Aug 19 2000 @ Molson Center Montreal, QC

Wassup y'all, Just returned from a whirlwind kind of an evening.Last night was the last show on this tour for our boys and they made it one to remember. First things first though, big respect to Anthony Keidis who was on Musique Plus (french MTV) and had some kind things to say about Angelo,the band and being able to tour with them again.

The show started out with a rip...

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When I was 12, I branched out from only listening to my older brothers' music and bought my first tape: Mother's Milk, by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, which completely impressed me. Later that year, I got into a band called Fishbone; and I have ended up owning all of their CDs. Flash ahead three years and I heard the song "Sex Type Thing," by a new band called Stone Temple Pilots; and I immediately picked up their debut disc.

That said, I was definitely psyched for last night's concert, which brought each of those bands to the Molson Centre. Perhaps that line-up would have been even more exciting about seven years ago (or sooner, if you ignore STP); but it was still a very good concert in 2000.

Fishbone, the chronically underappreciated heavy funk-ska outfit, took the stage first. I have been a huge Fishbone fan for many years; but I had a mixed reaction to their set. Don't get me wrong--the boys gave a great, high-energy performance that certainly impressed me. Unfortunately, though, as the openers, they got a rather short set. Additionally, it was hard to get the proper Fishbone feeling in a half-empty stadium. I would still love the chance to see the band give it their all in a slammin' club show. Nonetheless, I can still finally say that I got to see Fishbone live.

Stone Temple Pilots had a stage set-up that was more suited to the stadium surroundings and they also had a lot more fans on their side. Although I'm not as big of an STP fan as I am a Chilis and Fishbone fan, I very much enjoyed their performance. Frontman Scott Weiland, in particular, has a strong stage presence that carried the set. It was wild to see him work his way through the entire stadium floor during one song. STP came through with songs that varied from mellow trippiness to full-on heaviness, and they were equally adept, no matter what the tone.

Following that solid outing came the headliners, Red Hot Chili Peppers. What can I say? The first two bands maintained a consistently high pace throughout their acts, kicking ass from start to finish. Each was led by a very dynamic singer backed by serious musicianship. The Chilis more than lived up to those standards, feeding off the energy of a very enthusiastic crowd.

Singer Anthony Kiedis constantly hopped his way around the stage, vaulting back and forth with his microphone stand, all the while giving a great lyrical performance. The rest of the band was equally impressive: Chad Smith was very cool on drums and some of the best moments of the show came when guitarist John Frusciante (back in the fold with the last album) and bassist Flea (the cornerstone of the band) squared off for some amazing jams.

The songs were culled very heavily from two albums: the band's latest, Californication, and their commercial breakthrough, 1991's Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Only two older songs surfaced: "Blackeyed Blonde" and "Me and My Friends," the latter of which featured members of the other bands on the bill.

Like Stone Temple Pilots, the Chilis succeeded with their slow songs--"I Could Have Lied" came across with emotion that can be difficult to create in a stadium--while carrying the night with their faster, heavier numbers. The undisputed highlight of a great concert was the bands encore: "Sir Psycho Sexy," "They're Red Hot," and the spectacular closer, a jam-intensified cover of Iggy and the Stooges' "Search and Destroy."

The electricity of Flea and John winding down on an incredible display of musicianship was a great way to end an excellent concert.

[Review also posted at http://almosthuman.ca/Jambalaya/Concerts/2000-08-19.html]

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