March 24, 2018 – Lollapalooza, Autódromo de Interlagos, São Paulo, BRA

Show Notes:

Livestreaming on SiriusXM and local television in Brazil, the final night of the South American tour kicks off with a slow-driving Wash. Early Do The Evolution gets the crowd going. Can’t Deny Me includes an intro referencing the youth-led, gun…

Show Notes: 

Livestreaming on SiriusXM and local television in Brazil, the final night of the South American tour kicks off with a slow-driving Wash. Early Do The Evolution gets the crowd going. Can’t Deny Me includes an intro referencing the youth-led, gun control-focused “March For Our Lives” demonstrations. Ed’s subsequent introduction to Even Flow asserts that the only weapon a young person needs in this world is a “fucking guitar, and a big ol’ fucking amp…like Mike McCready.” Speaking in his trademark broken Portuguese, Ed welcomes friend and original Lollapalooza creator Perry Farrell to the stage, serenading him with a “Happy Birthday” singalong, leading into a pounding cover of  Jane’s Addiction’s “Mountain Song,” with Farrell sharing lead vocal duties with Ed. Pulled Up is played for the first time since 1992, brief yet poignant. Ed dedicates Better Man to Stone for his conservationist work in the Amazonian rainforest. Hold On is played for only the 5th time and the first since 2014. Ed introduces his new, Brazilian-made green guitar before Lukin. Short encore after a long main set. A rushed Ledbetter concludes abruptly to meet the local curfew.

Written by: Jeff Benanto


March 21, 2018 – Estadio Maracaná, Rio de Janeiro, BRA

Show Notes:

Band is in a great mood for the 3rd show of 2018. Release, Low Light and Small Town set the early tone, but after Ed’s brief greeting they kick into high gear with Go, All Night, and Animal. This show…

Show Notes: 

Band is in a great mood for the 3rd show of 2018. Release, Low Light and Small Town set the early tone, but after Ed’s brief greeting they kick into high gear with Go, All Night, and Animal. This show is filled with extended jams and many songs are played longer than normal. 1-2-3 punch of Jeremy, Corduroy, and Even Flow punctuates the middle section, giving Mike the spotlight. Jeff leads the outro jam on Immortality. Chad Smith (RHCP) joins the band for the third live performance of new song Can’t Deny Me. The South American crowd puts their stamp once again on Do the Evolution. Ed goes on a delicate improv after We Belong Together during an almost 9-minute Black, with the lyrics:

You’re still in my heart
You’re still here in my heart
I keep you, keep you
Not in a box, not in a box
In my heart

Jeff takes the first 3 solo breaks on Leaving Here, leaving the 4th to Matt. Blood is dedicated to the opening band Royal Blood. It’s all fan favorites to finish off the night, starting with a crowd-heavy Better Man, with some call and response and a snippet of the Ramones “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” before Save it for Later kicks into high gear. Josh Klinghoffer, also from the Chili Peppers, takes Mike’s guitar for Alive and shreds. Chad Smith returns for Rockin’ in the Free World, and Josh gets a little lost on his solo but finds his groove. A Ten-heavy setlist, with 7 songs featured.

Written by: David Ritter


March 16, 2018 – Lollapalooza, Parque O’Higgins, Santiago, CHL

Show Notes:

Corduroy opener sets the tone for a festival-friendly set, headlining the first evening at Lollapalooza. Crowd is phenomenal, jumping and clapping throughout. I Am Mine is on the setlist but Even Flow is played instead. Ed dons a Trump clown…

Show Notes: 

Corduroy opener sets the tone for a festival-friendly set, headlining the first evening at Lollapalooza. Crowd is phenomenal, jumping and clapping throughout. I Am Mine is on the setlist but Even Flow is played instead. Ed dons a Trump clown mask during the Another Brick in the Wall tag, subbing out the word ‘teacher’ to shout: “Hey! Gunman! Leave those kids alone,” an allusion to the Parkland massacre. After Got Some, he speaks in Spanish, reading from a notebook: “We’ve spent a week in Chile and we’ve met a lot of cool Chileans, people with smiling eyes, faces and souls. We’re going to play a new song, ‘Can’t Deny Me,’ about united people who have more power than the government. We’ll record during this song to show my country how a large group of very united people with good energy looks like.” Ed comments on the recent nuclear bomb false alarm in Hawaii after Porch, saying “after 20 minutes, they realized it was a false alarm. Our friend Casper was there with his family. It was crazy. I wish for a new leader. Someone we can trust during these crazy times!” Ed improvs during the Sirens ‘reprise,’ singing: “‘Cause’ every one of you/every one of you/is loved in this world/got love in this world/got love to the world.” An array of fireworks are set off during RITFW, highlighting a set full of 90’s favorites.

Written by: Lila Barzegar


March 13, 2018 – Movistar Arena, Santiago, CHL

Show Notes:

The 2018 tour kicks off with an arena show in Chile, serving as a warmup for the Lollapalooza gigs that would follow. The band takes the crowd on an early tour of almost every album, with the first 8 songs…

Show Notes: 

The 2018 tour kicks off with an arena show in Chile, serving as a warmup for the Lollapalooza gigs that would follow. The band takes the crowd on an early tour of almost every album, with the first 8 songs coming from 8 different albums. Ed holds the last line in Low Light for a long time to the delight of the crowd. Animal gets the entire floor pogoing and singing along. An extended jam leads into Love Boat Captain. Corduroy has the new middle section and builds to a stellar ending, tons of energy. Ed speaks to the crowd in Spanish, saying that even after all this time his Spanish is still “shit.” Before Mike takes over Even Flow, Ed exclaims “Vamos, Miguel, vamos!” The crowd is on fire during Given to Fly. Eruption is introduced as “a gift for you from Mike…and Eddie.” Can’t Deny Me is debuted, having been released just 3 days prior, and is dedicated (in Spanish) to the Parkland survivors, and Emma Gonzalez in particular. Rare appearance of Around the Bend to begin the encore. After Come Back, a roadie brings out a cake for Jeff’s birthday and ends up getting it in his own face, Jeff only just taking a finger of it. Ed takes a couple of pieces and tosses them into the crowd. Boom and Mike duel back and forth many times during the Crazy Mary jam. Cool moment as the crowd sings the guitar intro to Better Man along with Ed. Mike absolutely wails on an 8+ minute Black and Comfortably Numb. Ed takes a Chilean flag with “Pearl Jam” written on it and drapes it over his monitors during Alive. Last Kiss is for the back, with Ed up on the drum riser behind Matt and the rest of the band making their way behind the stage during the song. After a closing Indifference, Ed thanks the crowd “for being a great wave…we got to surf.”