Tonight I went and saw Rage Against the Machine play at the Target Center. I really don't feel as if I wore enough facial piercings for the event. Nor did I wear enough black, thought I did try. I could claim facial hair as evidence of my hard-rockedness, though. I exploited that as much as possible, because let's face it, it's all I've got.
One thing I couldn't help but notice as I approached the Target Center was the police. Police in cars. Police on bikes. Police on horses. Police in helicopters. Police in SWAT team vans. Just in general, a whole lot of police. Wielding a variety of fun implements, like clubs, tasers, riot shields, tear gas, zip-tie handcuffs, helmets, etc. Needless to say, it was unlike the security detail when Ben Folds played at the CFL.
A worthless punk band called Anti-Flag opened. They were, as previously stated, worthless. Not worthy to carry Rage's used sweat towels. Maybe it's just me, but punk music seems to have very little value whatsoever. It's fast, loud, generally musically uninteresting. And then someone yells about how pissed they are at everything.
Now, touché you may say, isn't that exactly what Rage Against the Machine does? Well, they do play fairly loud, and they are very pissed off. But the big difference here I think, is that they express themselves not in shitty punk non-music, but in face-melting guitar riffs, funked out bass lines, and actually quite intelligent lyrics. Granted, I could barely hear what Zach De La Rocha was saying, because I had a seat to the side and it was really loud. But I've read the lyrics. I mean, who else sings about Euro-centric textbooks in school?
Rage did not disappoint in the least. They came out on stage dressed as Guantanamo detainees, in orange jumpsuits and black hoods. They then opened with "Bombtrack," complete with the hoods on, before changing into their normal wear. Needless to say, it was quite the entrance. The whole show was just quite electric. A lot of bands have amazing sounding albums, but once you remove them from the safety net of the studio, they sound terrible. Rage however, they sounded incredible live. You could really tell they were passionate about their music and their message. So much energy. They were just, in a word, intense. Tom Morello is a freak on guitar, I really don't know how he coaxes those sounds out of the thing. It's like the equivalent of me making my trombone sound like an oboe or something.
Of course, the band is famously political. They were not fans of the Republican National Convention next door in St. Paul. Nor of the Iraq war. That was explicitly stated numerous times. I mentioned the Guantanamo thing, right? They also subtly flashed "RNC FUCK YOU" in lights above the stage before they went on. Honestly though, I'm sure most of the crowd could have cared less about the political leanings of the band. They just wanted to rock, which they had ample opportunity to do. Still though, it's kind of a shame. The people in this band, they're not stupid. And yes, they may be extremely to the left, but they're obviously passionate about social justice in ways that a good portion of their fans don't quite grasp. Too bad.
I went alone, which was probably good. It meant I could react to the music in ways where I didn't have to think about how stupid I looked. I could spend money lavishly on shirts without anyone bothering my conscience. It allowed me to have beer spilled on me without feeling some societal urge to punch the guy out. So many things. It would have been nice to have a friend, but I can also appreciate that many aren't quite so enamoured. That's fine. It was interesting to see the floor from my throne in row H of section 229, seat 4. An ocean of people, pulsating to the music, a constant stream of body surfers being tossed out. Guys throwing themselves around in mosh pits. How is that fun at all? I suppose I can grasp it, it would probably be fun if you were with your friends, but definitely not if you were claustraphobic.
Anyways, after the show finished with an insane version of "Killing in the Name Of," I exited onto second street. Got a great view of the new Twins ballpark, rising across the freeway. Man is it going to be spectacular. There was literally a phalanx of riot police surrounding the Target Center. I had secretly kind of hoped that I would have accidentally gotten caught up in some sort of ruckus, and gotten hit with a club or tear gassed. Good story to tell at Thanksgiving, you know? But alas, everyone was pretty well behaved. And to be fair, for all their vitriol, after Rage finished their show, they encouraged the crowd to disperse peacefully. I think he said something like, "let's show them (the police) we have more discipline then they do."
In summary, if it's your thing, I'd highly recommend going and seeing Rage play live. Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of opportunity for that. Good thing I went last night.
Here are some more professional reviews, should you so desire.
Star Tribune
Rolling Stone
Pioneer Press
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