L.A natives were honored with an award by comedy duo Cheech & Chong after performing two songs during the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were honored with the Global Icon Award at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.
Comedy duo Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong presented the award to the Los Angeles natives, with the latter noting that the honor "recognizes artists who have left an indelible, endearing mark on the world and are as impressive as ever."
Marin explained to the crowd at Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center that the band originally met as classmates at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles. “They started playing on the Sunset Strip,” Marin said. "They infused L.A. punk with high-octane bass lines and an electric stage show like we've never seen before."
The band, consisting of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith and John Frusciante, then performed a two-song set consisting of "Black Summer" from their 2022 album Unlimited Love and "Can't Stop" from their 2002 album By the Way.
Kiedis began his acceptance speech by thanking Marin and Chong, calling them “two bad mothers…flip flops,” before thanking his bandmates for “giving me meaning in my life for the last 40 years. If it weren't for these boys, I'd be a free-floating disaster in space."
Drummer Smith also dedicated the award to his "brother" Taylor Hawkins, the late Foo Fighters drummer, who died aged 50 in March 2022. "I dedicate this to Taylor and his family," said Smith. “I love them and miss them every day.
Bassist Flea gave a boisterous performance in a hot pink suit. "I love every single one of you watching on TV and here," he said, also expressing his love for cockroaches, dirt, trees and every human being. "Everything that is not love is cowardice."
