Peppers still have a lot of spice

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Jan. 2, 2003 | 8:20 a.m.

When: Tuesday.

Where: The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Tickets: $205-$305.

Rating (out of five stars): ****

The 10-second countdown to midnight had just begun on the screen at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel on Tuesday night when Red Hot Chili Peppers vocalist Anthony Kiedis jumped the gun.

"It's (expletive) New Year's, man. Happy New Year's!" Kiedis exclaimed, as a wave of balloons and streamers, along with a few lifesized blowup dolls, poured down from the ceiling.

Kiedis later asked for the audience's forgiveness for his midnight miscue, but the capacity crowd of 1,900 required no apologies on this night. For two torrid hours, the Chili Peppers helped their fans usher in 2003 with an inspired set of funk-rock.

The shortened countdown wasn't the only notable gaffe, as the quartet also produced a handful of false starts during the concert. But rather than ruin the show, those glitches only underscored a sense of unpredictability, as the band altered its song list on the fly and took familiar material into unexpected territory.

This was most evident during the encore segment. Guitarist John Frusciante began playing the familiar intro to the group's 1991 hit single "Under the Bridge," before suddenly halting the number.

Though clearly disappointed with the turn of events, the audience was compensated with a scorching 30-minute encore, including a turbo-charged version of Iggy Pop's "Search and Destroy" that stretched out close to 15 minutes.

By that point there should have been no doubt about the musical abilities of Kiedis, Frusciante, bassist Flea and drummer Chad Smith. But in case any did linger, the Chili Peppers tore apart the punk classic, adding funk and psychedelic flavors and experimenting with feedback and other effects.

After Kiedes exited the stage, Smith kicked over his drumset and did the same, leaving Frusciante and Flea to their own devices. The duo remained onstage for several minutes, weaving notes around one another to bring a furious evening to a tranquil conclusion.

Frusciante, whose 1998 return to the Peppers kick-started one of the strongest periods in the band's 20-year history, soared all night. Dark years of heroin addiction behind him, the energized guitarist beefed up such songs as "Soul to Squeeze" and "Californication" with passionate solos.

Frusciante provided sweet vocal harmonies during "Scar Tissue" and "If You Have to Ask," and even took over lead vocals briefly for "Maybe," a 1957 hit for doo-wop girl group the Chantels.

The band paid brief tribute to Clash frontman Joe Strummer, who died last week, with the intro section to the seminal British punk outfit's "London Calling," before launching into "Right on Time," one of six cuts performed off 1999 comeback album "Californication."

The Chili Peppers' latest CD, July's "By the Way" was also well represented, with the title track's opening lyric -- "Standing in line to see the show tonight" -- a fitting start to the festivities.

Kiedis' vocals, likely a bit worn from the previous night's Joint appearance, improved gradually as the show wore on. As is the band's style these days, he alternated between rapid-fire heavy funk material like "Suck My Kiss" and "Give It Away" and poppier confections such as "Parallel Universe" and "The Zephyr Song."

Kiedis also contributed a moving rendition of the emotional "I Could Have Lied," a track off 1991's "Blood Sugar Sex Magic," the best-selling of the band's eight studio efforts.

After tossing aside an orange ski cap early on, Flea played the remainder of the show dressed only in white briefs, covering a bit more than the tube sock the band's members are famous for wearing.

Head circling rhythmically as the rest of his body bobbed up and down, Flea's energy was infectious. The pumped-up crowd buzzed with anticipation as midnight approached, while Kiedis and Frusciante thrashed around, leaping into the air and performing karate-style moves.

Smith, the spitting image of former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Will Ferrell, skillfully maneuvered through some tricky tempos, but couldn't help but be overshadowed by the three men boundlessly working in front of him.

Complaints were few. Flea's bass could have been a tad louder, and a complete "Under the Bridge" would have been a fitting way to finish off the marathon encore. But on the whole, 2003's touring acts have their work cut out for them to match the show that rung in the new year.