Guitarist John Frusciante performed with two of his Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmates for the first time since his return to the band was announced, during a memorial in Los Angeles on Saturday (February 8th) for Andrew Burkle, an aspiring film producer and son of billionaire Ron Burkle.
Frusciante performed with singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, while Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins stood in for absent Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The Chili Peppers members performed Iggy Pop‘s “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and Gang Of Four‘s “Not Great Men,” as well as their own “Give It Away.”
The event, organized by the Tony Hawk Foundation, also included a performance by Jane's Addiction, which features ex-Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro. At one point, Frusciante also joined Jane's Addiction on stage for a rendition of “Mountain Song.” It was Navarro who replaced Frusciante in the Chili Peppers after the latter's first departure from the band in 1994.
Frusciante rejoined the Chili Peppers in December after the dismissal of Josh Klinghoffer, who had been in the band for 10 years.
Although the Chili Peppers had been writing music with Klinghoffer for their 12th studio album, Chad Smith recently revealed that the band have begun working on new material with Frusciante.