Rage To Bring Riot During RNC
This story was written by Joseph Froemming, University Chronicle
On September 3, while the Republican National Convention (RNC) is under way in St. Paul, Rage Against the Machine will be performing one of their few shows this year at the Target Center.
Rage Against the Machine is well known for their aggressive rap/rock music and politically charged lyrics.
Their political stance is far-left, much in the vein of bands like Dead Kennedys and The Clash. Their performance in Minneapolis during the RNC might spark some controversy.
This wouldn't be the first time Rage Against the Machine has performed during a political convention. In 2000, just a few months before the band broke up, they performed a free show at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.
That set was broken up when the LAPD stormed the crowd with tear gas claiming that the band and crowd had gathered unlawfully.
The performance was likened to when the MC5 performed at the Democratic National Convention in 1968 when the Chicago Police Department fired tear gas and used clubs upon the crowd.
This time around the band has booked a venue to avoid such problems. The Target Center can also hold up to 19,000 fans.
On Sept. 1, Rage Against the Machine's guitarist Tom Morello will perform a free show with country artist Steve Earle at Harriet Island in St. Paul. The show will be for a union rally.
Pre-sale tickets were available last Friday through 93X and were made available for the general public on Saturday morning.
The band reunited last year after six years of silence. They broke up in 2001 due to conflicts among the band members.
Lead singer Zack de la Rocha has been the most silent of the members during the six year break up.
He recorded an album with Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor that was never released except for one song that appeared on a Michael Moore compilation CD, "Songs And Artists That Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11."
Recently, de la Rocha started a new two-piece project with Jon Theodore called "One Day as a Lion," where de la Rocha plays keyboards and does the vocals while Theodore manages drums.
"One Day as a Lion" released a five song ep in July, the first new music by de la Rocha in years.
The rest of the members went on to form Audioslave with former Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell.
Rage Against the Machine performed at Lollapalooza this year, giving fans a glimpse into what their Minneapolis show will be like.
In their political sights are both John McCain and Barack Obama. The band members are not affiliated with either the democratic or republican party.
So for those who have been waiting to see Rage Against the Machine live, their performance during the RNC will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.