Red Hot Chili Peppers revive Hillel Slovak-era songs at Hollywood charity show

Red Hot Chili Peppers played the Hollywood Palladium on 17 October at a charity show where they brought back Hillel Slovak-era songs for the first time in decades. The night raised funds for the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music, the nonprofit school founded by bassist Flea and touring member Keith “Tree” Barry, marking 25 years since it opened. Comedian Marc Maron hosted, with Dave Grohl and Vince Staples also performing.

According to NME, the band played 11 songs, opening with their usual improv jam and “Can't Stop”. They then played “Organic Anti-Beat Box Band”, from 1987's “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan”, and “Blackeyed Blonde”, from 1985's “Freaky Styley”, both for the first time since 2000. Guitarist John Frusciante performed a rarely heard cover of Carole King's “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?”, and “Nevermind” was played with him for the first time since 1992. The set also included “Black Summer”, “Eddie”, “Whatchu Thinkin'”, “Hey” and “Give It Away”.

Dave Grohl's seven-song set leaned on Foo Fighters songs such as “Times Like These” and “Hero”; he brought out his daughter Violet and covered Gerry Rafferty's “Baker Street” with his bandmates for the first time since 2007.

The return to the early catalogue follows a Netflix documentary on the band's early days and Slovak's impact, which the members kept their distance from creatively while agreeing to be interviewed. In May the band sold their recorded catalogue to Warner Music Group in a deal worth more than $300 million.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1982, the American band released “Unlimited Love” and “Return Of The Dream Canteen” in 2022, both top three in the US and UK.