It has been a long time coming for Rage Against The Machine (“RATM”) fans to see, hear, and experience the band perform their most beloved tracks, live on stage. That wait, 11 years to be exact, finally ended when the band announced its long overdue and extremely lengthy, “Public Service Announcement Tour.” The tour, set to begin at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wisconsin, on July 9, 2022, and will end 51 shows later in Detroit, alongside famed hip-hop super-duo, Run The Jewels. Honestly, this entire 2022-2023 tour schedule (see below) is most definitely not for the faint of heart, as it consists of 12 countries, 40 cities, and 51 shows. This undertaking would likely prove exhausting in “normal” circumstances, let alone during what would end up being a painful (literally) and lengthy schedule ahead, all due to an unfortunate incident that would occur during RATM’s set at the United Center in Chicago, a mere 2 days into the long haul.
Now, before we get into the impending and unfortunate incident mentioned above, let’s discuss the opening act for this tour, Run the Jewels (“RTJ”). This legendary hip-hop (and entrepreneurial) super-duo, consisting of El-P (Brooklyn, NY) and Killer Mike (Atlanta, GA), is a force to be reckoned with and were the perfect choice to open this specific tour. They are full of energy, enthusiasm, and, of course, a shit-ton of defiance. Actually, this is not the first time RTJ has joined up with RATM, having crossed paths with one another at Coachella Festival in 2015
So, here’s the deal: This tour makes its Chicago debut on Monday, July 11, at the United Center, after having performed once only a couple of nights earlier at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. All goes smoothy for RTJ, then RATM begins their set. It was at this time, only 2 days into their enormous tour itinerary and a mere 4 songs into their first Chicago performance, when RATM vocalist, Zack de la Rocha somehow injures his leg and was forced to sit for the remainder of their set. Most certainly, as the packed house began to wonder and definitely worry about the situation, de la Rocha exclaims (in true rebellious fashion), “I don’t know what happened to my leg right now, but you know what? We’re gonna keep this fucking shit going! If I have to crawl across this stage. We’re gonna play for y’all tonight. We came too fucking far!” And, so it went, while those on stage left standing (literally), remaining members, Tom Morello (guitars), Tim Commerfield (bass), and Brian Wilk (drums) gave it everything they had, giving the fans exactly what they had waited for…a frenzy of nu-metal nostalgia, of which I am sure will not soon be forgotten.
It was on the following night in Chicago United Center (Tuesday, July 12) in which I was able to personally witness: RTJ began their set in an unusual, yet comical, fashion as the two legends casually strolled onto the stage, swaying to the beat of, “We Are the World,” and commanded the nearly sold-out United Center (23,500 capacity) to participate in singing along to the notable 80’s ballad. This technique was effective in getting the crowd engaged however, it was in an instant whe the astouding loud bass dropped and they ripped into their single, “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck).” Obviously, the atmosphere changed on a dime…but in a good way. It was as if visions of rainbows and puppy dogs turned into a face-melting grin in an instant.
Similar to their tour mates, RATM, RJT carry strong beliefs as to our current state of affairs, i.e government, society, and the world as a whole, using their vast platform to get their message(s) across. Take this lyrical assault for example, “Every day on evening news they feed you fear for free,” Killer Mike rapped. “And you so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me/‘Til my voice goes from a shriek to a whisper, ‘I can’t breathe.”
Naturally, after 45-minutes of RJT intensity, everyone in attendance was awake, primed, and more than ready for what was to come…Rage Against The Machine in all of their glory…well, with the exception of “the circumstance” mentioned above.
Needless to say, on this night, things were about to become quite interesting and were already questionable, to say the least. The energy of the United Center was full of obvious anticipation however, with a strong undertone of curiosity as to just how 52-year old, de la Rocha’s leg was doing. Would he be able to walk? Certainly, he would not be able to cover the stage from end-to-end in his normal dynamic fashion, would he? It was then, the lights went down and a couple of brawny tour staff carried him out and gently set him onto a stage monitor. The venue erupted with joy and bravado and de la Rocha was to sit during the entire set. But, regardless how unusually odd this set was going to look, compared to a “normal” frenzied RATM experience, it was going to happen and it would be beyond glorious.
Mashing together a perfect mix of rock and rap and Tom Morello (guitars) being a musical genuis, RATM focuses heavily on political discourse and events. During their set, there was an array of images that would take center stage, displaying messages such as, “ABORT THE SUPREME COURT,” referring to the U.S. Supreme Court, specifically the Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade June 24. The imagery of these impactful messages, i.e. border patrol agents, police cars on fire, etc. were bold and they most certainly enhanced the explosive audio that blared from the United Center’s gigantic PA system. It was like a sensory massage but, without the soothing oils and scented candles. Again, glorious.
Starting their 90-minute set with, “Bombtrack,” off of their debut studio album Rage Against The Machine, you could literally feel the concrete floor shaking as those 20,500 people in attendance erupted with appreciation and accolades. Also within the set were RATM’s notoriously and wildly popular protest tunes, “Bulls on Parade,” off of the Evil Empire album and “Killing in the Name Of” (Rage Against The Machine album). Toward the end of the set, it became extremely obvious just how frustrated de la Rocha was becoming due to his leg injury. During, “Know Your Enemy” (Rage Against The Machine album), he literally was bouncing up and down, while sitting of course, and throwing both of his legs into the air, all while belting out, “I’ve got no patience now
So sick of complacence now..” which couldn’t have been more appropriate given his physical condition/situation.
Again, as predicted, it was most definitely glorious to have experienced this legendary band, ram song after song off their various albums over the years into the ear holes afer all of these years. Keep in mind, it’s been 23 years since the band has released any new music but nobody seemed to care, as they jumped up and down, screaming along with the lyrics in blissful unison.
So, despite the unique and unfortunate “circumstance” that surrounded this particular evening, thus presenting an unusually subdued de la Rocha, with Morello, Wilk, and Commerfield happily picking up the slack, it was still extremely obvious that the fans of RATM had been missing them in a huge way over the past 11 years. And, regardless of the years long tour delay, their politically-influenced timing could not have been more perfect and most definitely worth the wait. Again, this is a lengthy tour run and does not end until April 2023, and it is highly advisable that, if given the opportunity, you simply must attend. It is a legendary experience that will most definitely be an unforgettable (and glorious) one. 😉
FULL SLIDESHOW
July 12, 2022 – United Center – Chicago, IL:
Set List (Rage Against The Machine):
- Bombtrack
- People of the Sun
- Bulls on Parade
- Bullet in the Head
- Testify
- No Shelter
- Wake Up
- Guerrilla Radio
- Vietnow
- Know Your Enemy
- Calm Like a Bomb
- Sleep Now in the Fire – Extended Drum Solo
- War Within a Breath
- The Ghost of Tom Joad
- Freedom
- Township Rebellion
- Killing in the Name
- Don’t Worry, Be Happy(Bobby McFerrin song)
Rage Against The Machine / Run The Jewels – Public Service Announcement Tour Dates:
JUL-09 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre
JUL-11 – Chicago, IL – United Center
JUL-12 – Chicago, IL – United Center
JUL-15 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest
JUL-16 – Quebec City, QC – Festival D’Ete De Quebec
JUL-19 – Hamilton, ON – FirstOntario Centre
JUL-21 – Toronto, ON – ScotiaBank Arena
JUL-23 – Toronto, ON – ScotiaBank Arena
JUL-25 – Buffalo, NY – KeyBank Center
JUL-27 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
JUL-29 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
JUL-31 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
AUG-02 – Washington, DC – CapitalOne Arena
AUG-03 – Washington, DC – CapitalOne Arena
AUG-08 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUG-09 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUG-11 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUG-12 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUG-14 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
AUG-24 – Edinburgh, UK – Royal Highlands Centre
AUG-26 – Leeds, UK – Leeds Festival
AUG-28 – Reading, UK – Reading Festival
AUG-30 – Paris, France – Rock En Seine Festival
SEP-01 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis
SEP-03 – Hannover, Germany – Expo Plaza (w/o Run the Jewels)
SEP-05 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion (w/o Run the Jewels)
SEP-08 – Malaga, Spain – Andalucia Big Festival – Sacaba Beach
SEP-10 – Madrid, Spain – Mad Cool Sunset – Espacio Mad Cool
SEP-13 – Vienna, Austria – Stadthalle
SEP-15 – Krakow, Poland – Tauron Arena
SEP-17 – Zagreb, Croatia – Zagreb Arena
SEP-19 – Prague, Czech Republic – O2 Arena
FEB-22 – Las Cruces, NM – Pan American Center
FEB-24 – El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
FEB-26 – Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
FEB-28 – Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
MAR-03 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena
MAR-05 – Oakland, CA – Oaklan Arena
MAR-07 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
MAR-09 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
MAR-11 – Vancouver, BC – Pacific Coliseum
MAR-13 – Calgary, AB – ScotiaBank SaddleDome
MAR-15 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
MAR-17 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
MAR-19 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
MAR-20 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
MAR-22 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
MAR-28 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
MAR-30 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
APR-01 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
APR-02 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
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