The Red Hot Chili Peppers paid homage to Jimi Hendrix on Saturday night with their cover of his 1967 hit, “Purple Haze”.
The SoCal rockers performed a short, seven-song set as part of the annual Silverlake Conservatory of Music Gala – a charity event which, this year, was held in honor of record exec Mo Ostin, who has worked with the Chili Peppers in the past.
Lindsey Buckingham and k.d. lang (who has also worked with Ostin) performed as well and Marc Maron acted as the night’s emcee. Notable attendees included Brad Pitt, Rashida Jones, Beastie Boys’ Mike D and Vampire Weekend singer Ezra Koenig. The annual event raises money for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, which was co-founded by Flea.
20 years ago I got it in my head to start a non profit music school. 17 years ago me, tree, and Pete opened our doors. We now teach 800 kids a week. Tonight we celebrate with our annual fundraiser to keep it rolling into the future. https://t.co/uxZUlGrUhh ❤️❤️❤️ Godspeed!
— Flea (@flea333) September 29, 2018
The band opened their set with a cover of the Allman Brothers Band’s “Ramblin’ Man” before playing their own tracks “Dark Necessities,” “I Like Dirt,” “Goodbye Angels,” “Under the Bridge” and “By the Way.” They then closed with an appropriately rowdy, guitar-heavy rendition of the Hendrix classic “Purple Haze.”
A shirtless Anthony Kiedis ended the performance by thanking the crowd and saying,“We love you, and until we meet again.” Bassist Flea later called the evening “a righteous fucking party” on Twitter, adding “Depth of thanks to the artists and musicians and supporters who all made it happen.”
