The band also took home the hardware for Best Rock Video
Red Hot Chili Peppers received the Global Icon Award last night at the MTV Video Music Awards last night. The band also took home the hardware for Best Rock Video for “Black Summer.” It marked the ninth VMA victory of the band’s career.
The group performed at the award show in New Jersey at the Prudential Center for the first time in over two decades. They put together a medley of their VMA Award-winning song “Black Summer” and their 2002 hit “Can’t Stop.” Check out the full video of the performance below.
“I did want to thank the sassy mistress known as MTV for supporting us for 1000 years or more,” frontman Anthony Kiedis said. “But really, really, really, I want to think Flea and John and Chad Smith… for giving me a purpose in life for the past 40 years.”
During the band’s acceptance speech, drummer Chad Smith dedicated the award to his “brother” Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer who passed away suddenly back in March.
“There’s another musical icon — global icon — and his name is my brother Taylor Hawkins,” Smith stated. “And I wanna dedicate this to Taylor and his family — I love them, and I miss him every day. Fly on, Hawk.”
Last year, Foo Fighters were honored by MTV with the Global Icon Award.
Bassist Flea wrapped things up by expressing his love for not only his bandmates and the fans, but literally almost everything else under the sun. He emphatically stated that he loves “every human being.” He concluded with the powerful statement, “Everything that isn’t love is cowardice.”
Red Hot Chili Peppers released their latest album Unlimited Love back in April. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The lead single “Black Summer” topped the Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay chart.
While the record is still relatively fresh off the presses, Red Hot Chili Peppers have confirmed that another new LP Return of the Canteen Dream is on the way. It arrives on October 14 via Warner Records and will be available on double vinyl, CD, cassette, and digital download. Fans can pre-order the album now HERE.
“We went in search of ourselves as the band that we have somehow always been,” the band said in a statement. “Just for the fun of it we jammed and learned some old songs. Before long we started the mysterious process of building new songs. A beautiful bit of chemistry meddling that had befriended us hundreds of times along the way. Once we found that slip stream of sound and vision, we just kept mining. With time turned into an elastic waist band of oversized underwear, we had no reason to stop writing and rocking. It felt like a dream. When all was said and done, our moody love for each other and the magic of music had gifted us with more songs than we knew what to do with. Well we figured it out. 2 double albums released back to back. The second of which is easily as meaningful as the first or should that be reversed. Return of the Dream Canteen is everything we are and ever dreamed of being. It’s packed. Made with the blood of our hearts, yours truly, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.”
To date, the Chili Peppers have sold 80 million albums worldwide. Their music has earned them six GRAMMY® Awards throughout their career. In 2012, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.