Nothing beats a good concert.

I’m a firm believer in this after watching the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform Saturday night at the Assembly Hall in Champaign.

I was standing at the front of the stage in front of the guardrails with my camera and photo pass when the lights went out.

When the lights came back on, John Frusciante, Chad Smith, and Flea were on stage.

The band worked itself into a funky groove for a moment, and then guitarist John Frusciante began to strum the opening riff of “Can’t Stop,” from the album “By the Way”, and Chili Pepper front man Anthony Kiedis came bouncing on stage.

Goosebumps spread across my arms like a forest fire as a wall of red lights blanketed the stage with a warm glow, and the full band started the song.

The Chili Peppers played a variety of songs from many of their albums, and thunderous applause followed each and every one of them.

Watching them perform up close, I got the sense that they really loved playing music.

When he wasn’t singing, front man Anthony Kiedis would close his eyes and groove with the music. Flea, the bassist, always had the goofiest look on his face, and drummer Chad Smith just couldn’t stop laughing.

I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them perform.

It was refreshing to see such a talented band have a good time on stage, and it reminded me of why I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers; they are fun.