Saturday, January 26, 2008

rage against the machine


rock the bells. 7/29/2007. randal's island, new york city.

one year ago, around this time in january, i found out about the possible reunion of rage against the machine. by the end of april the four members performed their first concert in seven years. and by the end of july i got to see them on stage, in new york city, playing in front of a crowd of over thirty-five thousand. this was for me one of the most important concerts i have ever attended. i say this for two reasons: first, i’ve been listening to this band’s records for a considerable number of years regretting i didn’t get a chance to see them live while they were still together; second, this reunion reinforced one of my oldest believes, that as long as all members are still alive, sooner or later, a broken-up band is likely to get back together and perform again.

that weekend in july, soggy and muddy made the theme of the day. clouded sky and constant rain fashioned the perfect setting for an open-air, day-long, jam-packed, hip-hop/ rock festival. all day long i felt my clothes getting heavier from the pouring rain. i dragged my shoes through thick mud, going from one stage to another across the almost impracticable terrain of the festival ground. i sipped very expensive water-like heineken from plastic coups with my friend josh, while watching some of the most renowned hip-hop artists of the moment. all the artists that performed made us immune to the rough conditions and kept us spirits high and relaxed. we witnessed hip-hop at its best all day long.

right after nightfall time came for the rock section of the festival to begin. this was covered by only one band. “rage…” was bout to come on, so we took our place in the mob. they haven’t played in a long time and had scheduled less than ten shows for their reunion tour. this was one of them and i was right there. i was in new york city, at a major music festival, and about to see one of the most powerful rock bands take the stage right in front of me. the sky was dark, the stage was dark, and i was no longer relaxed. i was very anxious, very excited. all attendants were gathered in front of the main stage, forming an immense crowd, the biggest i’ve ever been part of. everyone was restless, waiting for the big moment. the energy was building up; i could feel it in the air. i was overwhelmed by the abundance of feelings. the tension was at its peak. i was breathing heavily and i couldn’t talk. my eyes were pointed at the great stage.

zack emerged in the spotlight and grabbed the mic: “good evening! we are rage against the machine from los angeles, california.” shredding sounds came from tom’s guitar, tim’s bass, brad’s drums, all building into a crescendo. and then the song kicked in. thousands of people broke contact with the ground, fists high up in the air, thus huge amounts of energy being released. this went on for the whole duration of the concert. the band was delivering lots of energy and the crowd was returning it, and so on back and forth in greater amounts. everyone knew the lyrics to the songs, everyone was chanting the chorus. every right element was there, making it the best example for a perfect concert.

rage against the machine - guerilla radio [live @ rock the bells 2007]