The messages detailed how much more likely indigenous people are to be arrested, murdered, or missing compared to white people, ending with the phrases “settler-colonialism is murder,” and “land back.” Time will tell if each message will be catered to more of the specific issues that are prevalent in each city they tour in, but the sentiment was extremely powerful.Īs the band finished their set and prepared for the blistering closer “Killing In the Name,” de la Rocha urged the crowd to not let the people in power set us back to a time where segregation and discrimination is legal, especially for women and people who can give birth. Wade, the band chose to share a message about the unacceptable treatment and discrimination against the indigenous people of Canada. Rage Against The Machine are back to tell us that this rage we feel toward the powers that be, is, in fact, valid, and that our power as a collective is our only weapon to dismantle the systems that pit us against each other while favoring the ultra wealthy.Īt Festival d’été de Québec, rather than display the messages shown in their previous US shows about the dangers and consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Zack de la Rocha and the rest of the band have never been strangers to speaking truth to power, and the political moment we find ourselves in has never been more fraught. Rage Against The Machine, photo by Amy Harris But overall, in the landscape of modern rock music, Rage Against The Machine’s untouchable legacy is clear in their polemical combination of genres and ideas, their proudly political statements, and their masterful sense of urgency. This is a band whose output has only grown more significant over time - it’s fascinating to consider not just their overall affect on alternative music of the ’90s and the political sentiments that came with the period, but the way the band blended rap and rock so uniquely that they forged their own new genre.Īt times their show felt like a classic, riff-filled, heavy metal blitz other times, de la Rocha’s fierce bars brought us back into the house of hip-hop, with powerful intellect and creative word play galore. Though Tom Morello, Brad Wilk, and Tim Commerford formed the supergroup Prophets of Rage with members from Public Enemy and Cypress Hill several years ago, the visceral energy of Rage Against The Machine is unmatched.

Plain and simple, 11 years is a long time to be away. If you’re still on the fence for attending one of the many dates of Rage Against The Machine’s reunion tour, here are five reasons to go (get tickets here). Rage Against the Machine Chicago concert reviewĮditor's Pick Rage Against the Machine Powerfully Soldier On in Chicago Despite Zack de la Rocha’s Leg Injury: Review, Pics + Video

Once more birth by sleep