Here's Your Sneak Peek At Rage's Live CD
Special Guests, Covers To Highlight New CD
Let me tell you something about the two kinds of Rage Against the Machine fans.
There are those fans, like me, who are happy to hear some intelligent lyrics and masterful guitar work by Zack de la Rocha and Tom Morello, respectively. Maybe we don't take all of their politics to heart, but we respect what they are saying, know every word to their songs and scream "Tom is God!" during his guitar solos.
And then there are the other ones, the guys and gals who, when they hear a good guitar lick that's remotely speedy, start pushing and body surfing over the fans like me who care whether their head gets bashed in by steel-toed Docs. Zack could suddenly just stop rapping on stage, but if Tom, Tim Commerford (bassist) and Brad Wilk (drummer) kept the music going, they'd continue moshing to their heart's content.
There was room for both kinds of fans at the Grand Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sept. 12 when Rage took the stage to record a new live album due to hit stores in November.
I figured this was going to be my last chance to catch Rage on stage before the end of the year because their Rhyme & Reason tour with the Beastie Boys has been postponed indefinitely while Mike D recovers from a nasty bike spill.
The venue was small enough so that there were no bad seats, and the auditorium had balcony seating for the meek, like me, who did not want to be a part of the churning masses in the mosh pit.
Another plus about the venue was its intimate size -- you will be able to hear every fans' chant, scream and whistle on this upcoming live album.
A Few Surprises At The Show
I am a five-time Rage concert veteran, so I knew what to expect from their fans, and from the band. I headed straight for the stage left area of the balcony because I know that is always Tom's side of the stage.
As soon as the lights went down, the place exploded in applause and whistles. In all the concerts I have attended, I have only heard the loudest and most inventive whistle-calling at Rage shows. I'm not talking about a bird call or a melodious tune -- I'm talking about a screeching, high-pitched sound that resembles a bunch of car alarms going off.
Zack's fuzzy dreads started flailing around his head as he broke into a cover of "Kick Out The Jams" by MC5. They played this cover at the free concert across the street from the Democratic National Convention in August, so it is clear that they will make it a part of their live album.
Rage did not disappoint their veteran fans like myself. Right after "Kick Out The Jams," Tim's deep bass guitar at the beginning of "Bulls On Parade," from their second album "Evil Empire," segued into Tom's wah-wah guitar solo. On the live CD, you will hear everyone in the auditorium chant "Come wit it now!"
When they launched into "Bullet In The Head," from their self-titled debut album, you could hear everyone in the auditorium singing every word because Zack slowed down his delivery of the song by just a notch. I don't know if he did that on purpose, but the effect was that his words seemed to echo off the walls in the venue. I hope that makes it on the album.
The band sailed through their three singles off their latest CD, "Battle of Los Angeles": "Testify," "Guerilla Radio" and "Sleep Now In The Fire."
"Sleep Now In The Fire" may not sound too spectacular on the album, but it is one of the best songs that they perform live. First, there's Tom's frenzied guitar solo. But something new that they added at this show was a too-brief drum solo. I know drums solos are usually associated with hair bands and rotating drum stages, but Zack and Tom are such powerful performers that it was nice to see them step aside briefly to showcase their bandmates' talent.
Expect To Hear More Covers, Special Guests On The Album
With the pit already in a frenzy after playing "Know Your Enemy" -- another shout-along tune -- Zack took a moment to introduce a couple of guys onto the stage to help them with their next cover. "They've supported us since the beginning," Zack bellowed into his mic, "and we want to bring them out and give thanks."
B-Real and Sen Dog of Cypress Hill strolled on the stage with mics on their hands just as Tom broke into the Cypress Hill hit "How I Could Just Kill A Man."
B-Real's distinctive whine was not drowned out by Zack's powerful shout or Tom's wailing guitar, which either proves that the man has the most annoying voice in the business or that he's a great musician who knows how to stand out. I'm still undecided on that.
The other surprises came in the form of two new songs that Rage performed live. I have to admit, I don't know if they are Zack-penned songs or whether they are covers. We'll just have to find out when the live album comes out.
The first one had Zack saying "E-F-F-E-C-T" in the chorus, while the other song was indecipherable because Zack had an echo special effect on the microphone. All I could make out was "Because I'm HAAA..." and I don't know if he said "high" or "packing" or "acting." Decipherable or not, you will hear the crowd be very excited to have listened to new material for the live album.
Of course Rage will take the opportunity to continue to push their political ideas on this live album. During the final build-up in the song "Freedom," Zack started chanting "Freedom for Mumia," a reference to Mumia Abu-Jamal, who is on death row, convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer. In "Killing In The Name," their trademark final song, Zack sang, "Some of those who burn crosses/Are the same who hold office."
So when you pick up their live album in November, catch Cypress Hill, the lyric changes and the fans having a great time at this intimate show. And listen up for a high-pitched "Tom is God!" cheer. That would be me.
