(From Rolling Stone)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers are finishing up their new record in Los Angeles. The band, at work with longtime producer Rick Rubin, are recording final vocal tracks.
“There’s heavier stuff than the band’s ever done, and there’s also a lot of beautiful, soaring melodies,” says guitarist John Frusciante, who cites “Only 18″ as his favorite track. “I feel like everybody’s taking their instrument to a new level.”

The follow-up to 2002’s By the Way has been a long time in the making, as the Chili Peppers — Frusciante, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith and singer Anthony Kiedis — wrote and rehearsed for seven months before entering the studio.

“We worked really hard and focused in,” Flea says. “I’m very in love with this record.

“There are also a lot of fucked-up aspects to it,” he adds. “all kinds of flaws and dirt that I like to hear on records.”

Flea and Frusciante took time away from recording to perform at a benefit for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music on Wednesday night. The Chili Peppers will take the stage together — along with Weezer — in Las Vegas on July 2nd to celebrate the city’s 100th anniversary. And, according to Flea, fans may have an extra incentive to head to Sin City: “We’ll probably play some new stuff.”

(Literally copied and pasted from the official message board)

Official mailing list: click here
Where: Randalls Island, NYC
When: August 20, 2005
Tickets: here
On sale: Friday June 3, 2005
Performers: RHCP, Snoop Dogg, 311, Garbage, Mos Def, Fat Joe.

Randalls Island is a small island in the East River, part of Manhattan (New York). It has evolved into a sports complex used by schools and leagues in the area. Baseball, soccer and lacrosse fields are abundant, and the newly built Icahn Stadium is one of the largest track and field stadiums in New York City.

(Reuters)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, a rock band once famous for stage costumes consisting of single, strategically placed sweat socks, will star in a free concert July 2 to celebrate the Las Vegas centennial.

The Grammy-winning band will play in the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority parking lot at Paradise Road and Convention Center Drive, which was once occupied by the Landmark hotel.

Tickets will be distributed starting at noon Monday through a Web site, www.vegasrocks100.com. About 50,000 tickets will be available, with a limit of four per person. Weezer is the opening act.

“July 2nd is the date. In the parking lot. We’ve really made it. We’ve really hit the big time,” Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith said Monday morning at a news conference to announce the evening event.

“Lock up the children!” bassist Flea added.

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(By Dean Goodman for ABC news)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mike Love and the rest of the surviving Beach Boys stayed away, but luminaries such as Neil Young and Jeff Beck showed up in Hollywood on Friday as the music industry honored Brian Wilson at a black-tie bash. The troubled genius behind the fabled vocal group was feted as man of the year at the 15th annual MusiCares dinner, a Grammy-related event that raises money for musicians in need. While previous gatherings took place in glamorous hotel ballrooms, this year’s was held at the Hollywood Palladium, a run-down concert venue infamous for attracting drive-by shootings a few years back. The dingy surroundings combined with poor weather, a low-wattage turnout and a steady exit of people throughout the ceremony to produce an event a little low on fun, fun, fun.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, the only local band to pay tribute to the southern California icon, kicked things off with a version of “I Get Around,” a tune that gave guitarist John Frusciante a good workout on harmonies. “God only knows how much we love Brian Wilson,” commented vocalist Anthony Kiedis.

Ballads seemed to be the order of the evening, with the Backstreet Boys reuniting to perform “When I Grow Up (To Be A Man),” Shelby Lynne doing “Surfer Girl,” Earth, Wind and Fire attempting “Don’t Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)” and Michael McDonald and Billy Preston dueling on keyboards for “Don’t Worry Baby.”

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RHCP have just lost the EMA for best rock, the winner was Linkin Park.

Thanks again to tanjarine:)

By The Way
Lotta love (Neil Young)
Otherside
I Just Wanna Have Something To Do (The Ramones)
Road Trippin’
Parallel Universe
Brandy
Under The Bridge
They’re Red Hot

Thanks to John aka tanjarine from Ramparts forum who was so nice to share this setlist.

- By the Way
- Lotta Love (cover)
- Otherside
- Road Trippin’
- Paralel Universe
- Desecration Smile (New Song)
- Brandy
-Under The Bridge
- They’re Red Hot

*Desecration Smile might not be the song name, the song just has that phrase in it.