When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released Stadium Arcadium, a double disc, it could have been misconstrued as an attempt at overachieving, or going with quantity over quality. It seems that in the timeframe since Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released the albums have consistently one-upped the previous, each one chomping at the bit to get to Number 1. Little did we know the Peppers released a 28-song album because, frankly, they had created that much amazing music. And yes, I do believe they have finally conquered that original hype around "Under the Bridge". Don't take my opinion for it, fact is, it's the first album to hit Number 1 in the bands career. Now, the band heads out to tour the album through North America, first stop Portland, Oregon.

The fans lined in front of the stage have perma-grin; they are snapping pictures and chanting the band's name, eager for the lights to dim. I get a sense that everyone might get a little star stuck when these rockers hit the stage. The room goes black and thousands of music lovers begin to shriek, yup, I thought they might get excited. John, Flea and Chad enter the stage first, to tantalize the crowd with their recognizable funkified rock. Flea is in a unitard and somehow it works with his haircut, John in a blazer looking most respectful and Chad clad in all blue looking strikingly similar to Will Farrell -- only he rocks harder on the drums, of course. Once the crowd is on their feet, Anthony comes pulsating, in his usual form, onto the stage. Let us dance

It seemed Anthony may have been suffering from a sore throat. Multiple steaming mugs, presumably herb tea, were brought to the stage and he took a few convenient pauses to sip while others conversed with the crowd. Nonetheless he sang his ass off and sounded great on "I could have lied" and "Don't forget me". He gave a warning that "Tell Me Baby" may end up sounding like a disco remix with chorus dubbing, but really, I was dancing too hard to notice.

With the release of 28 new songs on Stadium Arcadium, I wouldn't have been surprised if the set list relied heavily on it. But, surprisingly, they played a mere six tracks from the album and the rest of the set was a perfect mixture of older hits. The audience activity increased significantly on anticipated hits such as "Scar tissue" and "Throw away your television", and the encore didn't disappoint with a solid performance of "Give it away".

If you have never been to a Red Hot Chili Peppers show, you should probably get yourself some tickets to this tour. It's not cluttered with stage props or outlandish tricks to entertain, just a funky punky foursome who love to play good music. The band is clearly at a high point in their career, they are having fun and feeling great. It shows. This band has been rockin' us with their inventive music and well written lyrics for two decades now, and I don't foresee them stopping anytime soon. If anything they should be more confident of their capabilities today than anytime previous. Stadium Arcadium has already received critical acclaim from nearly everyone who has taken a listen. Now, it's on the road, they kick ass live and soon you will be hooked too.