Rage Against the Machine

Things overheard at a Rage Against the Machine gig: "I was going to wear my Che t-shirt but I thought it would be a bit cliché. Get it? Cliché?"

Oh dear.

After 8 years, three Audioslave albums and rumours of a de la Rocha solo album, all the disparate elements of the pioneering band Rage Against the Machine reformed. They dispelled the myth that their Coachella appearance last year was a one off and consequently 7000 lucky fans got their chance to see Rage at Festival Hall on a Wednesday night in Melbourne. They were supported by punk band (this term used in the loosest sense) Anti-Flag. Their left-wing political views may have aligned with the headliner but packed minimal punch instead sounding like Sum 41 reciting some Michael Moore schtick. Anti-Flag’s angst was then replaced by anger as Rage’s equipment was uncovered and the crowd really reacted for the first time. All the symbols of their ideologies were present: the red star on the Tim Commerford’s bass drum, graffiti on Brad Wilk’s bass amps and a Che Guevara banner draped over Tom Morello’s guitar amp.

The boys walked on stage lead by vocalist and activist, Zack de la Rocha, finally out of his self-imposed exile. After a moment of soaking in the cheers, Commerford and Wilk brought in "Testify" and then the entire crowd was moshing as one, which only got more intense when they subsequently kicked out the jams with "Bulls on Parade".

The crowd was a curious mix of young and old, some reliving the anthems of rebellion from their youth, some first-timers and some just wanting to hear rocking tunes, which Rage delivered with precision and passion. One review of the concert suggested that their lyrics sound dated. That may be true, but a contributing factor to this is that the band has not released any new material since their 2000 covers album titled, Renegades. Between songs, de la Rocha congratulated the crowd on voting out John Howard and made proclamations against the war in Iraq. Mid-set he asked facetiously "Can someone please turn up the heat? It’s freezing in here!" By this stage, more than half the audience had their t-shirts off and the mosh had become a seething carpet of sweaty flesh, broken only by whirlpools of circle pits. As Morello took one of his many trademark solos, silhouetted by a backlight, a waterfall of sweat cascaded down over the lip of his nose. It was hot.

Other highlights of the set list were "Vietnow", "Sleep Now in the Fire" and "Bullet in your Head". The song that everyone was waiting for, "Killing in the Name" came in the encore, segued from "Freedom". The majority of the crowd, some paying an inordinate amount of money for a ticket, sang along with nearly every lyric and de la Rocha used this as an orator would use party support at political rally, whipping the mob into frenzy. A memorable gig: part 90’s nostalgia and part pure revolutionary rock.

Walking to Festival Hall one was surrounded by a few dozen left wing groups handing out their propaganda. After the gig, the pamphleteers had disappeared, replaced instead by opportunistic Rage t-shirt bootleggers capitalising on free enterprise. Would Zack and Co. approve?

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