Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined a benefit concert for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 17. The show marked 25 years since the nonprofit music school opened its doors. The band pulled out songs it hadn’t played live in decades.
Comedian Marc Maron emceed the night. Rapper Vince Staples and Dave Grohl also took the stage. The conservatory held the concert instead of its yearly private benefit dinner.
The Chili Peppers opened with an instrumental jam and “Can’t Stop.” Next came “Organic Anti-Beat Box Band” from the 1987 album The Uplift Mofo Party Plan and “Blackeyed Blonde” from the 1985 album Freaky Styley. Neither song had been played live since 2000.
The group also played “Nevermind.” Guitarist John Frusciante hadn’t performed it with the band since 1992. You can find the band’s full setlist at Setlist.fm online.
Grohl played a seven-song set that included the Foo Fighters songs “Times Like These” and “My Hero.” His Foo Fighters bandmates came out partway through “My Hero.” His daughter Violet Grohl sang on several songs, too.
Staples took the stage with a band that includes two conservatory alumni, guitarist Jennifer Haack and bassist Chloe Haack. His set drew on his latest album, Cry Baby.
Student groups started the evening, including the SCM All Stars and a brass band called the Hollywood Highsteppers. During the latter’s performance, someone handed Flea a birthday cake onstage.
Flea, whose legal name is Michael Balzary, founded the conservatory in 2001 with Keith “Tree” Barry and his friend Peter Weiss. Flea plays bass for Red Hot Chili Peppers. Barry once toured with the band.
The school gives aspiring musicians in Los Angeles a chance to learn music and apply for scholarships. Every week, it serves more than 900 students, according to the conservatory’s official website. Over 200 of them receive scholarships that pay for lessons, instruments, supplies, ensemble classes, and events.
The yearly fundraiser helps cover the cost of those programs.
