Fresh off the release of their 12th full-length album, the Red Hot Chili Peppers are currently touring the country. They played Brisbane and Sydney before flying to Melbourne for twin shows at Marvel Stadium on February 7 and 9.
On that in-between night off, we’re not sure what John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis and Michael “Flea” Balzary got up to. Maybe had dinner and watched a movie at their hotel? We know where drummer Chad Smith was, though: playing an open mic night at iconic Melbourne rock’n’roll haunt Cherry Bar.
“Red Hot Chili Pppers [sic] drummer Chad Smith is a legend,” Cherry Bar owner James Young wrote on Facebook.
“Last night at Cherry in front of 17 punters he got up and played drums at our Cherry Jam open mike night.
“He joined AC Dan on vocals and guitar and Josh May on bass as they pelted out AC/DC songs If You Want Blood and Up to My Neck in You.
“After the songs he was rewarded by our MC Stacey with one Cherry drink card.
“Cherry Bar. You never know who you might meet.”
That last line isn’t even an exaggeration. A number of high-profile musicians have purportedly hung out at Cherry Bar since it opened in ’99, including Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, Guns ‘N Roses singer Axl Rose, and pop stars Pink and Lady Gaga. Most famously, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher liked Cherry so much he made an offer to buy it in 2002. Despite moving to a new location in 2020, away from the fittingly named AC/DC Lane, it’s clear the bar’s pulling power hasn’t diminished.
Update (10.55am, February 13): an earlier version of this story incorrectly named Red Hot Chili Peppers member Anthony Kiedis as Michael Kiedis.
