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The Veterans Park portion of the 2024 Harley Homecoming festival wrapped up on Saturday night, and while a pair of up-and-coming acts headlined on Friday, a trio of big names, headlined by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers the Red Hot Chili Peppers, gave things a full-throttle finale on Saturday.
Up first were hip hop legends Cypress Hill, who were willing to acknowledge their lengthy career, but also showed no signs of age, dropping hit after hit from their catalog. Frontmen B-Real and Sen Dog worked the crowd like the veteran emcees that they are, blazing through a set list that played like a greatest hits compilation. When they weren’t on the microphone, percussionist Eric Bobo and DJ Muggs put their skills on full display, with jam sessions on bongos matched by Muggs’ rapid-fire turntabilism. The crew went out earning major Wisconsin points as well, closing their set on a cover of House of Pain’s “Jump Around” that got a very full crowd up in the air from the front to the back.
Following their set on the main stage were The Offspring, making their third Milwaukee appearance in as many years, but managing to keep things fresh. The band brought a high-octane set that touched on all of their biggest hits, with what felt like a renewed energy behind the release of recent single ‘Make It All Right.” The band’s classics were of course, the fan favorites, with material from “Americana” and “Smash” getting the biggest reactions (who wouldn’t want to yell profanities at the top of their lungs to the bridge from “Bad Habit,” though?) With an hour to get everything in, they made the most of their time at Veterans Park, but still made time for a cover of The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” and teases of 80’s metal classics that played well with the crowd.
As the sun set on the lakefront, the Red Hot Chili Peppers took to the Willie G. Davidson stage, preceded by a quick few words from Willie G. himself, aided by his family onstage. The family looked back on the past few days, but the Chili Peppers made sure there was one last funky blowout of a performance to cap things off. The band calmly made their way onstage to an orchestral overture, signaling that something epic was about to happen. Backed by floor-to-ceiling strobing lights and trippy graphics on the stage’s LED screens, they brought their own party to Milwaukee.
The first half of the set, however, largely played to the Chili Peppers’ core audience, with only three radio singles (“Zephyr Song,” “Around The World,” and “Snow (Hey Oh)”) making the first 45 minutes of their 90-minute jam session. That gave them plenty of time to take songs for a walk, as, bassist Flea, guitarist John Fruscante and drummer Chad Smith (who paid a visit to Ope Brewing Co. prior to his set) got technical and all kinds of funky, with a bass-heavy mix in the extended versions of songs. Anthony Keidis played through injury, hampered by a walking boot on his left foot and a compression sleeve on his right knee. There were also some apparent audibles called onstage, as at one point Keidis could be heard saying “okay then let’s skip it” in a huddle between songs. The four would huddle a few times throughout the night, but mostly took pauses in the set so that Flea could riff on the bass and everyone could regroup.
The back half of the show, though, was less about being in the aura of the Chili Peppers and more focused on giving the Veterans Park crowd the material that they knew best. The main portion of their set would wrap up with “Tell Me Baby,” “Californiacation,” and “By The Way” with 2022 track “Black Summer” sprinkled in. It felt like a bit of a concession from the band, who seemed more focused on doing the songs that they enjoy playing rather than looking for validation from the audience.
A very full Veterans Park would quickly usher the Peppers back onstage for an encore, to which the band would revisit their “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” days. “Sir Psycho Sexy” saw Keidis back on stage, donning a cowboy hat, and “They’re Red Hot” would feature his most animated performance, ignoring the pain to dance around to the frantic pace of the song. “Give It Away” closed the show, as it should, and Keidis explained to the crowd that the band had given Milwaukee everything they could on Saturday night. Flea also thanked the crowd, with a slightly apologetic tone from both. For the crowd, though, it didn’t feel like an apology was needed, as they had still gotten 90 minutes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers in all of their freaky, funky glory.
As an added bonus, after the band walked offstage, the video board revealed the 2025 Harley Homecoming dates, which will take place from July 10-13, 2025. More information on that front is sure to follow soon.
Harley Homecoming may have wrapped up at Veterans Park, but there are still plenty of events happening at the Harley-Davidson Museum on Sunday. For more details, check out our Harley Homecoming guide, and stay tuned to OnMilwaukee for more about Harley Homecoming 2025.
