Red Hot Chili Peppers are the subject of a revealing new book from leading British photographer Tony Woolliscroft, who has been given unparalleled behind-the-scenes access to the band for over 25 years.
Published by Cassell, Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour collates more than 200 images of the band from Woolliscroft’s archive, the majority of which have never previously been published.
More than just stunning photography, it’s a collection of personal stories, candid moments, and never-before-heard anecdotes that reveal the band not only through Tony’s lens but through his eyes.
In this exclusive extract, Woolliscroft recalls being backstage – and onstage – with the Los Angeles band at the troubled Woodstock ’99 music festival.
“The Chili Peppers arrived at the festival site mid-afternoon,” Woolliscroft remembers, “and were immediately whisked away to do various interviews set up for them with magazines and MTV.
“Afterwards, they retired to their dressing room, where [frontman] Anthony [Kiedis] began working out their set list for the evening show, and [bassist] Flea decided to have a quick nap.
“In the early evening, Flea had a visitor. Jimi Hendrix’s sister popped into the dressing room to ask a special favour. She asked if the band could finish their set that evening with the Hendrix song Fire, after the band said that a hologram of Hendrix would be shown on stage playing a song to round off the weekend.”
Flea with Janie Hendrix, backstage at Woodstock ’99 (Image credit: Tony Woolliscroft / Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour)
“The Chili Peppers had regularly performed Fire in their live sets of the 1980s and had recorded it twice – as a B-side in 1987, and again for Mother’s Milk in 1989. But as of 1999, they had not performed it for nearly eight years. So a quick meeting was called and after three quick rehearsals of the song in the practice room, Fire was duly added to the end of that night’s set.”
(Image credit: Tony Woolliscroft / Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour)
“The band then went through their rituals of some yoga stretches and vocal exercises before they took to the stage under a glorious red sky sunset. Flea made the decision to play the whole show completely naked, which considering it was being televised live on a pay-per-view channel was quite a risk, and could have led to his arrest.
“Towards the end of their set you could see from the stage that some disturbances were starting to break out at the back of the crowd. During the last song – with unfortunate irony, the cover of Hendrix’s Fire – various catering and vending carts been had set alight by some crowd members who were protesting against the organizers’ overpricing of basic food and water.”
(Image credit: Tony Woolliscroft / Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour)
John Frusciante onstage at Woodstock ’99 (Image credit: Tony Woolliscroft / Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour)
“The band finished their set and were whisked away to beat the traffic and get to New York. Meanwhile, the crew and I witnessed a full-scale riot in progress at the festival, and we were unable to leave until well into the early hours of the morning when order was restored.
“Of course, the next day’s newspapers claimed that the Chili Peppers played Fire as the crowd rioted. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and most of the press were unaware why the band had really decided to perform the song.”
(Image credit: Tony Woolliscroft / Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour)
You can see more exclusive images from Red Hot Chili Peppers: 25 Years Unseen on Tour in the next issue of Classic Rock magazine.
The book can be purchased here.
The current issue of Classic Rock is onsale now.
(Image credit: Cassell)
(LouderSound)
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