound label that blends hard rock and funk, and the author of hits spanning three decades, was on full display.
Powerful showmanship even without selling the entire newspaper, the performance drew 49,000 attendees (per Live Nation) in the midweek spring surge after packing La Cartuja in Seville on Thursday. The stadium comeback arrived three years after the last full‑scale show, before covid‑19, when Ed Sheeran played in June 2019. A large‑format rock act opened for the strong New Yorker Nas, who took the stage with a forceful set backed by a DJ and a pounding drummer, delivering tracks like Made You Look and One Mic. (Source: Live Nation)
Improvisation in the stadium
Red Hot Chili Peppers continued to convey energy and joy, leaning into improvisation — a rare exercise in a stadium where precision counts to the millimeter. They sang to open the session, relaxed the muscles, and warmed up the crowd. An image on the screens highlighted John Frusciante, the guitarist and prodigal son who has returned twice, earning wide applause even as four band members worked in harmony. The bassist teased the crowd from the very first moment with jokes and slaps. From there, the classics Can’t Stop and the welcome track Dani California, as well as Around the World, traced back to albums at the turn of the century, attracting new fans along the way. (Source: Live Nation)
Anthony Kiedis, shirtless but with a bruising voice, carried a remarkable sensitivity that allowed the Pepper’s sound to feel powerful without shouting. The band’s latest material offered richer nuance and modulation, notably Black Summer with its subtle COVID‑era lyrics. In another performance, Frusciante stepped forward with a surge of guitar magic during Heavy Wing, a moment that underscored his formidable presence on stage. (Source: Live Nation)
The perfect groove
Everything the band played resonated as their own, yet the latest work carved out space for calmer moments in the middle of the set. The musicians floated through a built‑in alchemy among the four of them, with Californication featuring quotes from Cobain and Bowie as a warning cry about Western decadence. The collection built tension as the show moved toward its closing chapters. Popular songs like Nevermind and Under the Bridge returned during the halftime break, evoking memories of the past, including the difficult days of loss and drugs, while the band now plays on with a sense of renewed momentum. (Source: Live Nation)