It’s been three days and stamina is low, guys. Let’s just cut to the chase.
We lived out fairly separate days again due to Jaime’s extreme Red Hot Chili Pepper fan girl status, so Marina got to see bits and pieces of many shows while Jaime planted herself next to the What Stage for 10 hours in the hopes of shouting a marriage proposal at Anthony Kiedis.
However, despite our divergent paths, we found ourselves in full agreement for the best acts of the day.
Santigold: As the sun began to set, Santigold captivated the main stage with a gentle yet fierce presence. Flanked by two energetic backup dancers, Santi White epitomized a powerful female performer as her voice soared above the crowd to reach even the edges of the giant field composing the What Stage viewing area. The show did not lack elements of surprise, as a horse made an onstage appearance and audience members joined White in a dance hullabaloo both onstage and on the grass for the last few songs.
RHCP (Marina’s take): The massive scope of the ‘Roo audience became clear from my position about halfway back in the field last night. People on people on people joined together in a cohesive, funky group to welcome the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The showmanship of the band left me (a self-proclaimed “moderate” fan) speechless, as the members showed enthusiasm and energy that bands half their age should aspire to have. The show was so completely enamoring that I officially brand it my ‘Roo 2k12 first place award.
RHCP (Jaime’s take): It is difficult for me to be objective on this show since I have essentially been waiting my whole life to see the Chili Peppers live. They did not disappoint. I waited on the sidelines of What Stage for over 10 hours to be in the front pit for an up-close-and-personal view of these phenomenal musicians. Chad Smith was unreal on his pounding drum solos and I have never seen a performer more completely consumed with their music than Flea (Michael Balzary) on his bass guitar. They may arguably be the best drummer and bass guitar player in the world, respectively. Anthony Kiedis brought a fiery presence to the stage as he jumped around and belted out songs with pitch perfect precision. Yet the most pleasantly surprising part of last night’s show for me was their new guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer. John Frusciante left him big shoes to fill, but Klinghoffer is well equipped for the task and brought a youthful exuberance to the group, barely controlling his energy as he passionately melted faces with his guitar solos and riffs. Despite their somewhat wizened age, no one can deny they’ve still got a sprightly stage presence, especially considering the part of the concert where Flea walked all the way across the stage on just his hands. The Red Hot Chili Peppers gave an all around phenomenal performance.
The Temper Trap and The Roots also played some great sets for Saturday’s lineup, and you would be hard put to find a fan that didn’t straggle back to their tent completely satisfied at the end of the night (or more accurately, early morning) after Skrillex’s mind-blowing after hours show. We’ve got more music to see though, so check out our Twitter feed for more updates on the shows we’re seeing and bands we’re meeting @DCArtsDesk.
