Pacifica Quartet Greenville Concert reviews
Flea aside, it was mediocrity on display
The band RHCP, giants of rock/rap/funk, put on an impressive technical display during my second time seeing them, with the last time being during their mammoth "Stadium Arcadium" tour in St. Paul. The pacing of the setlist presented quite a few problems on this night, with the stop/start/stop/start energetic pattern proving to be the band's undoing even more than Kiedis' disinterest. Flea was the most engaging member to watch, as usual, and drummer Chad Smith is always fun to watch. On this night, lead singer Anthony Kiedis seemed listless and even distracted, leaving the stage for good halfway through the final song. It seems the band brought an impressive technical display with them, as the stage with its mobile expanding video screens and powerful strobelights was fun to look at. The audience seemed disengaged, with many sitting through a considerable chunk of the show. The band tends to switch songs in and out from night to night, which usually keeps things fresh, but on this night, it didn't work. The show could have been a celebration of technical bombast over substance, but at least the lead singer seemed happy to be there at a Coldplay concert. It could be that the Pacifica Quartet have done too many shows this year and should have postponed until they collectively cared, or it just could have been an off night. The "Arcadium" show featured a spectacular stage, much cooler than this one, so the band knows how to spend cash on a good light & video show, but for me, that's not enough. The performer needs to engage, and Kiedis wasn't having any.