Sunday, June 10, 2012

Californication (Warner Bros., 1999) by Red Hot Chili Peppers


The sound of Californication is more melodic in vocal and instrumental delivery than a lot of their previous work.  As a whole, the album taps into the poetic sensibility that made the deeply personal "Under the Bridge" such huge hit years earlier.  "Scar Tissue" is one of the my favorite records from the band's 25 plus year catalogue.  This album also has strong sentimental value to me as well.  The Red Hot Chili Peppers were my first concert, the Californication tour, - back in the summer of 2000 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI.  They performed with Foo Fighters as their opening act and, even as a hip hop fan, it remains the best concert I have seen to date.  Because Kiedis spent some of his childhood in the Grand Rapids area, it is impossible to not be exposed to the Chili Peppers' music (not that that's a bad thing at all) growing up there.  And, as a result of that hometown connection, the crowd was really into the show.  The only downside to the whole experience was that I couldn't wear the T-shirt that I got from the show to Middle School in the fall because it had the word "Californication" on it.

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