20
May
2003
The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Queens of the Stone Age supplied the Quad Cities with some heartfelt rock, a little funk, a psychedelic harmony, and just a touch of the blues at their May 9 show – things that have been missing from The Mark in recent months.
Though attendance at the show was a little lacking – the back quarter of the floor was uninhabited, and there were many sections in the upper bowl of four and five empty chairs – both headlining acts supplied the Quad Cities with some high-quality entertainment.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see opening act Mars Volta. (Here’s some advice to all you kiddies out there being generous with your rides: Make sure the people you’re driving have their tickets before you get on I-74!) Luckily, I made it back to The Mark before the Queens got started.
The band opened with a heavy song filled with some metal screaming and some flashy drum parts that set the tone for their entire set. On that track and a few others, the Queens featured a guest vocalist who along with bassist Nick Oliveri did most of the heavy vocals, leaving the singing to guitarist and chief songwriter Josh Homme. Even more-psychedelic songs such as “Go with the Flow” sounded heavy and compressed, the guitars so overdriven that solos couldn’t always be distinguished and riffs sounded meaty and indiscernible at points. For a group so centered on guitar rock, it was a bit of a disappointment.
The highlight of the set came toward the end, when on one of the quieter songs, the lights turned blue and extremely soft, just high enough to create silhouettes of the band members onstage. Both guitarists suddenly began exchanging short blues riffs to a very mellow backdrop set by the bass and drums, slowly building up into frenzy as the lights again blared to a climax and the band stopped.
The Queens finished with a very true-to-album version of “No One Knows,” not adding any extra solos or bonuses to their finale before leaving the stage. The overall set was fairly short, lasting about an hour.
The crowd went wild as the Chili Peppers came onstage. The band opened with the title song off its newest album, By the Way, while a giant light rack strobed and descended from the ceiling. The music never stopped in the set: Once the band finished a song, guitarist John Frusciante would start playing some amazing solo, or Flea would do a solo, or both of them would get together and work some freestyle into the introduction of another song. During the conversion from “Otherside” to a song on the new album that features the same chord progression, Flea played what appeared to be the guitar part of “Otherside” on his bass until Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith joined in as well to start the next song.
In the first break between songs, Frusciante played one of his own compositions before the band kicked in with “Scar Tissue.” The show ran from classic ballads by the Peppers (“Under the Bridge,” “Soul to Squeeze,” “Scar Tissue,” etc.) to more energetic songs such as “Suck My Kiss” and the classic “Me & My Friends.” One of the more disappointing moments came when the band played “Parallel Universe,” which lacked much of the intensity in normally carries.
It was a fun show, with some great lighting and great bands to match. Given the choice, though, I would have seen the Chili Peppers with the Foo Fighters again; their concert in many ways was more fun. But one thing is certain: When the Chili Peppers come to town, you will get your money’s worth.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see opening act Mars Volta. (Here’s some advice to all you kiddies out there being generous with your rides: Make sure the people you’re driving have their tickets before you get on I-74!) Luckily, I made it back to The Mark before the Queens got started.
The band opened with a heavy song filled with some metal screaming and some flashy drum parts that set the tone for their entire set. On that track and a few others, the Queens featured a guest vocalist who along with bassist Nick Oliveri did most of the heavy vocals, leaving the singing to guitarist and chief songwriter Josh Homme. Even more-psychedelic songs such as “Go with the Flow” sounded heavy and compressed, the guitars so overdriven that solos couldn’t always be distinguished and riffs sounded meaty and indiscernible at points. For a group so centered on guitar rock, it was a bit of a disappointment.
The highlight of the set came toward the end, when on one of the quieter songs, the lights turned blue and extremely soft, just high enough to create silhouettes of the band members onstage. Both guitarists suddenly began exchanging short blues riffs to a very mellow backdrop set by the bass and drums, slowly building up into frenzy as the lights again blared to a climax and the band stopped.
The Queens finished with a very true-to-album version of “No One Knows,” not adding any extra solos or bonuses to their finale before leaving the stage. The overall set was fairly short, lasting about an hour.
The crowd went wild as the Chili Peppers came onstage. The band opened with the title song off its newest album, By the Way, while a giant light rack strobed and descended from the ceiling. The music never stopped in the set: Once the band finished a song, guitarist John Frusciante would start playing some amazing solo, or Flea would do a solo, or both of them would get together and work some freestyle into the introduction of another song. During the conversion from “Otherside” to a song on the new album that features the same chord progression, Flea played what appeared to be the guitar part of “Otherside” on his bass until Frusciante and drummer Chad Smith joined in as well to start the next song.
In the first break between songs, Frusciante played one of his own compositions before the band kicked in with “Scar Tissue.” The show ran from classic ballads by the Peppers (“Under the Bridge,” “Soul to Squeeze,” “Scar Tissue,” etc.) to more energetic songs such as “Suck My Kiss” and the classic “Me & My Friends.” One of the more disappointing moments came when the band played “Parallel Universe,” which lacked much of the intensity in normally carries.
It was a fun show, with some great lighting and great bands to match. Given the choice, though, I would have seen the Chili Peppers with the Foo Fighters again; their concert in many ways was more fun. But one thing is certain: When the Chili Peppers come to town, you will get your money’s worth.
