Red Hot Chili Peppers is not only a successful band with excellent musicians, their artistic creativity has no boundaries, they have powerful stage presence, their videos clips are always fun and original, always inventing and surpreending.
Within more than 25 years of career we’ve seen the guys from RHCP hanging out with “Cock Socks”, being kidnapped, dancing with horns in the middle of the desert and even chilling with the Coneheads.
But Red Hot Chili Peppers most memorable intervention happened last Saturday during a festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio.
During the 100 thousand people crowded show, all four members plus guest percussionist Mauro Refosco, showed up rocking a shirt with the face of a young boy, that boy happened to be Rafael Mascarenhas, a beloved friend and son that died in a accident a year ago.
Rafael was an 18 years old student who loved music and skateboarding. In the night of July 20, 2010, “Rafa” and two other friends decided to take the tunnel “Zuzu Angel” in Rio de Janeiro, that had a lane closed for a period of maintenance, and practice some skateboarding, but unfortunately on the same night some kids thought it would be cool to do some car racing at the same place. Two vehicles in high speed one of them driven by Rafael de Souza Bussanra who hit and run Rafael Mascarenhas.
Rafael Bussanra with the front of the car completely destroyed was stopped by some cops minutes after, but was let go after negotiating with the two cops some illegal bribes...
While Rafael Mascarenhas was dying at the Hospital.
Rafael was coursing civil engineering, skateboarding was just a hobby, but what he really wanted to be was a musician, he was a gifted guitar player and had the Red Hot as his biggest inspiration.
Somehow RHCP heard about the whole thing, and in the night of September 24,2011 which coincidentally would happen to be Rafael’s 20th Birthday, Red Hot Chili Peppers was getting ready to get on the stage and close the second day of the festival. Putting together always a vibrant show and firing up the public, when suddenly they come back to stage playing “Around the World” wearing this shirt, maybe unknown for some part of the massive public (at least until next morning when the fact was in every single newspaper) to end the song with a “Happy Birthday Rafa!!” from Anthony Kiedis.
Watch it:
Rafael is often remembered by his friends and family that will love him forever, and Red Hot Chili Peppers that night stepped in to show some love to this case and of course for everybody that knew him. Memorable.
