thePULSERage Against the Machine
If only we could hear what Rage had to say. Rage Against the Machine: Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium
January 2004 – Where is Rage Against the Machine when we need them?
The 90s’ band that represented anything that was ever good about the rap-rock genre blinked out of existence in the fall of 2000. The departure of outspoken lyricist Zack De La Rocha spelled the end for the band that mixed bone-crushing music with political activism.
Why De La Rocha took off was a bit of a mystery at the time. Some reports had him appearing at demonstrations in Mexico and others had him exploring social situations in Central America — similar to what Che Guevara did, as recounted in his Motorcycle Diaries. None of this is entirely surprising from De La Rocha, after all. It is because of him that you can buy a shirt with Guevara’s face on it at the mall.
The reason for the departure was never disclosed. One would think that perhaps De La Rocha saw the irony of using the microphone to slam the government and major corporations while being on Sony’s payroll. He has eventually emerged from randomness, preparing a solo album with no release date in site.
The remaining three members of Rage — Tom Morello, Tim Commerford, and Brad Wilk, still wanting to be a band, enlisted former Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell to provide vocals for their new super-group, Audioslave. The union produced at best a watered-down version of the trio’s former musical selves.
And then September 11th happened. As much as one would like to avoid using the date as a barometer, you can’t help but wonder what Rage Against the Machine would have put out after that event. Their catalogue was produced during a time when America saw prosperity and relative peace — and the band was still pissed off. If Rage was critical about the government then, what do you think they would have to say now?
After such a hiatus, it is good to have Rage’s Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium The sixteen track disc recounts the band’s last two shows ever. The album is a virtual greatest hits collection featuring songs from all three of their original albums and some covers and b-sides.
The manufactured concert starts with just simple applause and some harmonics from Morello’s guitar, which 50 percent of the time doesn’t even sound like a six-string at all. Morello’s guitar scratching and pedal work are almost legendary and on full display here. Really without warning, Rage then launches into the elephant march that is “Bulls on Parade” and doesn’t look back.
One thing about Rage Against the Machine is that there were never any ballads, just like how there were never any “very special” Seinfeld episodes. Every single track was and is an anarchy towards easy listening (something that at present Audioslave does not uphold).
Perhaps the best moment on the album comes as a soft tease, with gentle guitar picks and a (comparatively) slow pace — until “Sleep Now in the Fire” is set free on the California crowd. The raucousness of the new guitar rift lends perfectly to De La Roucha’s flowing way of telling the world’s conquistadors to go to hell.
It’s a welcome sentiment, not necessarily because of its message, but because of its use of anger in a focused and insightful way. One thing that Rage was able to do was incite a crowd. As the mantra in “Freedom” goes: “Your anger is a gift”– when it’s used productively, that is.
Rage Against the Machine knew how to use that anger. Even when there wasn’t too much overtly unjust going on, Rage demonstrated what it was like to be a musical-activist. We can wonder what it would be like if they were making music now, but at least with the release of this CD we have an idea of what could have been.
