Red Hot Chili Peppers were the recipients of this year’s Global Icon Award at the MTV Video Music Awards, which took place last night (August 28) in Newark, New Jersey. They also performed ‘Black Summer’, a single from their recent album Unlimited Love that won the award for Best Rock, as well as their By the Way classic ‘Can’t Stop’. It marked the band’s first VMAs performance since 2000. Check it out below.
During the performance, Chad Smith played a drum kit illustrated with an eagle and the word “Taylor” as a tribute to the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins. While accepting the Global Icon Award, which was presented to the band by Cheech & Chong, Smith said: “I want to dedicate this to Taylor Hawkins and his family. Fly on, Hawk. Fly on, brother.”
Flea also gave a passionate speech in which he shouted everything he loves: “I love cockroaches and dirt and trees and every human being and the fucking ocean and the fish in it and deer and deer antlers and birds and sky and love. Everything that isn’t love is cowardice. I love you, thank you so much…”
Red Hot Chili Peppers will soon follow up Unlimited Love with Return of the Dream Canteen, their second album of 2022.
Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith dedicates his performance at the #VMAs to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins who passed away earlier this year:
“Fly on Hawk, fly on brother.” pic.twitter.com/f8BCxUeVxN
— The Recount Alt (@therecountalt) August 29, 2022
