Red Hot Chili Peppers STADIUM ARCADIUM, Lollapalooza '06

If this little preview doesn't get your blood pumping....I don't know what will. Great medley of RHCP songs and a rundown of their impressive rap sheet. I agree with everything except for the best frontman part. We all know the voice is limited (Kiedis even talked about it at length in his autobiography SCAR TISSUE) and the lyrics (more often than not) seem troublesome to me. I would have to take Vedder or Weiland on that one. Maynard James Keenan? Who knows....this is pretty tough now that I think about it. But, the preview is pretty sweet and the last 30 seconds or so is the chorus (I believe) to "Dani California."

It seems like it was just yesterday that JB, Frat and I were watching them perform "Parallel Universe" acoustic at the Bridge School Benefit.

They are headlining Lollapalooza 2006 in Grant Park, Chicago, IL this year. The lineup is pretty impressive Including Kanye West, Wilco, Death Cab, Raconteurs, QOTSA, The Shins, Common, Ryan Adams, Sonic Youth, Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Gnarls Barkley, Blackalicious, Hard-Fi, The Hold Steady, Wolfmother, Sparta, Living Things, and more. It is three days, August 4-6 and that lineup speaks for itself. The Bastards and I are already formulating a plan to get out to the Windy City for this mess. Joe's on Weed Street here we come. Last time I was out in Chi-town I saw Kerry Wood hit a home run in a game that he threw 7 shutout innings in and I got to boo Nomar Garciaparra for the first time since he was polluting our dugout in Fenway.

Back to RHCP...here is the group discussing the first single from Stadium Arcadium, "Dani California." I can't help but look at drummer Chad Smith and picture him in a kimono, holding nunchukas and yelling, "Mom! The meat loaf! Fuck!". Listening to Frusciante talk is always interesting. The guy is on a different plane. What a genuis. The next time you are in a bookstore go to the Photography section and pick up the book AMERICAN MUSIC by Annie Leibovitz. If you turn to page 142 you will see the toll heroin took on his body. Tattoos consumed by abscesses...it's pretty grim. It's always good to see him healthy and talking in a completely different language than the rest of us.

The entire RHCP catalog is on iTunes now, with some additional songs to some of the albums.

Their European tour dates coupled with Lollapalooza lead one to believe that the end of summer will mark the American leg of their tour.