By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

From left, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, John Frusciante and Chad Smith say it's great to be working together again. Sonya Koskoff Red Hot Chili Peppers 7 p.m. Wednesday Blaisdell Arena $38.50 526-4400

You say you don't find it a bit scary that the guys who once famously wrapped tube socks around their johnsons before appearing otherwise naked on stage are now officially middle-aged? Then it's likely you haven't been a fan of the Peppers since the group's most recognized (and, once again, current) lineup first exposed itself with a frisky 1989 collection of freaky-styley white-boy funk called "Mother's Milk."

In recent interviews surrounding the release of the Peppers' ninth album, "By the Way," Kiedis insisted that he doesn't concern himself much with thoughts of getting older.

"I look forward to aging gracefully," Kiedis told Rolling Stone in June. "Everyone is so deadly afraid to get older, but it's so beautiful to get older, you know? Our music is certainly as important as it ever was, and it still has the same kind of vibrancy as it always did. I feel like this record is as alive and meaningful to its time as our first couple of records were."

Easy to say for a guy seen making serious time with actress Demi Moore of late. But Kiedis' nonchalance on either aging or Peppers' relevance should come as no surprise.

With the band, for the first time in its history, nipping at the heels of musical irrelevance, 1999's "Californication" wound up as the Peppers' biggest-selling disc ever, changing the group's fortunes almost overnight from that of band in a funk to band with a newly refined funk. So huge was the success of "Californication" (to date, more than 5 million units sold), that it was hardly a surprise when "By the Way" entered the Billboard album chart at No. 2 last week with sales of 282,000 (second only to 340,000 for Nelly's "Nellyville").

Almost 20 years after forming, the Red Hot Chili Peppers — vocalist Kiedis and bassist Michael "Flea" Balzary (both founding members), drummer Smith and guitarist John Frusciante — are now considered elder statesmen of several punk-funk-rap hybrids. In essence, trailblazers of a musical path taken by progeny like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and, OK, Alien Ant Farm, before doffing such skatepunk-friendly leanings for the instrumentally refined, deep thoughts (see "Californication" and "By the Way") of affluent thirtysomething rockers looking for legend status.

The Chili Peppers are coming to Honolulu for their first concert in (sheesh, could it really be?) 10 years on Wednesday. Fresh from headlining yesterday's "One Hot Day" concert (with Jane's Addiction) in Seoul, South Korea, next week's near sold-out Blaisdell Arena performance is — so far, at least — the band's only scheduled concert on U.S. soil until next spring.

Look back far enough into Pepper lore and you'll find that the band's adult makeover wasn't actually recent, but born about a decade ago in a hit single from the last Peppers album front-loaded with the cocky (no pun intended) funk-punk that put them on the musical map.

"Under the Bridge," the second single (after "Give It Away") from 1991's otherwise kegger-ready "Blood Sugar Sex Magik," was something of a turning point for the Chili Peppers lyrically and musically. A moody, contemplative ballad about Kiedis' then-struggle with heroin addiction and his love-hate relationship with the city — Los Angeles — that both fueled and offered protection from it, the single was unapologetically revelatory in a way no previous Peppers composition had been.

"Bridge" quickly became the band's biggest-selling single ever, climbing to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, boosting sales of "Blood Sugar" to 4.3 million (then the band's largest tallies ever), and placing the Peppers on the music industry's A-list.

Frustrated with his bandmates' reaction to their newfound mainstream success, Frusciante left the band mid-tour in 1992, eventually riding out, bottoming out and (years later) bailing himself out from his own life-threatening substance addictions.

Recruiting Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro to replace Frusciante, the band struggled with its musical identity. Its next effort, 1995's "One Hot Minute," tried to please both sides of the Pepper fan base (slowed-down rockers and ballads for new "Blood Sugar" fans; hard-rocking funk for everyone else) and ended up mostly alienating both in the process. With the album's momentum-busting 1.7 million in sales, it was hardly surprising when Navarro (although talented, never a sonically-pleasing fit with the band) amicably parted ways with the Peppers in 1998.

Judged solely by its title, "Californication" hardly seemed to herald a new musical direction for the Peppers other than a return to the band's tasty though "been-there-done-that" frat-boy punk. But creatively boosted by the return of Frusciante — now drug-free and musically inspired from multiple sources — the band created its most blissfully mature album of compositions yet.

Assured and controlled, the album's hits arrived in the guise of introspective "Bridge"-reminiscent tunes like "Scar Tissue," with its wistful Frusciante turn on slide guitar and a vocal by Kiedis that showcased a new, soul-filled range.

Climbing as high as No. 3 on the Billboard album chart, "Californication" managed No. 1 modern rock radio hits from "Scar Tissue," "Otherside" and its title track.

No surprise then, that with "By the Way" the band has wisely chosen to follow a course charted by "Californication." In fact, the album finds the Peppers venturing even further into more experimental instrumental and harmonic territories, mostly guided by Frusciante's deep musical knowledge and record collection.

"Punk and funk are both huge parts of my life," Frusciante told Britain's Time Out magazine in June. "But when I think of a lot of the songs that affect me most, they're not heavy funk songs. They're 'She's Leaving Home' by the Beatles."

Other acknowledged Frusciante influences included Charles Mingus, Queen, Robert Fripp and Burt Bacharach.

Kiedis, on the other hand, has said that the bulk of his lyrical inspiration for "By the Way" came from the highs and lows of a romantic relationship (with clothing designer Yohanna Logan) that began and ended during the album's writing and recording.

Save for a couple of rowdy bookending tracks, the album, for better or worse, barely tips its hat to old school Pepper funk. Instead, "By the Way" finds the band still happily chasing down their own "Pet Sounds" or "Revolver," with the promise of wonderful things still to come.

"I feel like we're just kind of hitting our stride, so to speak," drummer Smith told Billboard last month. "Having John in the group again, we're at the point in our lives where we appreciate the second chance to have these four guys together. It's an exciting time for us."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story included a wrong contact number for the Blaisdell Arena.