200-word Chili Peppers concert review

A vague idea of what the Red Hot Chili Peppers show looked like. Not even slightly an image from the show I was at, but you get the idea.

A Ronsonville exclusive! 200 words with Gnarls, the Chilis and me.

Gnarls. Running late. Who knew 7:30 meant 7:30? The Gnarls crew (there are roughly 10 peeps on stage) are dressed up in Catholic school uniforms. Good theme. They close with Crazy and (lesser known but more upbeat single) Smiley Faces -- shock! Aaaaand that's it.

Bathroom. Someone in line is telling some dude that while Cee-Lo is the singer, Gnarls Barkley writes the songs. He's clearly messing with him. Pretty funny.

Concession. 6 bucks for a Bud Light. Must be a sale!

Peppers. Long jam opens the show. Flea dressed as an L.A. Laker (complete with headband). Good stuff. Anthony Keidis starts in with his croon. Peppers are gettin' old and more family friendly. Someone requests "Sir Psycho Sexy." Good luck with that, buddy. A few old songs, mostly newer, California-themed songs. Never much of a Peppers fan, but their charisma carries the 2-hour show. These Stadium Arcadium songs get taxing though. Have to sit.

Encore. Under the Bridge, Give It Away. It's as easy as that. Then, ear-bleeding, long jam: part two. Think if everyone here attended a couple Southgate House shows this year, the music scene in general would thrive a lot more. Random, cranky music snob thought.

Conclusions?
Gnarls was great. Would love to see them in a non-arena setting someday, and with a new CD out in 2007, I might get the chance. My thoughts for the Chili Peppers are more complex than I thought and that scares me a little. They're a band I never thought I'd see live, but it was fun for the experience. Flea's the best, Keidis strikes me a sort of an egomaniac (I guess that's the usual band dynamic). Also: hearing an entire stadium recite the lyrics to a song you've never heard before is pretty surreal. I guess that's what makes an arena show such a draw, not necessarily the music, but the spectacle. And on that level, it was verrrry satisfying.