Reviewed by:
Newbs28, on september 06, 2008
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
Sound: The Battle of Minneapolis. That was the phrase written on the merch shirts and in the hearts of many concertgoers the night of September 3rd, 2008. After being denied access to performing on the capitol lawn, many fans thought that the Target Center show was not going to happen. Following the anti everything performance of the punk band Anti-Flag, it took forty-five for the real show to start. As air raid sirens pummeled through the speakers, four Guantanamo Bay prisoners, black bags over their heads, walked on stage waiting to be executed. A minute later, the members of Rage Against The Machine were given their instruments and began to shake the foundation of the building. Zach de la Rocha only words for over half of the set list to the crowd was “We’re Rage Against The Machine from Los Angeles, California.” Tom Morello had the Ibanez Artstar Hollowbody and the Mongrel Custom "Arm The Homeless" guitars amongst others and Tim Commerford had yet another Fender Jazz bass. Brad Wilk pounded the drums and kept the beat going the whole show. The only issue was the backup microphone for Commerford was not turned up as loud as it should have for the first few songs. Other than that, everything could be heard clearly through the sound system for the entire show. The crowd also covered some of the lyrics and that was reportedly heard outside the Target Center from blocks away. In the arena though, there was a security guard waiting at the end of every section that connected to the ground floor trying to make sure that people didn’t jump over the railing. After a few of them were pushed over by fans for trying to stop the masses of people, most of the guards just gave up and let them pack the GA floor up. One cop didn’t get the message and was pushed off and fell head first straight down, he never made it back and was pulled out on a stretcher. // 10
Perfomance: This was the set list (in order) for the show.
01. Bombtrack – this was the song performed in the Gitmo suits and bags over the head. Clearly though the band had to have been able to see to some degree because de la Rocha was running around during the song and Morello was jumping around as well, starting off on one side of the stage and ending on his usual right hand side of the stage. The countdowns leading up to the lyrics were sung by the crowd and it was a great way to kick off the show.
02. Testify – Rage left the stage for a few seconds to change out of their prisoner outfits. They came out in their usual outfits that they have been wearing since Coachella in 2007. Before the intro riff, Zack stated Who they were and where they came from. That would be the only thing he would say until the interlude of Sleep Now in the Fire, besides the lyrics of course. Great song, every time the lyric “The war is right outside your door” or “It’s right outside your door” de la Rocha pointed towards the exits due to the enormous amount of cops and riot police outside the arena.
03. Bulls On Parade – right after the final cord of Testify, Tom Morello jumped straight into the opening riff to one of the most well known songs in the bands collection. After an a cappella version of the song on the capitol lawn the previous day, the band blasted this one through the speakers and gave out a lot of energy during the beginning and closing riff. During the second chorus before the solo, Commerford’s bass strap came loose while he was jumping around. A stage hand ran up and while the bassist was on his knees trying to keep the groove section going, put it back on.
04. People Of The Sun – the pick scraping at the beginning was very strange sounding, probably Morello finding the right spot. The other thing wrong was Commerford’s vocals could barely be heard until after the first chorus.
05. Know Your Enemy – The fast paced part of the main riff was very iconic due to the lights only shining on Morello, the entire crowd hollering the opening “Know your enemy.” The bass line towards the end was right on and really great sounding through the speakers by themselves. The “All of which are American dreams” line was chanted a few times by the crowd after the song and any time the crowd was singing was like they were showing a message to the cops that they were not afraid.
06. Bullet In The Head – Once again, de la Rocha just ran around like an animal on stage screaming the song title like a madman. The opening bass line created a massive mosh pit that went on for the entire track. The harmonics during the verses for the Arm the Homeless guitar were very loud and covered up the bass line once an a while.
07. Katrina Song – Switching to one of his other guitars, Tom Morello began showing his diversity in playing calmer songs with his randomness in effects and distortions. This song was obviously a reference to the people of New Orleans that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Some of the lyrics were as follows, "There were there on Monday, and nobody came/ They were there on Tuesday, and nobody came/ They were there on Wednesday, and nobody came/ They were there on Thursday, and nobody came/ They were there, starving, and nobody came/ They were there, drowning, and nobody came... " The song lasted around five minutes and this could possibly be a rumor starter that they are working on new material for an album.
08. Born Of A Broken Man – during the chorus’s of the song, the crowd could be clearly heard screaming the lyrics and The View of a few thousand going absolutely insane is a chilling sight. de la Rocha began whispering the verses but realizing he could not be heard half the time, started just singing the words. The interlude guitar riff in which the drums and bass slowly buildup was very inspirational to make even the seated sections start jumping up and down to the rhythm.
09. Guerrilla Radio – dedicating this song to the opening act, this song was kicked off by Zack jumping and the second his feet hit the ground, chaos ensued. In unison, the entire crowd, general admission and seated, jumped to the beat of the chorus. All hell could not stop that crowd as the rap rocker screamed into the mic the ending lyrics.
10. Ashes In The Fall – the opening squeals were a little off compared to the recorded version, but all in all another great song. Not the ideal jumping and bouncing to the beat song, but still an amazing song the sing to as de la Rocha ran around yelling the lyrics, showing no signs of stopping.
11. Calm Like A Bomb – the crowd once again joined the lead singer in repeating the titled lyrics. They also backup sang the continuing ignites that ran throughout the song. The solo was extended a little bit as Morello just started ripping up the effects pedals.
12. Sleep Now In The Fire – Morello switched guitars and this time it was his red and black Ibanez Artstar Hollowbody. On the final verse of Calm Like A Bomb, Morello jumped right into the opening riff of one of the most exciting performances of the night. The only problem with the song was that de la Rocha wasn’t rapping the buildups to the chorus, thus extending the song a little. During the interlude, Tom Morello went and sat down towards the back of the stage and wiped his face and drank some water. Zack de la Rocha took this time to thank the audience for coming and giving the city a night to remember. He also stated a message towards the RNC across the river, preaching about how they are wrong. Then the lights went out, with only one spotlight shining directly down. Tom Morello stepped right in and began playing the main riff, mayhem and chaos began as the crowd mosh pitted the entire building until the end.
13. Wake Up – if he hadn’t gotten his message through during Sleep Now In The Fire, de la Rocha ranted for a good minutes about what is happening here and now. “I know a lot of you feel the way that we do, ” he said. “In our small way, together we come to spots like this to interrupt and to disrupt and to not be passive in the face of all this death and destruction that this party brought to this country and the world. We won’t be party to it. And we’re going to resist it. And we’re not going to let them distract our brothers and sisters and people around the country from it. … These people are concerned about a few determined people that broke a couple of windows; this government just broke two countries! … Oh and by the way, Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, I forgot to mention that.” After that, he began screaming “Wake Up!” through the sound system as the entire crowd joined in an ongoing chant. Morello tossed his guitar to his stage hand while de le Rocha stated, “I don’t know what you all are going to do tonight afterward, but I hope you all leave peacefully… but you don’t have to be passive! You don’t have to let anyone put their hands on you” and with that the band left the stage, lights going out. The only thing that could be seen was the ominous red star in the background.
14. Encore – before they came back out, a strange National anthem of some kind played over the loud speakers. The words RNC f--k YOU were spelt out on the light screen above the stage. The second the almost communistic anthem was over, so was the break. Rage Against The Machine retook the stage.
15. Freedom – another head banging, crowd bouncing, de la Rocha rapping, Morello and Commerford jumping song that shook the stage and foundations of the Target Center. The first pause during the song signaled a raging scream from the crowd, followed by the same panic and social disorder from the first round. During the final howls, the lead singer was once practically apologizing to the Minnesota community for taking eleven long years to come back by giving everything that he had into jumping on the monitors and running left and right across the stage.
16. Township Rebellion – as the feedback cringed through the monitors and speakers, the opening riff began and they played the first verse and chorus of this song.
17. Killing In The Name – the band went right into this one without warning right in the middle of Township Rebellion. During the “Those Who died are justified…” part, the crowd seemed to give it their all, on the floor and the seats. A completely full Target Center mosh pit is the only way to describe the incredible reaction probably the most recognizable Rage Against The Machine song. The lyrics were changed during the second verse, targeting the convention that was a mere eight miles away across the Mississippi River. Instead of “Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses, ” it became “Some of those that burn crosses, are the same that hold office.” Every time the word office was said, de la Rocha pointed towards the exits, signifying the lyrics were directly referencing the Republican Government. The solo was also very iconic, as Morello performed the last trills with his right fist high in the air. The lights went dim, and the build up began. After every “f--k you I won’t do what you tell me” statement, the lights began brightening up, the louder de la Rocha got, the brighter they became. When the final breakdown commenced, the entire arena was lit up, the crowd screaming as if there was no tomorrow those well known words. A few cops later said that they were down the street four blocks away from the Target Center and could hear the hollers from the audience of 13, 000. At the end of the song, the band all came out front to thank the fans. Once again, Zack de la Rocha told the crowd to prove the cops and the world wrong by leaving peacefully and not damage a single thing, as if pleading the crowd to protest peacefully. Instead of standing on stage waiting for the firing squad, they seemed to be posing for their high school year book, smiling big smiles and laughing and enjoying the respect given by the fans in attendance. // 10
Impression: The show took place on September 3rd, 2008 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN, USA. The opening act was Anti-Flag. The best part of the whole show was the entire ninety minutes Rage Against The Machine was onstage. The worst part was the wait for that to happen. During the intermission between the two acts, hundreds of people began jumping the guard rail onto the general admission floor, with the GA and seated fans cheering every time one made the leap and escaped from the security’s clutches. Tickets were fifty-eight dollars apiece and free for this reviewer, a big thanks to the 93X radio station. The show was completely worth the money for everyone, hopefully. The thing that should never leave the minds of anyone in attendance is that they witnessed one of the proclaimed “best Live rock bands of this generation.” As for a specific moment, probably the moment the Target Center was lit up and everyone screaming “f--k you I won’t do what ya tell me” at the top of their lungs. There are rumors circulating that they may start a full North American/South American tour in the coming months and if so, I will definitely be going anywhere they go that takes place within the Midwest. The Battle of Minneapolis began with a bang, and ended with an almost peaceful and quiet exit into the streets of the downtown area. If only those 102 protesters did something to get arrested. Not one window was broken, not one act of vandalism reported, and not one act of violence by the Rage Against The Machine fans was made. They did more damage to each other than they did to Minneapolis. For anyone still reading, this was the greatest concert of my life so far. // 10
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