A photograph of the rock band’s frontman smoking alongside Mentawai locals has gone viral on Instagram.
On Tuesday, the 16th of April 2024, the official Instagram account of the American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers uploaded a photograph of their vocalist-cum-frontman, Anthony Kiedis, smoking with two local villagers on an unidentified beach in the Mentawai Islands, West Sumatra. Taken by photographer David Mushegain, the photograph, since being uploaded, has garnered more than 500 thousand likes on Instagram.
Many netizens and Indonesians expressed their shock at finding Kiedis vacationing in what is otherwise a relatively niche tourism spot. The official Instagram account of Wonderful Indonesia, managed by the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, made its remark in the post’s comment section: “Chillin’ with the Mentawai Island locals! They sure know how to have a good time.”
Through his Instagram account, Fernando Jongguran Simanjuntak, the current interim regent of the Mentawai Islands Regency, also commented: “Welcome to Mentawai Island”, clarifying Kiedis’ location when the photograph was taken.
Other netizens expressed their hope that Kiedis’ vacation in the Mentawai Islands may hint at a possible Red Hot Chili Peppers concert in Indonesia. A netizen with an Instagram account @muthiadani quipped, “And with this, we demand a concert in Indonesia.” Another netizen with Instagram account @janisbtmen99 also made a similar remark, in Indonesian, “Bang Tony, please visit Jakarta for a concert.” A netizen with Instagram account @nurs*alamtea commented with a theory, also in Indonesian, “There’s probably going to be a concert in Indonesia.”
Formed in Los Angeles in 1982, Red Hot Chili Peppers are known for rock hits such as “Scar Tissue”, “Californication“, “Dani California”, and “Can’t Stop”. The band has won six Grammy Awards so far, including a Best Rock Song trophy for “Scar Tissue” back in 2000. Even though the rock band has yet to hold a concert in Indonesia, they once mentioned Indonesia in the lyrics of one of their songs, “La La La La La La La La”, taken from their 2022 album Return of the Dream Canteen. Red Hot Chili Peppers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.