Steve Hochman [The Los Angeles Times]:
As usual, John Frusciante as supported by the other three Red Hot Chili Peppers when he performed at the Roxy. But Anthony Kiedis, Flea and Chad Smith - who welcomed the guitarist back to the band in 1998 after a five-year, addiction-forced absence - weren't on stage. They were just part of a very supportive audience of hometown friends, family and fans for a rare, sightly shaky but ultimately affecting solo acoustic appearance tied to the recent release of his album "To Record Only Water for Ten Days".
The setting encouraged Frusciante's idiosyncrasies, his echoed vice wantering from near-screech falsetto to over-pushed growl, and his imagery wandering into the ether. But his disarming nervousness, his frequently expressed gratitud and his gift for both melody and imerssionistic yet in-the-moment lyrics made for an engaging balance between out-there wigginess and in-here hear.
On stage, it seems, support came from spirits - he explained that they've revealed, among other things, that there are two people alive "who will make music as good as John Lennon". He also invoked the spirits of tragic heroes Del Shannon and Nico (whose songs performed) and dedicated tunes to Rick Nelson and original Peppers guitarrist Hillel Slovak (whose overdose death led to Frusciante's joining the band).
It was no surprise when he encored with a song by Pink Floyd founder Syd Barret. But Barret's a drug-casualy hermit. Frusciante's back in the world. And this show, miles from the Peppers' strut, was full of hope from someone who not long ago didn't have any.
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