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Album Review
by SashaS
10-12-2003
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More on: Rage Against The Machine
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| Rage Against The Machine live: CD & DVD |
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Rage Against The Machine: 'Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium'
(Epic)
Rage Against The Machine and the final ‘combat rock’ gasp
Just before the final song of the main set the Rage Against The Machine singer Zack de la Rocha goes into his usual rant: this time it is about American and British military activity and their bombing ‘democracy’. He shouts “I don’t understand the killings of peasants, workers and children!” before dedicating ‘Bulls On Parade’ to the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair!
It simply underlines the commitment of the band to voicing its concerns, pointing finger at the injustices of the world and shouting about the and at the wrongdoers. It doesn’t contradict their Kosovo Refugees ‘No Boundaries’ album contribution, a version of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘The Ghost Of Tom Joad’. They got involved with the album on the humanitarian ground while politically they are totally anti-war. [They failed to include the song tonight although it’s an incredible version that makes the Boss’ sound too mellow!]
Such is the nature of this band that musically mixes heavy and rap, funky and punky, agitational approach and pretty fantastic riffing! But live, it is a ferocious entity that is totally - rock revolutionary! The rebel music and glorifying the revolt! One of the songs on the new album, performed tonight, is entitled ‘Guerrilla Radio’, which could be the next LP’s title. If The Clash hadn’t used it, then this should be the ‘Kombat Rock’!
The band’s first UK show for three-and-a-half years commenced with an instant eruption of vigour: rhythm section as solid as a monolith, Brad Wilks flowing and top-heavy in equal measures and bassist Timmy C often playing melodic chords while guitarist was taking flights of experimental sounds. The singer acts like a caged animal, spitting, barking his vocals of anger, shaking his dreadlocks! Zack might just be the angriest performer working currently.
Tom Morello decorates sounds in the most innovative manner which truly makes one wonder why other guitarists were not striving for something similar?! The frenzied show didn’t let up for a minute and new cuts such as ‘Testify’, ‘Sleep Now In The Fire’, ‘Calm Like A Bomb’, ‘Maria’, mixed beautifully with the long-standing favourites ‘Bullet In The Head’, ‘People Of The Sun’, ‘Know Your Enemy’ and ‘Freedom’ (evening’s closer).
The audience regularly goes mental, driven by pure, primal instincts! Moshing, pushing, attempting to pick a refrain and sing-along, fainting! From the riff-off and standing ovation the moment RATM were on stage, this 2,000-strong crowd was on the vibe: everyone’s come knowing what they’ll get - power, decibels, heavy sonic adventure, raw energy, complex arrangements and lyrics to start a [cranial] revolt.
The first of five encores, ‘Killing In The Name’, had everybody singing every word and Zack even pulled a girl from the crowd to take over the final chanting while he danced around her!? [Her compensation was a kiss and a hug.] By then it was a ‘riot’, a general emo-melee in front of a simple backdrop, a replica of their Website page, and a Che Guevara’s poster over Morello’s amp. Guitarist also sported a baseball cap proclaiming ‘Guerrilla’… It was a statement about triviality of fashion, as everything is a statement with this band.
There is no easy pleasure here, and the reaction of the audience seems to be genuine although one can’t but wonder whether the message gets through or music is the last refuge of the deluded - to paraphrase Marx. Anyhow, a perfect evening of aggro-songs for violent times although its essence is pro-peacenik and co-existential. RATM’s show is awe inspiring, stirring, dream altering!
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This review is of the show RATM played at the London Astoria of 13 Sept. 1999 and the bombing Zack was referring to were of Serbia and Kosovo. ‘Guerrilla Rock’ turned out to be named ‘The Battle Of Los Angeles’, the band’s final studio album. They toured it, the final show being the one captured on this CD [we’d recommend the DVD version], ‘Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium’.
RATM were that rare breed that could make its audience overdose on adrenaline. This is a document every rocker should treasure a copy of, regardless of having experienced live magic or this being a maiden voyage into the Rage’s sonic paradise. Sorely missed renegades.
9/10
SashaS
10-12-2003
Rage Against The Machine’s ‘Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium’ is released 08 December 2003 by Epic
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