A gig by one of most iconic bands in front of the Pyramids of Giza sounds pretty, darn cool. Well, if you weren’t in Cairo over the weekend then you definitely missed an epic concert.
Reuters adding a bit of colour to their report said: “With the three ancient monuments silhouetted behind the stage, the funk-rock band opened with “Can’t Stop” from the 2002 album “By The Way” and followed with “Californication,” “Dark Necessities” and other hits.”
They greeted 10,000 concert goers with a “salaam-alaikum” and according to Reuters fans came from 67 countries to watch them play.
As a safety measure, around 3,000 police officers were at the venue. The concert was promoted by Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism with the hope to put the country back on the map as a tourist destination. However, the number of visitors remains well behind the record set in 2010 of nearly 15 million.
According to The National, “Initial figures show that nearly 9 million tourists visited Egypt in 2018, up from 5.4 million in 2016. Revenues from tourism are expected to total $9 billion in 2018, up from $7.6bn the previous year.”
Egypt has big plans in place to boost tourist numbers. It’s on track to open the Grand Egyptian Museum in 2020, which will be one of the biggest events in the country since the uprising. The Africa Cup of Nations Championship to be held in June 2019 will also boost tourism to the country.
The fans took to Twitter to share their experience.
Well what to say about Friday’s gig? I can’t put into words how it feels to rock out to your favourite band at the pyramids. It’s other worldly. I have never experienced anything like it in my entire life. And I’m not sure I ever will again. Just magical
: RHCP Brasil pic.twitter.com/xcePTNDwMr
— The Rock Fairy (@TheRockFairyHQ) March 17, 2019
After two hours of security cues, finally in, moments before the Red Hot Chilli Peppers start their show at the Pyramids of Giza #rhcpegypt pic.twitter.com/tMplE9e85o
— Ramy Yaacoub (@RamyYaacoub) March 15, 2019
The band have sold more than 60 million albums, and have six Grammy Awards to their name. They are also part of the music greats who have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. They join a long list of musicians who have performed at the historical location including Frank Sinatra and Yanni.
You can watch their full performance here.
