Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Grohl and Vince Staples helped mark the 25th anniversary of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music with a benefit concert Saturday night at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. The October 17 show brought together major artists, conservatory students and alumni for a fundraiser supporting the nonprofit music school co-founded by bassist Flea.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers closed the celebration with a set that mixed familiar songs with several rarely performed tracks from the band’s 1980s catalog. After an opening jam and “Can’t Stop,” the group played “Organic Anti-Beat Box Band” from 1987’s The Uplift Mofo Party Plan for the first time since 2000.
The band also revived “Blackeyed Blonde” from 1985’s Freaky Styley, another song that had not appeared in a Red Hot Chili Peppers set since 2000. “Nevermind,” also from Freaky Styley, returned with John Frusciante performing it with the group for the first time since 1992.
Frusciante added another unusual moment with a solo performance of Carole King’s “Will You Love Me Tomorrow?,” which he had not performed at a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert since 2007. The set also included newer material such as “Black Summer,” “Whatchu Thinkin’” and “Eddie,” before the band finished with “Give It Away.”
The anniversary concert centered on an organization Flea helped start in 2001 with musician Keith “Tree” Barry, with longtime friend Peter Weiss also involved in its creation. The conservatory says it was formed after major cuts to arts education in Los Angeles public schools created a need for more accessible music instruction.
Today, the nonprofit offers private lessons, ensembles, workshops and other programs for students of different ages and skill levels. It says more than 900 students receive instruction each week, while more than 200 students are supported through scholarships that can cover lessons, instruments, supplies and ensemble participation.
Dave Grohl’s appearance developed into a partial Foo Fighters reunion. He began his seven-song set with “Times Like These” and started “My Hero” before bandmates joined him onstage, turning what began as a solo appearance into one of the night’s surprise collaborations.
Grohl told the crowd that the room carried a long history between Foo Fighters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He recalled that the Chili Peppers took Foo Fighters on an arena tour in 2000, an early major tour for Grohl’s band.
Grohl’s daughter Violet Grohl also joined the performance. She appeared for covers of X’s “Nausea” and the Nerves’ “Hanging on the Telephone,” a song later made widely known by Blondie.
Foo Fighters then reached further into their own history with a cover of Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street.” The band had not performed its version live since 2007, making the song another notable return during a night filled with older material.
Grohl ended his portion of the show with “Everlong.” The set also included “Young Man Blues,” a song associated with Mose Allison and later performed prominently by The Who.
Rapper Vince Staples brought a different sound to the benefit with material from Cry Baby. His backing group included musicians connected to the conservatory, tying his performance directly to the school whose programs the concert was raising money to support.
Comedian Marc Maron served as host for the event. His remarks included comments about current social and political issues before he introduced Staples, while the larger program kept its focus on music education and the conservatory’s students.
Students and alumni were not limited to supporting roles. The SCM All Stars and the Hollywood Highsteppers appeared during the program, giving young musicians a place on the same stage as the nationally known performers who headlined the evening.
The student musicians performed songs including “Love Rollercoaster,” the Ohio Players funk hit that the Red Hot Chili Peppers covered in the 1990s, along with Madness’ “Our House.” The Hollywood Highsteppers also helped recognize Flea’s birthday weekend with “When the Saints Go Marching In” as he was presented with a cake onstage.
One student performer, Anahit, described music as an emotional outlet and said she had been involved with the conservatory since she was six years old. Her participation reflected the long-term role the school says it tries to play by keeping students involved in music through lessons, ensembles and live performance opportunities.
The Palladium concert replaced the conservatory’s usual private annual benefit dinner for its 25th anniversary. Organizers opened the celebration to a broader audience while using ticket sales, sponsorships and other contributions to help fund the school’s programming.
The conservatory said ahead of the event that its annual fundraising effort aims to generate about $1.5 million to sustain programs for the following year. Its scholarship program provides qualifying children with free weekly one-on-one lessons and can also supply instruments and other materials needed to participate.
The Saturday concert also connected the school’s history with the career of one of its founders. Flea has spent decades performing with the Red Hot Chili Peppers while helping maintain a nonprofit built around giving young musicians access to training that might otherwise be financially out of reach.
For longtime fans, the benefit offered an unusual collection of songs that rarely appear in modern Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters performances. For the Silverlake Conservatory, the larger purpose was more practical: raising money to keep lessons, scholarships and performance programs available as the school enters its next 25 years.