Live
< Rage Against The Machine at Reading Festival
words by Stuart Stubbs
We’re such a cynical bunch these days that it’s a wonder how any band can be as cliché-heavy as Rage Against The Machine remain, whilst we swallow every word they rant and every statement they make. But tonight is the continued return, not of any band, but of a Los Angeles quartet that undoubtedly mean every word, and care little if you believe that or not.
Quips against their reported 4.5 million Reading fee, today, replace past bashes of their major Sony record deal. But Rage have never really voiced anguish against personal wealth. Their problem has always been with the general state of things, and ultimately the mistreating of humanity, caused by – in their eyes – the tyranny of government rule. Especially against their own senate, controlling the supposed ‘Land Of The Free’.
“Last year when we played our first show back at Coachella people said that I’d said the president should be assassinated,” spits Zack de la Rocha, halfway through ‘Wake Up’. “What I actually said was that President Bush and his senate should be brought in front of a trial and charged against war crimes. And from what I saw in the news of you lot marching before the war, I think Tony Blair should be tried also.”
Fists in the air, the biggest crowd of any recent Reading, of course, roar like a righteous army, fighting the good fight. “You think they’re scared of four musicians from LA who speak their minds?” snarls Rocha before retching back into the song. “I don’t think so. They’re scared of you! They’re scared that you might get together and cause some shit in the streets!”
It’s a poignant and rare outburst from the fundamentalist, even if he can be criticised for re-treading trampled ground. Rather lengthy, it’s pretty much all he says on the mic all night, instead letting Rage’s pioneering rap metal do the protesting. They fly out of the opening ‘Bombtrack’ (which the band perform in orange Guantanamo Bay jumpsuits, their heads covered by black bags – for reasons yet known – in what could be the most iconic Reading opening since Kurt’s wheelchair) and into ‘Testify’. De la Rocha squeals and spits with vengeance from the off, hop-scotching around the vast stage, threatening to mummify guitarist Tom Morello and bassist Tim Commerford with his mic lead.
But as rallying at Rocha is, it’s Morello that’s the musical star of the reformed Rage, as has always been the case for many. Out of his jumpsuit, the guitarist pulls on his usual baseball cap/combat shirt combo. A giant, single red star (cliché number 28) has been unveiled above he and his band members’ heads - a motif that peppers his various guitars throughout the evening, and his shirt. A Che Guevara flag drapes across his Marshall amplifier. Of course, all of this is irrelevant once we note what sounds the Irish/Italian New Yorker is creating, and how he’s creating them.
Often while high-kicking and spinning in his corner of the stage, Morello stamps of on cry-baby wah wahs, jabs frets and thumb-flicks his pick-up switches to create a guitar sound like no other. He never hits a bum-note as his instruments whoosh and bleep, sometimes sounding like the scratchings of a vinyl DJ when Rage aren’t bringing obvious highlights like the crunching, riff-heavy ‘Sleep Now In The Fire’.
The wait for ‘Killing In The Name’ is predictably long. It closes to perhaps a muted response, or perhaps not the frenzy that most were expecting due to how pulsating the crowd have remained throughout the 90-minute set.
It’d be false to say that everything was perfect for Rage’s big summer blowout though. The sound of Reading’s main stage is as gash as ever. Still too bothered by the neighbours complaints, it’s simply not loud enough, for a band that need to be heard at distortion point. But it’s a mere niggling point, namely for those that are not packed, sardine-tight between the stage and sound-desk. On their part, Rage Against The Machine do their bit. 4.5 mil, y’say? Sounds like Reading got a bargain.
Set List
'Bombtrack'
'Testify'
'Bulls On Parade'
'People Of The Sun'
'Know Your Enemy'
'Bullet In Your Head'
'Born Of A Broken Man'
'Guerrilla Radio'
'Ashes In The Fall'
'Calm Like A Bomb'
'Sleep Now In The Fire'
'Wake Up'
'Freedom'
'Killing In The Name'
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