Red Hot Chili Peppers disappoint at Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival 2024 in Milwaukee

"We gave you everything we got," Anthony Kiedis said at the end of the Red Hot Chili Peppers ' Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival headlining set in Milwaukee Saturday, the grand finale of two days of concerts at Veterans Park.

The tepid response from the crowd that had long been thinning out suggested that many would have disagreed.

That's speculation, of course, so I'll say this with certainty: From my vantage point, the Chili Peppers could have, and should have, given so much more.

Like "Under The Bridge," for instance — far and away the band's biggest hit. The song didn't make it into the 93-minute set. I'll be the first to concede that what an artist plays should be up to the artist — although playing favorite songs for fans who paid a lot to see you, and in Saturday's case, were in the heat all day, sure is a nice consideration.

That said, to skip an arguable classic like "Under the Bridge" during the encore in lieu of "Sir Psycho Sexy," also from their signature album "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" — that's a choice alright, a pretty abysmal one.

The clunky, atrocious lyrics from "Sir Psycho Sexy" have aged horribly since 1991, and to see the 61-year-old Kiedis on stage Saturday, trying to look cool singing such trite, misogynistic lyrics while shirtless with a cowboy hat, was beyond embarrassing.

How did this happen? How did the biggest get of the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival so far — the first show in town with the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers since 2017, and the first since reuniting with their most accomplished guitarist, John Frusciante — turn out to be such a dud?

Previous Harley Homecoming headliners — Green Day and Foo Fighters last year, Jelly Roll and Hardy Friday — had all played Milwaukee since 2021, so, on paper, they seemed less "exclusive." But there's something they all had that the Chili Peppers did not Saturday: charismatic stars (including Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl) who infused their sets with infectious personalities, some poignancy and a hell of a lot of fun.

Kiedis, though, was a letdown long before the shirt came off and the cowboy hat came on. He did come on stage with a boot on his left foot and a brace on his right knee, so perhaps that was holding him back. Even so, much to his credit, he offered some bursts of sprinting, like during his opening number "Around the World" (the "woods in Wisconsin" line sparked a roar from the crowd), and made the most of "Aquatic Mouth Dance," a mediocre song from 2022 album "Unlimited Love," by spinning around and pulling his shirt up over his head as he danced with abandon.

But for the most part, Kiedis listlessly went through the motions Saturday, across both the hits and the deeper cuts (that there were so many of the latter may have led to some of the early exits). Even the curious pirate-like lilt Kiedis sings for "Black Summer," which gives the "Unlimited Love" single a little quirk, was absent Saturday.

He was indisputably the weakest link, but I'm disappointed to say not the only weakness.

I have no complaints about Chad Smith, who brought plenty of energy behind the kit, particularly his boisterous drumming on "By the Way."

But watching Flea jamming all night on the bass, a bumper sticker slapped next to the strings that read "Support Your Local Freak," I thought to myself, "Why aren't you being freakier, Flea?"

He had different brightly colored socks on each foot, so I guess that's freaky. There were sprints and kicks and rubbery head bobs to the grooves. Only a fool would dispute Flea's technical mastery.

And yet, the rich string slaps he sprinkled between songs amounted to little more than noodling, and across the set, became a touch tedious. The introductory five-minute instrumental jam at the start of the set with Smith and Frusciante — designed to signal the Chili Peppers' commitment to the unconventional — was uninspired, drawing energy from the crowd not from any cool or unexpected techniques, but from a predictable acceleration of speed. And a five-minute jam strictly between Flea and Frusciante was pretty bland, too, with blame shared by both players.

Frusciante has more than his fair share of immortal licks with the Chili Peppers, and it was a pleasure to hear the man himself bring them to life Saturday on such signatures as "Californication" and "Snow (Hey Oh)." But like Kiedis on "Aquatic Mouth Dance," he reserved his most animated performance for another ho-hum late-career song, "Eddie" from 2022's "Return from the Dream Canteen" album, looking by the end like Gene Wilder from "Young Frankenstein" with wild hair and crazed eyes.

I just wish there had been more creativity and cool detours. On "The Zephyr Song," for instance, he tweaked the solo and his guitar tone only a smidge. Instead of simply recreating the solo, or offering something truly bold, he opted for an unsatisfying middle ground.

It was one of many disappointments Saturday that ultimately made the Peppers' set feel more obligatory than impassioned. The little banter that was offered didn't negate that perception, from Kiedis' flat suggestion that fans had to choose between Sheboygan and Kenosha, to his comment that he loved John Frusciante, words that Flea also said Saturday. Both men said them with the conviction of a hostage in a ransom video.

"Until we meet again, please be good to each other," Kiedis offered Saturday as his parting words. But I wouldn't be surprised if there were disappointed fans at the Harley set that don't plan to see the band again.

More: Jelly Roll, Hardy and surprise guest MGK rock 2024 Harley-Davidson Homecoming in Milwaukee

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The Offspring keeps things irreverent at Harley Festival

There’s buttering up the crowd — and then there’s what The Offspring guitarist Noodles did during the band's early-evening Harley Homecoming set Saturday.

“This audience might be the best thing that’s ever happened to rock 'n' roll in the history of music,” he said while frontman Dexter Holland played deadpan straight man.

This was par for the course for an irreverent hour that saw Noodles scream an F-bomb for a full 13 seconds; fans bat around beach balls to the profane and deceptively sunny “Why Don’t You Get a Job?”; and 15-foot-tall inflatable “fly white guys,” like the eye-catching ploy you might see at used car dealerships, jerking around for “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy).” Even Holland made some jokes, teasing the crowd in front of bassist Todd Morse as the tamest section, because nobody knows the bass player.

Fans who lost track of the Offspring after their commercial peak in the ‘90s wouldn’t have recognized anyone but lone longtime members Holland and Noodles. But the band's juvenile spirit is intact without seeming too sweaty; the set’s lone new song “Make It All Right” stood up alongside the standards; and drummer Brandon Pertzborn, who joined last year, is a fine addition, most evident for a breakneck solo coming out of “Gotta Get Away.”

Cypress Hill makes a home for hip-hop at Harley Fest

Last year, the Harley-Davidson Homecoming had a lone country artist in Cody Jinks, and returned this year with a full day of them. So should we expect a full day of hip-hop in 2025 since Cypress Hill was on the bill Saturday?

Fest bookers definitely should consider more rappers, although Cypress Hill’s live set is going to be hard to top.

Veteran spitters Sen Dog and B-Real were having a blast rapping through “Insane in the Brain” and “(Rap) Superstar,” making these standards sound just as urgent as they did some three decades ago. They got a big assist from percussionist Eric Bobo and turntablist DJ Lord — whose jaw-dropping, show-stealing flex session mid-set validated the rappers’ claim that he’s the best DJ in the world.

Even a “which side is loudest” bit — the most tired time filler you see at too many concerts — was a lot of fun, with each rapper leading their side through F-bomb-filled back-and-forths.

But by sets’ end, both sides were at peace, thanks to that most beloved of unifying forces in Badgerland — a jump-around to House of Pain’s “Jump Around.”

Destroy Boys, The Criticals, Scarlet Demore, Otoboke Beaver, Milwaukee's Djay Mando round out lineup

• "This is my first show back since I got surgery on my spine," Destroy Boys guitarist and vocalist Violet Mayugba said during the California punk band's afternoon set. "(Expletive) that (expletive). I'm back rocking. Herniated disc can't keep this (expletive) down." Mayugba's condition made her determination and defiance, singing through "Muzzle" and "Should've Been Me," so much more punk, the conviction matched by primary lead singer Alexia Roditis, who condemned governmental institutions for allowing so much injustice and death around the world, from Gaza to the United States, during the blistering "For What.” And Roditis Friday threw themselves into the disturbed but unforgettable "I Threw Glass at My Friend's Eyes and Now I'm on Probation," sung from the perspective of a victim of grooming.
• Otoboke Beaver burst onto the secondary Iron Stage for the last slot Saturday night like a raging bull, with frontwoman Accorinrin singing/screaming so violently it was as if her vocal cords were trying to jump out of her body like one of those chest-busters from the “Alien” movies. What a pity, then, because of their slot on another stage between Offspring and the Chili Peppers, that not enough people went to see them, even though the Offspring’s Noodles said they were one of his favorite bands and encouraged people to check them out.
• Chicago band Scarlet Demore subbed for the originally booked Irontom on the Iron Stage, and they made the most of their newfound opportunity with an energized set that rapidly bounced around from garage punk to bursts of metal to No Doubt-indebted pop rock.
• Most festgoers probably would deem the first set on the second day expendable, but not Nashville-based rock band the Criticals , who performed with an urgency fitting the name, with songs like "Treat Ya Better," "Belmont" and "Good Lookin" zigzagging seamlessly from detached, Strokes-like cool to warm, psychedelic funk.
• And Milwaukee's own Djay Mando — whose busy summer has included T-Pain's Wiscansin Fest at the Rave and multiple Summerfest sets (including one in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater) — continued his city domination with a couple of rock-heavy mixes (with some hip-hop, pop, country and reggaeton thrown in) at the Iron Stage. Nice to see Harley again booking someone local for the fest, as it did with Abby Jeanne last year. But Harley really should book more Milwaukee acts.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival setlist in Milwaukee

1. Introductory Jam
2. "Around the World"
3. "The Zephyr Song"
4. "Aquatic Mouth Dance"
5. "Snow (Hey Oh)"
6. "I Like Dirt"
7. "Parallel Universe"
8. "Eddie"
9. "Soul to Squeeze"
10. "Tippa My Tongue"
11. "Tell Me Baby"
12. John Frusciante and Flea jam
13. "Californication"
14. "Black Summer"
15. "By the Way"
16. "Sir Psycho Sexy"
17. "Give It Away"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com . Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS .

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Red Hot Chili Peppers disappoint at Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival 2024 in Milwaukee