The Red Hot Chili Peppers invaded Tampa, Florida at the Tampa Bay Time Forum for the first date of their rescheduled ‘I’m With You’ World Tour on Thursday night. This was my first time seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers live and boy was I impressed. For a band that has been around for nearly 30 years (29 to be exact….) they still know how to bring it for their live shows.

Opening act Santi White, better known as Santigold, brought her powerful voice and new wave reggae fusion band that certainly complimented the headliners for the evening. I briefly had a chance to listen to their music before their show, but seeing them live really made an impression on me. Costumes, choreographed dances, and the occasional prop made their show stand out from the mundane, typical openers one would often see at a rock concert. They have certainly gained a new fan in myself and I would be willing to bet many others who were there as well. Make sure to check out their upcoming release Master of My Make-Believe which comes out May 1st.

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Late in 2011, singer Anthony Kiedis had surgery on his foot after putting it off since their Stadium Arcadium tour. The first leg of their ‘I’m With You’ Tour had to be rescheduled and this was their first show back from their short hiatus. Opening up with the second single off of their new ‘Monarchy of Roses’, the Peppers started out slowly…building up anticipation to the screams and yells of the raucous crowd. Once the song kicked in, the band came to life….bassist Flea and new guitarist Josh Klinghoffer spastically moving around the stage with Anthony interacting with the crowd and providing his soaring vocals. There were times when I was entranced with the show, too busy being a spectator rather than taking pictures. They played multiple songs off of their newest release ‘I’m With You’ including their newest single ‘Look Around’. While this tour may be focused on their newest material, that’s not to say they didn’t play their hits. Intermingled within the set were the timeless classics like ‘Can’t Stop’, ‘Scar Tissue’ and the Stevie Wonder cover of Higher Ground. The crowd sang along to every word and you could tell it was well their 3 month wait for this concert.

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Make sure to check out the Red Hot Chili Peppers newest album, ‘I’m With You’, available everywhere now.

all photos ©2012 Jason Goetz