Red Hot Chilli Peppers 11/12/16

I love the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and have done since I first heard "Fight Like a Brave" on the BBC way back in the eighties.  A couple of years later they released "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" and became the global superstars they remain today.  I got a chance of four tickets and i didn't have to think about it, has to be done!  So on a damp Sunday afternoon in December I pointed the car westwards and off we set.  I say "we" as I was joined by the Purple Princess, My daughter Maddie and beloved friend Trev, who like me, had seen RHCP before.  The journey along the A14/M6 wen't almost without a hitch (but not quite!) and we pulled up in the car park with time to spare.

The venue, Birmingham NEC is one I've visited many times.  It's further away than the London venues but less hassle to reach.  As we walked from the car park to the arena it became it had been spruced up considerably since my last visit, maybe a decade ago?  There's now a retail area that I hadn't noticed before with high street names in big lights.  The venue too is now named the "Genting arena" after it's sponsor, a casino apparently.

We joined a throng of people and were steadily drawn into the arena.  A quick stop for a Tee shirt then off in search of our seats.  We found ourselves towards the back of the arena, way up high near the roof.  this may have the disadvantage of not being in the thick of the atmosphere below but our view would be better.  Normally I find myself trying to peer over the shoulders of giants so a clear view of the stage makes a nice change.

Anyway, back up a bit.  By the time we found our seats the support were already in full flow.  This was "Baby Metal".  This band are unique to say the least, how could I describe it?  Imagine a Japanese 'Little Mix' singing in front of a 'Metallica' style hard rock band dressed in strange outfits.  (They look a bit like the band 'Goat'.  If you are unfamiliar with Goat, type it into YouTube, ignore anything dodgy and try to find the mad Swedish rock band.  You'll thank me.)  Anyway, three sweet Japanese girls dancing in perfect synch in front of a hard rock band shouldn't really work, should it?  Well it kind of does, in as much as it was entertaining and good fun.  We all enjoyed it and Maddie in particular loved it so its a thumbs up for Baby Metal.

Most concerts start off with some kind of dramatic intro but not the Peppers.  There's a bit of freaky clarinet warbling as they casually stroll on to stage.  Chad climbs onto the drum riser, Flea straps on the bass, Josh walks on with guitar and they launch into a jam, pounding rhythm and wailing guitar.  The rhythm increases, the sound builds and builds, these are seriously good musicians.  Anthony bops on and the band smashes into "Can't Stop", fucking awesome!  Then it's straight into "Dani California" followed by "Scar Tissue", what a way to start the gig!  "With the birds I share this lonely view..."

From this point on I can't remember what order the songs came in but there were several from the latest album "The Getaway".  these included the title track, "Dark Necessities", "Sick Love" and "Go Robot", I love this album and was looking forward to hearing it played live but was disappointed they didn't find time for "Longest Wave".  Mingled in with these were more familiar tunes like "Did I let you know", "Tell me baby" and "Parallel Universe".  At times tonight it seemed that the atmosphere dipped a little and also the sound wasn't quite right to my ears but these could both have been due to our position in the arena.  When a band has a back catalogue as large as the Peppers there are alway going to be tunes that are left out.  In particular the absence of"Californication" left a big hole in the show.  I would have loved to have heard "Snow" and "Brendan's Death Song".  I hear the band mixes the set up every night which is to their credit.

When Trev and I saw the Peppers play before in 2006 a feature of the show had been the band Jamming between songs and I loved this.  There wasn't much of this improvisation tonight but they did squeeze in a few bars of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker" and Sabbath's "Iron Man".  There wasn't much audience interaction tonight either, just a few words from Flea and Anthony but that's fine with me.  By jamming and talking less maybe they could squeeze more tunes in?  Whatever, when the Peppers are on stage they look like they are loving it.

I have to mention the lighting.  Apart from the usual effects we've become used to RHCP used hundreds of thin, tubular, ever changing lights suspended above the stage and crowd.  These rose and fell, ebbed and flowed, formed shapes and patterns.  I can't recall seeing anything like this before and it was really effective.  Maybe our row high seats gave us a different angle and allowed us to fully appreciate this?

The band played on...  "Under the Bridge" sounded brilliant with the crowd singing every word.  This was followed by a blistering "By the Way" and once again the atmosphere was sparking.  Another banging tune now would have lifted the roof... But the band left the stage.

The inevitable encore charade followed.  The band returned with another new song "Dream of a Samurai", a strange choice at this stage but it's a great tune and it sounded superb.  Then came the awesome funky punky "Give it away" which had the roof straining once again...
"Unimpressed with material excess, love is free love me say Hell Yes!"  Chad paid homage to some great British rock bands.  Then they were gone.

Walking back to the car we all agreed we'd enjoyed the show.  For me the measure is how I feel when it ends, am I ready to go home or do I want more?  Tonight I definitely wanted more, I loved it!  That said I think RHCP played a better show when I saw them the first time in 2006.  All in all this was a very, very good gig but one that fell a little short of being great.  I'd go see them again for sure!


Meanwhile...
India have taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the test series against England.  We won the test and the latest opener Jennings scored an impressive ton on debut to help England to 400.  It seemed a good total but India have a master batsman in Virat Kholi who is having a remarkable series.  His 230+ helped the home side to a total over 600.  With Ashwin bowling superbly the win was a matter of when, not if.  It's a bit embarrassing for England to lose by an innings after posting 400.  The fifth and final test starts in a couple of days, we could play much better and still lose!

Anti Xmas music advent Calendar Part 2

It's getting serious now.  "The big day" is getting too close for comfort but not close enough to be actually enjoyable for even the most indoctrinated, enthusiastic, brain dead Xmas lover.  By this time most sane people have had enough and just want all the bullshit to be over for another year.

Getting excited/annoyed/frustrated.

Simply the best Xmas No. 1 ever.  Smash the Establishment, smash the X factor monopoly, (NB In this equation X = shit) kick Simon Cowell in the bollocks.  Come to think of it even Cowell's shit was better than the bilge spewed out by suspected paedo (allegedly) Cliff fucking Richard year after year.  

"Burn down tinsel town..."  But don't stop there.  Burn down the tinsel, the tree, the baubels.  Smash the sleigh, eat the reindeer and torch the fucking coke lorry while you're at it.

So you're wearing a Xmas jumper?  How fucking hilarious, you quirky little individual.  I've got news for you, it's shit and you look a twat.  No need...

Why all the snow scenes?  It never fucking snows at Xmas, ever.  Snow is shit anyway, fun for a day then a total pain in the Khyber while it lingers around, clogging everything up, then it melts and becomes a fucking mess.  Not all snow is bad however, one of the good varieties is...

 

Driving into the town centre for the annual ritual riot known as Xmas shopping?  Everywhere packed out with people buying crap, nose to head, elbow to elbow.  Can't move, can't drive and definitely can't park.  You know where you're heading...

While you're at it, all that money you're wasting on tat and shite that nobody really wants.  Put the word 'Christmas' on something with a picture of a fucking robin, then double the price, fucking bandits.  At least Dick Turpin wore a mask.

I don't feel the slightest bit spiritual at this time of year, any religious significance has been long forgotten.  Should I feel the need to attend a ceremony I like the thought of this bloke presiding.

And to get into the spirit properly we all need to see a stylist for a suitable religious look!  Come to think of it, loads of hipster shits are sporting it already.  Scrub that, shave and get a crew cut.

Anti Xmas music advent Calendar Part 1

The 'Xmas single' has to be one of the biggest crimes against humanity ever unleashed upon the masses.  They are, almost without exception, a hastily thrown together musical bucket of vomit spewed all over our ears.  The Xmas No.1 is coveted only because it's the single that will make the most cash for the industry throughout the fifty two weeks and the pretense that quality of music actually matters has long been shattered.  Everyone knows the Xmas single is a pile of shite but the industry knows the sheeple will go out and buy it anyway.

If that isn't bad enough, every December we get all this utter filth thrown at us again.  Year after year we are subjected to Noddy fucking Holder screaming you know what and Roy bloody Wood lying through his teeth, wishing it could be Xmas everyday.  Fucking Wham and their sickeningly sweet loveliness and all those other horrors we've heard a million times.  I expect these criminals still lap up the royalties ta very much, bastards.

Anyway, the dreaded main event is still a couple of weeks away but normally rational people are still allowing themselves to get wrapped up in something they call...

 'Xmas spirit'

I live in dread of December.  I can handle the shitty weather but the bullshit gets me down.  Halloween isn't scary, it's just more bollocks, a prelude to the real nightmare approaching.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year..." So says the song, can't remember who sung it but that is irrelevant because its just more cheesy Xmas shit.  Anyway, fuck that, D D D Don't believe the hype!

Drink yourself to death "because its Xmas...".  Stuff your gullet full of shit, wear a permanent prozac grin.  Dress like a knob..."Because..."

"Because its Xmas..." the age old excuse for acting like a total cock.   Or to put it a bit more politely acting a little..

Collective lunacy caused by the season.  Faux forced madness, "I'm mad me, I just don't care..."  Chase them outa town!

Marvin wasn't really talking about Xmas but he could have been and everything else he sings about is still going on today.  Mankind hasn't learnt a damn thing but forget all that, cheer up its fucking Xmas...

In the year of brexit, here's one for all the mugs who didn't really have a clue what they were voting for.  This is what we're left with.  At least the soundtrack is class.

Yes it's been a mad year.  Here's one for our American brothers who managed to hold an election contested by two of the worst candidates it is possible to imagine.  When Xmas passes the New Year heralds...

We need an antidote to the madness.  Xmas is the poison, this is the remedy.  Turn it right up, drown out the carols and cheesy Xmas shite.  Do it Now!

Third test

Day one, England won the toss and batted!  But fluffed their lines and posted an inadequate 283 thanks mostly to 89 from Bairstow.  On day two good bowling and fielding kept England in the match, Stokes and Rashid were particularly impressive.  The third day saw India's lower order take the game away, Jadeja scored 90 on the way to an challenging total of 417.  A lead of 130 looked daunting and proved too much for England who lost four wickets before the close.  On the fourth day Root scored 78 and an injured Hameed made an unbeaten 59 but England could only set a target of 103 which India knocked off with eight wickets to spare.

This was a poor performance from England's batting unit who don't face high class spin often enough to be proficient at tackling it.  The bowlers are doing better than I expected on this tour but England's batting remains a worry.  Unfortunately Haseeb Hameed has a broken finger and will have to return home for surgery.  He's done enough in three matches to make himself a fixture of the England team for a long time to come.  Keaton Jennings of Durham has been called up as a replacement, to be honest I know nothing about him but its good to see another fresh face getting a chance.  Likewise Liam Dawson will come in to replace Ansari who is struggling with a back injury.

Two down with two to play it's hard to imagine England coming back to get a draw in this series but we England fans are forever optimistic.

Second test. Don't Panic!

The second test went as to script.  India won the toss and piled on 450+, Kohli was superb.  England went into bat and fluffed it, conceding a 200 deficit.  England's bowlers fought back to bowl the home side for 200 but were never likely to come anywhere near a 400+ victory target.  In the end it was an achievement to take the game into the fifth day, by which time the pitch looked like a chess board.  Eventually India won by 248 runs with Ashwin taking eight wickets in the match.

For England there were decent performances from Cook, Stokes, Root and Bairstow with the bat.  Hammed continues to impress too.  With the ball Anderson, Broad and notably Rashid done very well.  The next test begins on Saturday and despite the heavy defeat this time, I think England are capable of competing with India.  If all goes well this tour doesn't have to be as one sided as I predicted.  I think this England team has a bright future, more on this at a later date...

On Sunday 20th I went to see "Panic! at the disco" play at the Alexandra Palace.  I was going to write a review of the gig on here but my daughter has already done a better job than I could which if inclined, you can read here;

http://maddionette.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/concert-diaries-panic-at-disco.html

First test, second test.

The first test at Rajkot didn't go as expected.  England batted brilliantly with centuries for Root, Ali, Stokes and Cook.  We bowled excellently, the spinners threatened and the seamers kept it tight.  England fielded very well but there were a couple of dropped chances that might have swung things. In fact England outplayed India and were perhaps unlucky not to win.  However this was a good pitch and there will be far more difficult ones to come.  That said England will take confidence into the next match they suddenly look like a team.  The star of the show was nineteen year old debutant Haseeb Hamed who looked at home as a test opener scoring 37 and 82 in the match.  It looks like England have found a special player, if the openers role is filled this could become a great England team in the future.

Before I get carried away the second test starts very soon and this will be another very tough match.  Despite England's strong performance, India remain as favourites.  England can't play much better than they did in Rajkot but India can.

England vs India

The first test starts tomorrow in Rajkot.  It looks like England will play the batting line up I wished for a week or two back, Hameed will open and Ducket replace Ballance at 4. The bowlers are undecided as yet but the smart money is on Gareth Batty returning.

It's impossible to predict how England will go these days but against the No.1 team in the world in spinning conditions, we will definitely be the underdogs.  We could play much better than we did in Bangladesh and still get battered.  Statistics show England have the best record of all teams to tour India since 2000 and are the only away team to win a series here in the last decade.  We could be brilliant and play out of our skins... But we don't have Swann or Panesar any more.  I'll stick my neck out and predict a 3-1 India win.

Elewhere there is the small matter of the US election.  The country that has given the world Neal Armstrong, Bob Dylan, Stephen King, Harper Lee, Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Joe Fraxier, George Foreman, Marvin Hagler, Robert de Niro, Johnny Depp, Quinten Tarrantino, Mark Oliver Everett, Kurt Cobain, (insert favourites of your own...you get the point...) Marvin Gaye, Dr Dre, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Earnest Hemmingway, Woody Allen, Iggy Pop, Aretha Franklin, Lauren Hill, Jimi Hendrix, Roosevelt, Lincoln and yes Obama.
How the hell did they end up having to choose between a pair of psychotic clowns ?
Then again, this is a county where mad people are allowed to own guns...

PS  I don't dislike American people, I've known many over the years and have liked almost all of them.  Unfortunately their country is even more corrupt than ours.