diff --git a/lib/event/app.c b/lib/event/app.c
index bcebd0d41..ca1b8d394 100644
--- a/lib/event/app.c
+++ b/lib/event/app.c
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ spdk_app_start_application(void)
 }
 
 static void
-spdk_app_start_rpc(void *arg1, void *arg2)
+spdk_app_start_rpc(void *arg1)
 {
 	spdk_rpc_initialize(g_spdk_app.rpc_addr);
 	if (!g_delay_subsystem_init) {
@@ -364,12 +364,6 @@ spdk_app_start_rpc(void *arg1, void *arg2)
 	}
 }
 
-static void
-_spdk_app_start_rpc(void *arg1)
-{
-	spdk_app_start_rpc(arg1, NULL);
-}
-
 static struct spdk_conf *
 spdk_app_setup_conf(const char *config_file)
 {
@@ -566,18 +560,15 @@ spdk_app_setup_trace(struct spdk_app_opts *opts)
 static void
 bootstrap_fn(void *arg1, void *arg2)
 {
-	struct spdk_event *rpc_start_event;
-
 	if (g_spdk_app.json_config_file) {
 		g_delay_subsystem_init = false;
-		spdk_app_json_config_load(g_spdk_app.json_config_file, g_spdk_app.rpc_addr, _spdk_app_start_rpc,
+		spdk_app_json_config_load(g_spdk_app.json_config_file, g_spdk_app.rpc_addr, spdk_app_start_rpc,
 					  NULL);
 	} else {
 		if (!g_delay_subsystem_init) {
-			spdk_subsystem_init(_spdk_app_start_rpc, NULL);
+			spdk_subsystem_init(spdk_app_start_rpc, NULL);
 		} else {
-			rpc_start_event = spdk_event_allocate(g_init_lcore, spdk_app_start_rpc, NULL, NULL);
-			spdk_event_call(rpc_start_event);
+			spdk_rpc_initialize(g_spdk_app.rpc_addr);
 		}
 	}
 }