We’ve all been misled by band names in the past. For example, the Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza features no appearances – tap-dancing or not– from the ‘80s sitcom star, The Tallest Man On Earth is actually of pretty average height, and San Francisco’s Girls is actually comprised of all men.
But this seems like small potatoes compared to the amount of people who keep buying tickets to a Scottish bagpipe band thinking they were a similarly-named stadium rock band.
Back in 2002, a group of like-minded Scottish musicians got together to form a humble Celtic rock group. Comprising of guitarists, keyboardists, drummers, and bagpipers, the group decided to adopt the tongue-in-cheek moniker of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers – a pun on the name of ’90s rockers, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
As the years have gone by, the group have gained an rather large following, appearing on British radio, supporting big names like The Darkness, and even winning the BBC talent show When Will I Be Famous?
Needless to say, as their profile has risen, so has the amount of shows that they play yearly, with their website noting they play close to 200 gigs annually.
However, this increased amount of gigs has been leading to some mass confusion in recent years, namely with people mistakenly buying tickets to the group in hopes of seeing the Los Angeles band of (almost) the same name.
Earlier today, a user took to the TIFU subreddit (which stands for ‘Today I Fucked Up’, if you were wondering), to talk about the mistake they made a few years back in which they even showed up to the band’s gig after buying tickets, only to realise too late that it wasn’t the band he hoped for.
“I am a huge fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I was super stoked to finally see them in Edinburgh,” wrote Reddit user kconjog, who purchased the tickets for the “bargain” price of £30. “Most bands play in Glasgow so I couldnt believe my luck when I saw they were playing in my city!”
“So we turned up full of excitement really ready to get into the music and then I heard some bagpipe music was playing,” he continued. “I thought hmm interesting…not what I expected from a warm up act but seeing as we are in Scotland and the capital city I really did not think it was anything out of the usual.”
“About an hour in I was getting a bit impatient, the music was great with good vibes but I was waiting for the Red Hot Chili Peppers to come out so I could do a bit of headbanging to some sweet guitar riffs!”
“I turned to the man next to me and asked when the Red Hot Chili Peppers were coming on he laughed and said ‘aye pal good joke eh’.”
“It was at this moment I realised I was not going to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
While many users began to laugh about this absurd situation, others came forward to share their own experiences in accidentally being duped by the group, including a person who spoke about how their boyfriend’s mother insisted the group were playing in a small US park.
But this definitely is not the first time it’s happened, with a more recent example happening this year to a fan who flew himself and his girlfriend over from England to Northern Ireland as part of a Valentine’s Day gift. Luckily, the pair went along and enjoyed the show all the same.
https://twitter.com/Dunc_Cfc/status/963457548086075394
Even a quick scroll through the history of the TIFU subreddit brings up numerous other instances of fans mistakenly buying tickets to the group. However, at least one example appears to have occurred maliciously, with a user revealing how back in 2014 their friend paid $228 for tickets to see the ’90s rockers as advertised, only to be sent tickets to the Scottish band instead.
While TV shows such as the Donald Glover-starring Community made a similar joke a few years back about an Irish group called Greene Daye, no one seems to have come forward yet with stories about how they bought tickets to see the Pipers only to be treated to a gig by the Peppers instead.
Whatever the case, if you do plan to ever see the Red Hot Chili Peppers play live, be sure to read the lineup details carefully before you throw down your cash, otherwise you might end up feeling like – as one Reddit user put it – a Red Hot Silly Pepper.
Check out the Red Hot Chilli Pipers before you accidentally buy tickets to see them:
Red Hot Chili Peppers Australian Tour 2019
With very special guests George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic
Sunday, February 17th, 2019
Derwent Entertainment Centre, Hobart, TAS
Wednesday, February 20th
QUDOS Bank Arena, Sydney, NSW
Saturday, February 23rd
Hope Estate Winery, Hunter Valley, NSW
Monday, February 25th
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
Tuesday, February 26th
Brisbane Entertainment Centre, QLD
Thursday, February 28th
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne, VIC
Tuesday, March 5th
nib Stadium, Perth, WA
Tickets on sale through Live Nation
Also appearing at A Day On The Green and the Superloop Adelaide 500 After-Race Concert
Saturday, March 2nd
Mt Duneed Estate, Geelong, VIC
More info: A Day On The Green
Sunday, March 3rd
Superloop Adelaide 500, Adelaide, SA
Tickets: Live Nation
