When a band releases a concert film, you know both are a big deal. The Red Hot Chili Peppers are no exception, having notched up 28 years in the biz, and with an enthusiasm and love for touring that rivals The Rolling Stones (and perhaps one day they’ll equal them in the longevity stakes). The film, I’m With You, promised cinema goers a rare treat: the only opportunity to see the latest album of the same name performed in its entirety.

Things begin at an airport – where else – with the group’s red logo transposed over black and white footage taken in Germany. It seems like they’re trying to set the scene with some artistic shots, like Anton Corbijn’s famed stills, or indeed his amazing directorial feature debut, Control. However, after waiting minutes for the first sign of instruments and some compositions that verge on the boring, it all seems to be trying a bit too hard.

After a good 15 minutes of building tension through art, we shoot to a colour cinema-exclusive interview with the band. They offer some interesting insights, with singer Anthony Kiedis maintaining he’s got butterflies, and bassist Flea claiming he’s terrified before the show. They needn’t worry; the tour will eventually visit 39 countries and “at least ten people in the cinema”.

The guys take the opportunity to introduce the band’s new guitarist, Josh Klinghoffer. Admitting that auditioning doesn’t go well for them, they said they’d known Klinghoffer for ten years and felt he’d be a good fit (after all, he did play with the Chili Peppers during their previous Stadium Arcadium tour). He’d eventually offer the album’s title and, of course, assist with the songwriting. They finish by contributing the advice/words they’d offer their younger selves, with Kiedis saying the simple, “slow down". Meanwhile, both Flea and Klinghoffer said they’d offer reassurances that they’d be living the dream someday, because the latter said if he wasn’t up there now he’d be buying the popcorn and taking a seat.

The concert proper starts with the new song, “Monarchy Of Roses”, and footage that is real fly-on-the-wall type stuff. It’s basically the closest thing you’d get to actually cheering the band on from the sweaty mosh pit. They played all the new tracks including the single, “The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie”, a self-proclaimed “funky dance track”. There were also numbers like “Annie Wants A Baby”, “Factory Of Faith”, and “Brendan’s Death Song” - the latter being indicative of the record’s lyrical content – at least according to Flea.

There were some lovely shout-outs by Kiedis (saying hello to his sweet mother tops the list) and dedicating a particularly grungy stomper to drummer Chad Smith. They also performed newies, “Police Station”, “Meet Me At the Corner”, and “Dance, Dance, Dance”, with the best songs proving to be the ones that sounded the least like the Red Hot Chili Peppers of old, i.e. where they experimented with dance and even Latino beats.

It must be said that Klinghoffer had two enormous shoes to fill following the departure of John Frusciante. While it wasn’t the latter’s first time to leave the band, he certainly left an indelible mark on the group’s sound with his amazing guitar playing and writing abilities. We need look no further than the outfit’s greatest hits: “Under The Bridge”, “Scar Tissue”, “Can’t Stop”, “By The Way”, and “Higher Ground" to name a few, and they all have those Skyhooks-termed 'million dollar riffs'.

On first listen, the songs from I’m With You do not share that same aforementioned element of magic pixie dust. And in concert, it seemed like Klinghoffer’s output was buried rather low in the mix and fighting a losing battle with the band’s famous rhythm section. Add to this some extra percussion, a greater reliance on the synth, and the guitar riffs that were audible were distorted almost beyond recognition, meaning that at times the group were a lesser imitation of their heavy funk-rock selves. It’s a shame, really, because Klinghoffer can certainly play. Heck, he performed the classic cuts “Give It Away” and “Me & My Friends” with his own style and a blinding fury befitting the band.

I’m With You was certainly no easy task - playing an album in full before fans had had a chance to listen to it and with a new guitarist to boot. They could have taken the easy road and phoned in a set of oldies, but their inner punk/skate rats were up for a challenge. So while a perfect synchronicity may not have been reached just yet, for this latest line-up (or new band, if you ask Mr. Smith) there’s every possibility that, eventually, everyone will catch up, slap their hands to their foreheads and say “Right, I’m with you!”

Review score: 7/10