Like many bands suddenly thrust into the spotlight, the Red Hot Chili Peppers faced their fair share of issues, especially after the release of their groundbreaking 1991 album, Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Dropping exactly one year after Nirvana’s iconic Nevermind on September 24th, the album catapulted the Chili Peppers into global stardom, earning critical acclaim and eventually selling over 13 million copies.
However, that rapid rise to fame wasn’t without its challenges, particularly for guitarist John Frusciante. Struggling to cope with the newfound attention, John found himself weighed down by the expectations placed on him. Touring with big names like Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins only heightened the pressure, and it soon became clear that not everyone in the band was on the same page.
Frontman Anthony Kiedis, known for his controlling tendencies, began to clash with Frusciante, whose onstage performances became increasingly lackluster. John’s lack of enthusiasm was palpable, and tensions grew between the two. Kiedis reflected on this period in his autobiography, Scar Tissue:
Things deteriorated to the point where John and I didn’t talk on the bus, and if we ran into each other in passing, we wouldn’t even acknowledge each other.
Anthony Kiedis, Scar Tissue
The friction came to a head when the band was booked to perform on Saturday Night Live in February 1992. John, already isolating himself from the group, almost got into a fight with a crew member and distanced himself even further. To make matters worse, Madonna—who was also on set—ignored John entirely, adding fuel to the fire.
Despite the turmoil, the band’s performance started off decently. They played “Stone Cold Bush,” and by all accounts, it went well. But the real test came with their second song: “Under The Bridge.” Kiedis, already uneasy about their strained relationship, was worried about relying on John to cue him after the guitar intro.
To his relief, John gave him a subtle nod to signal when to come in. But even though they managed to start, things began to unravel quickly. By the 1:05 mark, it was clear something was off. If you watch the performance, you can see Kiedis’s body language shift as he slowly turns away from John after an awkwardly played chord. It’s hard not to cringe just watching it.
I had no idea what song he was playing or what key he was in. He looked like he was in a different world.
Anthony Kiedis, Scar Tissue
The performance spiraled from there, and when it was finally over, Kiedis felt betrayed. He believed John had deliberately sabotaged the gig:
We were on live TV in front of millions of people, and it was torture. I started to sing in what I thought was the key, even if it wasn’t the key he was playing in. I felt like I was getting stabbed in the back and hight out to dry in front of all of America while this guy was off in a corner in the shadow, playing some dissonant out-of-tune experiment. I thought he was doing that on purpose, just to fuck with me.
Anthony Kiedis, Scar Tissue
Yet, despite—or perhaps because of—the chaotic performance, the album’s sales skyrocketed following their SNL appearance. Maybe that’s the lesson here: people can appreciate authenticity, even if it’s messy. After all, a great guitarist isn’t just technically skilled; they bring a raw, honest transparency to the stage.
What is missing from the article is that Anthony kicked John towards the end of Stone Cold Bush when he was reeling on the floor. I doubt it was unintentional. You can see it in the video. That certainly pissed John. Regarding the Under the Bridge performance John does not play out of key, he plays the chords with only two notes (they are usually made of four), so they sound a bit awkward. That’s why Anthony does not sound out of tune even if he felt he was. At the end of the song when John screams instead of singing the line “Under the bridge downtown” I feel that he releases all the pain he was holding during these difficult times.
About Under The Bridge and Johns playing, yes thats true, i cant find any show from 91 91 where John played a single wrong note, it was just simplified melody and very nice improvisation but AK is not very strong in music theory and didnt had some good musical hearing so it was very bad to him.