Video: Red Hot Chili Peppers give live debut to moving Eddie Van Halen tribute

Red Hot Chili Peppers onstage at the Austin City Limits Music Festival (Image credit: Erika Goldring/WireImage)

Last month Red Hot Chili Peppers unveiled new song Eddie, their tribute to late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen. Now the band have given the song its live debut, and a pro-shot video of the performance has been uploaded to YouTube.

The song's debut took place on Sunday during first of two headline sets the band are scheduled to play at Zilker Park in Austin, TX, as part of this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival. The second show will take place this Sunday, October 16.

"Eddie Van Halen was a one of a kind," says Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis. "The day after his death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bass line. John, Chad and I started playing along and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honour effortlessly unfolded. It felt good to be sad and care so much about a person who had given so much to our lives.

"Although the song doesn’t speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock n roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream."

Eddie was the second single to emerge from the RHCP's forthcoming Return Of The Dream Canteen album, which is due for release on October 14, just six months on from twelfth studio album Unlimited Love. The song follows in the funky footsteps of previous single Tippa My Tongue.

Following the second Austin City Limits show, Red Hot Chili Peppers will take a break from touring until the new year, when they'll return to the road with a series of shows in Australia and New Zealand. Full dates below.

Red Hot Chili Peppers Global Stadium Tour

Jan 21: Auckland Mt. Smart Stadium, New Zealand
Jan 26: Dunedin Forsyth Barr Stadium, New Zealand
Jan 29: Brisbane Suncorp Stadium, Australia
Feb 02: Sydney Accor Stadium, Australia
Feb 07: Melbourne Marvel Stadium, Australia
Feb 12: Perth Optus Stadium, Australia

Tickets are on sale now.

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.