It’s fair to say, Lollapalooza attendees tend to be youngish, so spotting a 60-year-old shirtless man in Grant Park during the festival would be a rare sight. But there were two of them onstage by the end of the headlining set on the T-Mobile stage Sunday night, as Red Hot Chili Peppers singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea displayed their svelte, tattooed physiques and their athletic performance styles during a 90-minute set that was free of rain after a damp day downtown.
The other members of the quartet — powerhouse drummer Chad Smith, 61, and guitarist extraordinaire John Frusciante, 53 — were just as compelling as their more famous bandmates.
Smith proved himself to be an ageless, time-keeping superhero, and Flea made his entrance by doing a handstand and then “walking” across the stage to pick up his instrument.
Kiedis, who has been prone to leg and foot injuries over the years, wore an air cast on his left leg, but that didn’t stop him from bounding around the stage like a fellow half his age.
Throughout the night, Frusciante offered the type of intricate, psychedelic fretwork that has made him an icon to generations of guitarists.
The band has enjoyed a creatively fertile period lately, with two chart-topping albums released in 2022 — “Unlimited Love” and “Return of the Dream Canteen,” both of which contain a whopping 17 tracks.
Alongside big hits from earlier decades — such as “Scar Tissue,” “Californication” and “Can’t Stop” — the band played some recent songs, including “Black Summer” and “Carry Me Home,” which both fit in nicely alongside the band’s older concert staples.
For the encore, the band delivered powerful versions of two songs from its classic 1991 album, “Blood Sugar Sex Magik.” Following the confessional ballad “I Could Have Lied,” Kiedis told the crowd, “That song was for Sinéad. It always was, and it always will be.” The song reportedly was inspired by his brief relationship with Sinéad O’Connor, who passed away July 26.
The final song of the night was crowd favorite “Give It Away,” illustrating the organic combination of rock, rap and funk that helped earn this band induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Throughout the night, the set was peppered with instrumental introductory segments that reflected the band’s embrace of musical improvisation. It was cool to see these unscripted moments, almost as if thousands of fans were allowed to eavesdrop on a private jam session.
Few bands are as closely associated with Lollapalooza as RHCP. The group played the fest in 1992, back when it was a touring event. The band then played Lolla in Grant Park in 2006, 2012 and 2016. Lucky baby boomers who saw the band in ’92 and then made it downtown for Sunday’s show overwhelmingly keep their shirts on.
