Friday, Dec. 27, 2002 | 9:02 a.m.
Temperatures may be near freezing outside, but Las Vegas is in for a Red Hot New Year's Eve celebration next week.
Before they head overseas to begin a long European tour, veteran alternative rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers stop off for a pair of shows at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel Monday and Tuesday, the latter on New Year's Eve.
The Chili Peppers were last in town in August, but most local fans did not get a chance to witness that performance -- a special show for a crowd of just 50, part of VH1's "Backyard BBQ" live concert series. Las Vegan Leslie Prekop hosted the private concert after winning a sweepstakes.
Most area fans last caught the group in September 2000 at the Thomas & Mack Center, part of the Chili Peppers' "Californication" tour. That album, along with its follow-up -- this year's "By the Way" -- have been hailed by critics as a maturation of the band's early funk/punk sound.
Devotees of the Chili's early material are also in for a treat: the group's first four albums are slated to be reissued on Jan. 28, all remastered and adorned with previously unreleased bonus tracks.
Who: Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Where: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.
When: 9 p.m. Monday, 10:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Tickets: Monday, $155.50; Tuesday, 205.50.
Call: 693-5066.
Opening act: None.
Personnel: Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), Chad Smith (drums).
Latest release: "By the Way" (Warner Bros., 2002).
Album feedback: "A near-perfect balance of gutter grime and high-art aspiration, the Rick Rubin-produced 'By the Way' continues the Peppers' slow-motion makeover." (Rolling Stone, 4 stars); As they near the 20-year mark that instantly classifies rock stars as institutions, the Chili Peppers have become a new breed of classic-rock band -- one whose roots lie in funk, punk and old-school hip-hop rather than folk or blues." (Entertainment Weekly, B).
Essential releases: "Freaky Styley" (1985), "The Uplift Mofo Party Plan" (1987), "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" (1991), "Californication" (1999).
What to expect: Most of the Chili Peppers' 2002 shows have featured a mix of the band's FM hits and cuts from this year's "By the Way." Most bands tend to treat New Year's Eve shows differently, though, so don't be surprised by more eclectic set lists sprinkled with rarities and fan favorites.
Recent set list: Bangkok, Thailand, Impact Arena, Dec. 10: "By the Way," "Scar Tissue," "Around the World," "Suck My Kiss," "The Zyphyr Song," "Havana Affair," "Otherside," "Parallel Universe," "Don't Forget Me," "Right on Time," "I Could Have Lied," "Can't Stop," "Californication," "Venice Queen," "Give it Away." Encore: "Under the Bridge," "Search and Destroy." (from fan post on redhotchilipeppers.com bulletin board).
Tour feedback: "As their set progresses, there is the sense that to characterize them as nu-metal godfathers is to do them a disservice ... Approaching their mid-40s, surrounded by reductive progeny, the Chili Peppers seem suddenly interested in aging with dignity." (London Guardian); As Flea and guitarist John Frusciante astounded the audience with their technical wizardry, Kiedis and drummer Chad Smith did their part to keep the band's momentum rolling with infectious enthusiasm." (Honolulu Star-Bulletin).
Recent Las Vegas appearances: Sept. 5, 1998 (Huntridge), Sept. 6, 1998 (Huntridge), Sept. 13, 2000 (Thomas & Mack).
Says Kiedis: "We could drive in limos and private jets all day long, and we'd still be more punk rock than bands that call themselves punk rock today. All of our motivation is real, and that's more the essence of punk rock than people trying to sound like something that happened 20 years ago." (Rolling Stone, July, 2002).
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