Over two decades after being fired from the Red Hot Chili Peppers over “creative differences”, Dave Navarro reunited with Anthony Kiedis for a cover of the Lou Reed classic ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.
The pair reunited onstage at a charity concert, Above Ground, at L.A.’s Fonda Theater on Monday, December 20th. It was put together by Navarro himself, with an impressive list of guests recruited for the concert, including Billy Idol and Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins, but unfortunately both had to back out at short notice due to illness.
When losing two stars such as Idol and Hawkins, you better have a big replacement in mind and Navarro duly delivered: the guitarist somehow managed to convince Kiedis to join him for the first time since all the way back in 1997.
And their cover of Reed’s hit went surprisingly well, with Kiedis decently copying Reed’s distinctive drawl and Navarro toning down his powerhouse riffs.
It sounds like Navarro was happy with how it turned out. “Been a very long time since I performed with my brother Anthony!” he wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a black-and-white picture of the pair. “What a magical night. Thank you so much for coming and supporting @abovegroundorg my friend!”
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Navarro replaced John Frusciante in the Red Hot Chili Peppers lineup in 1993, ultimately playing on just one of the band’s album, 1995’s One Hot Minute. Although it received polarising reviews, it sold over eight million copies globally. After touring with Kiedis and co. intermittently for the two following years, Navarro was fired in 1998 over “creative differences.”
Time is a flat circle and Frusciante is back in the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ lineup these days. The California rockers are heading out on a huge world tour next year, with further information available at Ticketmaster. Navarro’s main outfit, Jane’s Addiction, are also going to be busy next year – they’re confirmed to play Florida’s Welcome to Rockville 2022 next May.
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Check out ‘Walk on the Wild Side’ (Lou Reed cover) by Dave Navarro and Anthony Kiedis:
