Rage makes triumphant return at Coachella

By Mike Ruby

Legendary rock band Rage Against the Machine played its first show together in seven years on Sunday at the Coachella music festival in Southern California. The group had been broken up since 2000 and this was the first of only a few shows that the band plans to do. Headlining the three-day festival along with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tiesto and Bjork, Rage Against the Machine had fans flocking from all over the world to witness this historic landmark in rock music.

[Photo (Reuters): Rage's Zack de la Rocha testifies at Coachella.]

Besides being known for their unique blend of hip-hop, metal, funk, and punk, Rage is also world renowned for its radical leftist views. Their whole image has always been anti-authority, and their music has been a catalyst for protesting and rioting, something the members of the band hold near and dear to them. From the beginning, Rage Against the Machine was all about fighting for your rights and standing up to the man. It is fair to say that with everything that’s currently happening in the world, Rage is just what the world needs right now. It needs a band that’s angry at the goings on of the American government and is not afraid to express it.

There was a slew of amazing bands that played the festival, but they all seemed like just an appetizer to what was scheduled to appear at quarter to eleven on Sunday night. By ten thirty, the vast majority of the audience had migrated to the main stage, leaving below-average-sized audiences for Infected Mushroom and The Lemonheads, who were unfortunate enough to be billed at the same time as Rage.

As tens of thousands of fans gathered around the stage, the lights went out and everybody knew that this was the moment they’d been waiting seven years for. Amidst clouds of smoke and ground-rumbling screams, the band made its entrance. They picked up their instruments and just stood their and drank in the love from the audience. Vocalist Zack de la Rocha took the microphone and said in a cool and calm voice, “Good evening. We’re Rage Against the Machine from Los Angeles, California.” The band proceeded to break into “Testify” and from that point on, it was as if they hadn’t ever split up.

For the entire performance, there was absolutely know mention of the fact that this was the first time they’d been on stage together in seven years. They simply picked up where they left off and played a classic Rage Against the Machine concert. Zack de la Rocha may not have quite the screaming capacity he used to, but he put his heart and soul into the words and put on an excellent performance. Guitarist Tom Morello was captivating as usual with the use of his many guitar effects and the scratching and other percussive sounds that he could make emanate from the instrument. Tim Commerford drove the band with his original and bold bass lines and Brad Wilk laid down the beat with precision.

Although the band played only for an hour and fifteen minutes, Rage Against the Machine’s set was comprehensive and full of energy. The songs were ordered well and even though they couldn’t play all of their great tunes, they didn’t leave out any hits. Some of their best performances were of “Bullet in the Head” and “Wake Up,” during which De la Rocha gave a powerful speech about America’s corrupt regime. Again, classic Rage.

The most memorable moment of the show was when the band played its final encore number, “Killing in the Name” and De la Rocha had the entire audience prominently sporting their middle fingers and chanting “Fuck you, I won’t do whatcha tell me!” This was reminiscent of hip-hop artist Pharaoh Monch, who also led the audience in an anti-authoritarian bird-flipping session during his performance on Saturday. On the other hand, Rage didn’t burn flags or duct tape their mouths and stand onstage naked for fifteen minutes. This time, they just played and it sounded fantastic.

But if the band was less rowdy than its reputation, the fans were no less keyed up. Earlier in the day, The Kaiser Chiefs had performed their hit song “I Predict a Riot,” which foreshadowed the events yet to come. Though the audience was well-behaved at the venue, that was not so for those who were at the camp site after the show. By three in the morning, all hell had broken loose. There was a giant fire blazing and people were burning clothes and cell phones and drinking and chanting and rebelling.

Against what? Who knows? But it wouldn’t have been a Rage Against the Machine concert if everyone just went to bed and there was no chaos. Throwing cell phones in a fire might not have been what Rage had in mind, but people were rebelling and that’s all that seemed to matter. Coachella might well have been one of only a few more shows that Rage Against the Machine will ever play. But there's no doubt that there is an audience ready for another band to come along and show the world the true meaning of revolution.