Red Hot Chili Peppers Play Intimate Gig at the Apollo in New York City: Setlist + Photos

Red Hot Chili Peppers are in the middle of a massive tour in support of their two new albums released this year, Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen—their first new music since 2016's The Getaway. Though they've been playing huge stadiums such as Fenway Park in Boston and Soldier Field in Chicago, on Tuesday night (Sept. 13), they got a little more intimate with their fans thanks to a stop at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem.

As part of SiriusXM’s Small Stage Series—a series that has brought other huge acts such as Metallica, Guns N' Roses and most recently, Pearl Jam, to the Apollo—the Chili Peppers played a stacked show for the theater filled with 1,500 fans, most of whom won tickets through SiriusXM. For those who weren't lucky enough to find their way into the venue, the entire concert was broadcast live across North America on the band's own SiriusXM channel, Whole Lotta Red Hot.

The night began just a little past eight o'clock with comedian Chris Rock handling stage announcement duties, something he's comfortable with given he inducted the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. He was brief with his time, but he managed to get the crowd riled up with excitement as he declared, "We're about to see the greatest band in the motherfucking world."

With that, Chad Smith, John Frusciante and Flea made their way to the stage for an instrumental jam session. After a few minutes, Anthony Kiedis joined his bandmates and they opened their set with "Can't Stop" from 2002's By the Way.

There were plenty of other improvised jams with Smith, Frusciante and Flea in-between songs throughout the night, and the band wasn't shy to chat with one another or the crowd, either. It didn't take long for Kiedis to thank Rock for the introduction, jokingly noting that he was surprised how cute the comedian was in-person.

The most memorable banter came when Kiedis said the night felt like an episode of The Twilight Zone because his mind couldn't comprehend the fact that they were actually playing the Apollo. Later, Flea agreed with his partner-in-crime as he succinctly told the crowd, with obvious awe, reverence and maybe a little bit of disbelief in his voice, "Duke Ellington played on this fucking stage."

While they favored Unlimited Love in the setlist—playing "Here Ever After," "These Are the Ways," "The Heavy Wing" and "Black Summer"—the Chili Peppers gave fans plenty of hits from their career, too, including "Give It Away," "Soul to Squeeze" and, drawing the most enthusiasm from the crowd, Californication's "Otherside." You can see the full setlist and photos from the show below.

On Sept. 15, the band will be back in stadium mode as they play Camping World Stadium in Orlando, a venue that holds nearly 44-times the number of people that were inside the Apollo on Tuesday night.

Red Hot Chili Peppers — Sept. 13, 2022 at The Apollo Theater in New York, New York

1. "Can't Stop"
2. "Dani California"
3. "Here Ever After"
4. "Snow (Hey Oh)"
5. "These Are the Ways"
6. "Soul to Squeeze"
7. "Right on Time"
8. "Otherside"
9. "The Heavy Wing"
10. "Black Summer"
11. "Californication"
12. "What Is Soul?" (Funkadelic cover)
13. "Give It Away"
Encore
14. "By the Way"