Though members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are sailing through their mid-forties, their performance at the Bradley Center on February 28th was far from senile. The band, in its 24th year, made the trip to Milwaukee just weeks after Stadium Arcadium’s big Grammy win for Rock Album of the Year. An inventive blend of seamless guitar riffs and a intense display of lights left fans musically satisfied and seeing spots all the way home.

Unfortunately, before the Peppers’ performance, concertgoers were forced to suffer though the “Crazy” opening act, Gnarls Barkley. The “lab coat donning” theme of Gnarls’ performance kicked off with a lousy rendition of “She Blinded Me with Science.” Aside from the raspy vocals and seated audience, Gnarls received some applause from his cover of the Violent Femmes hit “Gone Daddy Gone.” Needless to say, the opening act was less than memorable.

After forty-five minutes of unbridled anticipation, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist John Frusciante took the stage and started jamming. After the entrance of singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, the four kicked into the opening chords of “Can’t Stop.” The set list for the night was well balanced with previous hits and songs off of the new album Stadium Arcadium. For the lack of a better phrase, the audience went nuts.

In all, over a decade and a half worth of music was covered throughout the course of the concert. In fact, the fan base was just as diverse as the music played. Even though the sold out arena was filled with six to sixty-eight-year-olds, everyone took advantage of the opportunity to rock out. Each song was riddled with screeching guitar riffs, complicated baselines, and infamous rolled R’s by Kiedis. Fists were a-pumping, heads were a-bobbing, feet were a-stomping, ears were a-throbbing, and smoke was a-circulating throughout the rafters.

After ninety minutes of pure, unadulterated rock, RHCP encored-it-up with 1991 hit “Under the Bridge,” then concluded the show with an intense performance of “Give It Away.” We believe the fans would agree when we say that the Chili Peppers truly gave it away on their trip to Milwaukee.