RHCP: Frusciante Makes Stage Return
John Frusciante made his return to the stage with Red Hot Chili Peppers on Saturday in Beverly Hills, 12 years after he last played with them. Drummer Chad Smith was unable to make the show and Jane’s Addiction‘s Stephen Perkins sat in for him, so Frusciante still hasn’t publicly reunited with the entire band yet, but this came awfully close.
The three-song performance consisted of the Chili Peppers’ “Give It Away” and covers of The Stooges‘ “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and Gang of Four‘s “Not Great Men.” It came as part of a Tony Hawk Foundation memorial for benefactor Andrew Burkle, whose family’s contributions helped keep the skate park group going through rough times. Burkle, the son of billionaire Ron Burkle, died Thursday of unknown causes.
There are video snippets of the performances on YouTube (below). There’s also one of Frusciante trading licks with former Chili Pepper Dave Navarro on “Mountain Song” during Jane’s Addiction’s mini-set — the first time the two had ever played together.
Thank you to the Burkle family for including us in your celebration of Andrew. His passion for life was contagious & his spirit lives on through our work at @THF.
A good example of Andrew’s magnetism was on display when this all-star lineup came together to play Iggy Pop #acbrox pic.twitter.com/8F3WjGT8K7— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) February 9, 2020